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
- Key vocabulary: framing, media work
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
Framing is what the media makers choose to show us or how they choose to present it.
A media work is anything you can watch, read, play or listen to.