Developing a Community of Critically Literate Consumers… One Close Label–Reading at a Time

This article focuses on middle school students analyzing product labels. The labels were analyzed in terms of which facts they purported to impart and to what extent these so–called facts tallied with actual data and scientific/health analyses of the products. Students then reworded the labels to include only documented facts. They also shared the results of their research with the companies producing the products. The strategy shared is a replicable student–centered vocabulary and consumer strategy that integrates health, nutrition, and language analysis in an authentic fashion.