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Browse all lessons
Lesson

The Four Factors of Fair Use

What rights to fair use do you have as a creator?

Grade

7

Time

50 mins.

Kids can be voracious consumers -- and creators -- of media, and it's easier than ever for them to find and share digital content online. But do middle schoolers know about concepts like fair use, copyright, and public domain? Give students a framework they can use to better understand how fair use works in the real world.

Objectives:
  • Define the terms "copyright," "public domain," and "fair use."

  • Identify the purpose of the Four Factors of Fair Use.

  • Apply fair use to real-world examples, making a case for or against.

Vocabulary Show definitions
copyright · fair use · public domain · sampling

copyright – legal protection that creators have over the things they create
fair use – the ability to use copyrighted work without permission, but only in certain ways and in specific situations
public domain – creative work that's not copyrighted and free to use without permission
sampling – reworking a portion of a song or sound recording into a new composition
STANDARDS
This lesson meets standards for  Common Core ELA,  ISTE,  CASEL, and  AASL .  See standards
Lesson video
Creativity, Copyright and Fair Use
Student Video
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Topics 1

STANDARDS
This lesson meets standards for  Common Core ELA,  ISTE,  CASEL, and  AASL .  See standards
Sign in or join to unlock this free lesson.

Key Standards Supported

Common Core ELA

L.7.1, L.7.3, L.7.6, RL.7.1, RL.7.2, RL.7.4, SL.7.1, SL.7.1a, SL.7.1b, SL.7.1c, SL.7.1d, SL.7.2, SL.7.4, SL.7.6, W.7.1, W.7.1a, W.7.1b, W.7.10, W.7.4, W.7.5, W.7.9

ISTE

1d, 2a, 2b, 2c, 3c, 3d, 4d, 6a, 6b, 7b

CASEL

1a, 1e, 2a, 2e, 3d, 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, 5e, 5f

AASL

I.A.1, I.A.2, II.A.2, III.A.1, III.A.2, III.A.3, V.A.2, V.A.3, VI.A.2, VI.A.3, I.B.1, II.B.1, II.B.2, III.B.1, III.B.2, IV.B.2, IV.B.3, VI.B.1, VI.B.2, VI.B.3, II.C.1, II.C.2, III.C.1, III.C.2, V.C.1, VI.C.1, I.D.1, I.D.2, I.D.3, I.D.4, II.D.1, II.D.3, III.D.1, III.D.2, V.D.1, V.D.2, VI.D.2, VI.D.3

Lesson Plan

50 mins.

Warm Up: Copyright and Fair Use

15 mins.

Explore: Fair and Square

20 mins.

Debate: Sampling or Stealing

15 mins.

Additional Resources

Creative Commons Attribution, Non Commercial,No Derivatives
© Common Sense Media. Lessons are shareable with attribution for noncommercial use only. No remixing permitted. View detailed license information at creativecommons.org. Lesson last updated: January 2019

What You'll Need

In Class

  • Lesson Slides
  • Video: Creativity, Copyright and Fair Use
  • Fair and Square
    Handout
    Teacher Version
  • Lesson Quiz

For Families

  • Family Activity
  • Family Tips
    English Spanish More languages
    Open
  • Family Engagement Resources
Select a resource, then open in English or Spanish.
Creative Commons Attribution, Non Commercial,No Derivatives
© Common Sense Media. Lessons are shareable with attribution for noncommercial use only. No remixing permitted. View detailed license information at creativecommons.org. Lesson last updated: January 2019

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