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Lesson: Critically Evaluating Media

In this lesson, students learn how media influence how we see the world and send intentional and unintentional messages.

Grade range: 4-6

Teacher Material: https://textbook.mediasmarts.ca/discoveringstudent/chapter/what-media-tells-us/

Student Material: https://textbook.mediasmarts.ca/discovering/chapter/whats-in-media-2/

Time Frame

One class period (45-60 minutes)  
Activities  

What Media Tells Us

What Do We Learn from Media?

 

 

 

Preparation:

Make sure that students are able to access the interactive activities.

A printable version of this lesson is available at https://mediasmarts.ca/teacher-resources/teaching-media-critically-evaluating-media.

Learning Outcomes

Big ideas/key concepts: Students will understand that…

Media are constructions

  • Media are imperfect representations of reality
  • Media makers make intentional and unintentional choices when making a media work

Media have social and political implications

  • Media influence how we see reality, including what we see as being good or bad

Key questions:

  • What does media tell us about the real world?
  • What does media tell us about things like kindness or friendship?
  • How can media works say things that the people who made them didn’t mean to say?
  • How does what happens to different characters shape our idea of what’s good and bad?
  • How does what is put in to (or left out of) a media work affect the meaning we take from it

Frequent student misconceptions: Media are an accurate reflection of reality; all media messages are conscious and intentional

Essential knowledge: Students will know…

  • Media representation: Media communicate explicit and implicit messages through story, characterization, and framing

Performance tasks: Students will be able to…

  • Use: Reflect on how media experiences have shaped their views and values
  • Understand: Consider ways in which media accurately and inaccurately reflect reality
  • Engage: Analyze implications of media portrayals on our values

 

Curriculum Connections

 

Strand A: Literacy Connections and Applications

A1 Transferable Skills

A1.1 Receptive and Expressive Communication

explain how transferable skills can be used to support communication in various cultural, social, linguistic, and domain-specific contexts, and apply them when reading, listening to, viewing, and creating texts of various forms

A2 Digital Media Literacy

A2.4 Forms, Conventions, and Techniques

demonstrate an understanding of the forms, conventions, and techniques of digital and media texts, consider the impact on the audience, and apply this understanding when analyzing and creating texts

A2.5 Media, Audience and Production

demonstrate an understanding of the interrelationships between the form, message, and context of texts, the intended audience, and the purpose for production

A2.7 Community and Cultural Awareness

communicate and collaborate with various communities in a safe, respectful, responsible, and inclusive manner when using online platforms and environments, including digital and media tools, and demonstrate cultural awareness with members of the community

A3 Applications, Connections, and Contributions

A3.2 Identity and Community

demonstrate an understanding of the historical contexts, contributions, lived experiences, and perspectives of a diversity of individuals and communities, including those in Canada, by exploring the concepts of identity, self, and sense of belonging in a variety of culturally responsive and relevant texts

 

Strand C: Comprehension: Understanding and Responding to Texts

C1 Knowledge About Texts

C1.2 Text Forms and Genres

Grades 4-5: describe some characteristics of various text forms and genres, including cultural text forms, and explain how they help communicate meaning

Grade 6: analyze a variety of text forms and genres, including cultural text forms, and explain how their characteristics help communicate meaning

C1.6 Point of View

Grades 4-5: identify the narrator’s point of view, including first, second, or third person, in a variety of texts, and describe the advantages and disadvantages of the approach used in each story

Grade 6: identify the narrator’s point of view, including first, second, or third person, in a variety of texts, providing evidence, and explain how using an alternative point of view would change each story

C2. Comprehension Strategies

C2.5 Monitoring of Understanding: Making Connections

Grades 4-5: describe how the ideas expressed in texts connect to their knowledges and lived experiences, the ideas in other texts, and the world around them

Grade 6: explain how the ideas expressed in texts connect to their knowledges and lived experiences, the ideas in other texts, and the world around them

C2.6 Summarizing: Identifying Relevant information and Drawing Conclusions

Grade 4: summarize the main idea of a text and the supporting details in sequence, and draw a simple conclusion

Grade 5: summarize the main idea of a text and the supporting details in sequence, and draw a well-supported conclusion

Grade 6: summarize and record the main idea and supporting details in various texts, and draw well-supported

C2.7 Reflecting on Learning

Grades 4-5: explain how strategies, such as visualizing, making predictions, summarizing, and connecting to their experiences, have helped them comprehend various texts

Grade 6: explain and compare how various strategies, such as visualizing, making predictions, summarizing, and connecting to their experiences, have helped them comprehend various texts and set goals to improve their comprenension

C3 Critical Thinking in Literacy

C3.2 Making Inferences

Grades 4-5: make local and global inferences, using explicit and implicit evidence, to extend their understanding of various texts

Grade 6: make local and global inferences, using explicit and implicit evidence, to develop interpretations about various texts and to extend their understanding

C3.3 Analyzing Texts

Grade 4: analyze various texts, including literary and informational texts, by identifying main and supporting ideas, sequencing the events of multiple plots, and explaining cause and effect

Grade 5: analyze various texts, including literary and informational texts, by identifying main and supporting ideas, sequencing the events of multiple plots, recording relevant information, and explaining cause and effect

Grade 6: analyze various texts, including literary and informational texts, by identifying main and supporting ideas, evaluating the quality of information and its relevance for a specific purpose, and formulating conclusions

C3.4 Analyzing Cultural Elements of Texts

Grades 4-5: identify cultural elements that are represented in various texts, including, norms, values, artifacts, sports, and music, investigate the meanings of these elements, and make connections to their lived experience and culture

Grade 6: analyze cultural elements that are represented in various texts, including, values, rituals and ceremonies, architecture, art, and dance, by investigating the meanings of these elements, making connections to their lived experience and culture, and sharing their interpretations with others

C3.5 Perspectives within Texts

Grades 4-5: identify explicit and implicit perspectives communicated in various texts, explain how these perspectives are conveyed, give some evidence of any biases the texts may contain, and suggest how such biases could influence an audience

Grade 6: explain explicit and implicit perspectives communicated in various texts, including narrative texts, provide any evidence that could suggest bias in these perspectives, and suggest ways to avoid any such bias

C3.6 Analysis and Response

Grades 4-5: explain how various topics, such as diversity, inclusion, and accessibility, are addressed in texts, and describe what insights or messages are conveyed

Grade 6: explain how various topics, such as diversity, inclusion, and accessibility, are addressed in texts, analyze the insights or messages conveyed, and identify different positions presented

C3.8 Reflecting on Learning

Grades 4-5: identify the critical thinking skills they used to analyze and evaluate various texts, and explain how these skills have helped them better understand the texts

Grade 6: compare the critical thinking skills they used when analyzing and evaluating various texts, identify the skills that best supported their understanding, and explain why they were effective

 

 

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Discovering Digital Media Literacy - Teacher Textbook Copyright © by MediaSmarts. All Rights Reserved.