Introduction
The AASL Standards Framework for Learners comprises six Shared Foundations: Inquire, Include, Collaborate, Curate, Explore, and Engage. Each foundation is divided into four learning domains: Think, Create, Share, and Grow. These domains represent how students develop their knowledge, express ideas, collaborate with others, and reflect on their growth.
The code “AASL A.VI” refers to:
Shared Foundation: ENGAGE
Domain: THINK
Learners follow ethical and legal guidelines for gathering and using information by:
- Responsibly applying information, technology, and media to learning.
- Understanding the ethical use of information, including citation and respect for intellectual property.
Engaging with information in a way that reflects honesty, fairness, and accountability.
Understanding What It Means to Engage
In AASL A.VI, to engage means to participate with thoughtfulness and purpose. It’s a mindset where students stay connected to both their thinking process and the impact of their choices. Engaged thinking involves depth, critical reflection, and a strong ethical foundation. Students develop awareness of their role as learners, contributors, and stewards of knowledge.
Students build an understanding of why giving credit matters. They learn to see citation as part of a larger practice of respect, accuracy, and accountability. They think about the people behind ideas and the systems that shape how information is created and shared. They also begin to notice when sources are incomplete, misleading, or used unfairly. As they grow, students learn to navigate these moments with care, asking themselves how to respond in ways that reflect integrity.
What AASL A.VI Engage and Think Asks Students to Do
AASL A.VI asks students to think carefully when they gather, use, and share information. This includes recognizing when a situation calls for ethical awareness, such as quoting a source, choosing a photo, or posting online. Students are expected to apply what they know about fairness, accuracy, and responsibility as part of their everyday learning.
They also learn to use information and media tools with purpose and respect. This means understanding the value of giving credit, seeking permission when needed, and making thoughtful choices about what to include or share.
Finally, students are asked to evaluate information for truthfulness, context, and appropriateness. They consider where information comes from, how cultural or social influences shape it, and whether it fits their purpose. These habits support ethical thinking not as a separate skill, but as part of how students think and learn across subjects.
Key Considerations: AASL A.VI Engage and Think
Teaching AASL A.VI requires more than reminding students to cite sources. Ethical thinking needs space, time, and regular practice across subjects. Students benefit when they can pause, ask questions, and reflect on their choices without pressure to be perfect.
It helps to build routines where credit, fairness, and accuracy are part of everyday conversation, not one-time lessons. Teachers should also consider how information is presented in the classroom. Materials should reflect a range of voices and perspectives so students can think critically about what’s included and missing.
Younger students may need more concrete examples and visual support, while older students can handle nuanced discussions around credibility and bias. In all cases, the focus is on helping learners connect ethical thinking with real choices—what they read, share, create, and treat the work of others.
Key Actions Within AASL A.VI Engage and Think
Competency 1: Responsibly applying information, technology, and media to learning
This is reflected in Making Informed, Respectful Choices and Practicing Consistency Across Contexts. This includes applying ethical standards to digital and non-digital work, understanding appropriate use, and managing information carefully.
Ideas to Include (Grades 4–8):
- Think Before You Post Log: Students review past digital posts or hypothetical examples and reflect on tone, accuracy, and appropriateness before sharing content publicly.
- Responsible Reuse Scenarios: Students are presented with scenarios involving memes, videos, or images. They decide if, when, and how content can be reused responsibly.
- Context Check Station: Interactive station where students match types of content (news, memes, academic quotes) with correct platforms, tone, and sharing guidelines.
- Build-a-Citation Chart: Students label parts of a sample citation to learn how each element helps give credit and build trust in research.
Ideas to Include (Grades K–3):
- Safe Sharing Sort: Students sort cards showing different kinds of info (home address, class project) into “okay to share” and “keep private.”
- Picture Choice Talk: Using printed images, students explain why one picture is okay to reuse and another needs permission or credit.
- Buddy Check Poster: Students create a checklist for what to do before sharing work with a friend, teacher, or online audience.
Competency 2: Understanding the ethical use of information, technology, and media
Reflected in Noticing When Thought Requires Ethical Awareness and Building Habits of Integrity. These involve recognizing when ethical thinking is needed and developing internal habits that guide responsible action.
Ideas to Include (Grades 4–8):
- Who Helped Me Map: Students trace ideas in a project and visually connect them to the original sources, classmates, or inspirations behind their thinking.
- Credit Match-Up: Students match types of media (books, images, songs) with appropriate citation styles or permissions. Introduces basic attribution in context.
- Integrity Interviews: Students ask school staff or family about how they use information ethically in daily work, then present key lessons learned.
Ideas to Include (Grades K–3):
- “Who Said It?” Game: The teacher reads short statements. Students guess if they came from a book, a friend, or themselves. This reinforces the idea of ownership.
- Thank You Card for a Source: Students draw or write a card addressed to the book, website, or person that helped them learn something new.
- My Work, My Words: Students pick a short sentence they wrote and a sentence they copied. They label which is “my idea” and which needs credit.
Competency 3: Evaluating information for accuracy, validity, social and cultural context, and appropriateness for need
Reflected in Reflecting on the Consequences of Engagement. Students are encouraged to assess the quality and impact of the information they use and consider the broader context in which it exists.
Ideas to Include (Grades 4–8):
- Truth Test Challenge: Students compare multiple articles or posts about the same topic and rate them for accuracy, bias, and reliability.
- Who’s Missing? Wall: Students analyze a news story, book, or resource and identify voices or perspectives that aren’t represented but should be.
- Reliable or Risky? Board Game: A class-made game where students move across tiles by spotting fake facts, unreliable sources, or misleading claims.
Ideas to Include (Grades K–3):
- Real or Made-Up Sorting Game: Students sort simple facts and silly claims into two piles, learning how to tell if something is trustworthy.
- Truthful Teddy Storytime: Students listen to a short story and identify what parts sound real and what parts might need checking.
- What Fits Best? Chart: Students look at different types of sources (book, map, cartoon) and decide which best answers a specific question.
Student Outcomes Through Ethical Engagement
After working with AASL A.VI, students are expected to consistently think ethically about the information they encounter and share. They understand that every choice they make in research, communication, and collaboration carries weight. This includes recognizing the importance of accuracy, respecting ownership, and engaging with diverse perspectives.
Students begin to act with greater care when quoting, paraphrasing, or using media. They show increased awareness of whose voices are included in sources and whose are left out. Over time, students become more confident in making thoughtful decisions without relying entirely on external approval.
They reflect on their actions, revise when necessary, and participate more respectfully in learning communities. These habits support stronger academic performance and greater trustworthiness and responsibility. Ethical thinking becomes part of how they approach learning in any setting, forming a foundation they can carry into later study and everyday life.
Conclusion
AASL A.VI encourages students to engage with information and people through thoughtful and ethical decision-making. It supports them in recognizing the weight of their intellectual choices and teaches them how to navigate those choices with clarity, respect, and care. When students think in this way, they grow into learners who are not only competent but also trustworthy.
They become individuals who generously credit others, check their sources carefully, and ask hard questions with sincerity. These habits shape character and competence. That’s what it means to think while engaging.
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