Creating Media-Savvy Students: Media Awareness Network Resources for Teachers and Teacher-Librarians
Warren Nightingale
Warren Nightingale is a Media and Internet Education Specialist with the Media Awareness Network.
Issue Contents
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Each month over half a million Internet users visit the Web site of the not-for-profit education organization Media Awareness Network (www.media-awareness.ca). The site, one of Canada ’s largest education sites, draws users with its extensive offerings of free media education and Internet literacy resources for educators, teacher-librarians, parents, students and researchers. The resources, which are available in both English and French, include classroom lessons, educational games, research on Canadian students’ Internet use, professional development tools, and background information on a variety of media issues.
Classroom resources are easily accessible through the Lesson Library in the For Teachers section. The library features over 300, copyright-cleared, K-12 lessons and activities linked by provincial curriculum outcomes. A user-friendly interface allows educators to search these resources by grade and topic.
The following is a look at the media-related topics in the Lesson Library, accompanied by a brief overview of the relevant resources available on each topic and a detailed description of one highlighted resource.
Advertising and Marketing: Alcohol
Among the resources that address alcohol marketing is The Target Is You! Program, a series of lessons designed to help students explore the messages and techniques of alcohol marketing aimed at youth. The series gives educators a powerful tool to increase young people’s understanding of alcohol marketing strategies in magazines, on billboards, television, the Web, and during sports events.
The Target Is You! also includes an interactive quiz for students in Grades 6 to 8 to increase their knowledge and understanding of alcohol marketing aimed at youth. It can be used as a stand-alone activity or in conjunction with The Target Is You! lessons, either before to introduce the topic, or after to re-enforce learning.
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/games/alcohol_quiz/index.cfm
Advertising and Marketing: Food
The lessons on food advertising and marketing take a close look at how companies make food products attractive to consumers through the use of food stylists and the design of the packaging. There are also lessons that encourage kids to think about the nutritional value of advertised foods, where snacks can fit into a healthy diet, and how marketing can affect their food choices.
Packaging Tricks is a lesson that teaches students in Grades K-6 how food packaging is designed to attract young people and how packaging, promotions and product placement affect consumer choices. Hands-on activities for students include comparing similar food products based on packaging and taste, and assessing the nutritional value of the foods and beverages they enjoy.
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/lessons/elementary/advertising_marketing/packaging_tricks.cfm
Advertising and Marketing: General
The Lesson Library contains over 26 general resources on advertising and marketing. These resources provide opportunities for students to deconstruct and address the messages presented in advertising, to analyse marketing techniques and to think about the impact of brand culture.
The Marketing to Teens lesson series helps students in Grades 8 to 12 to understand how pervasive and influential advertising is, and how teens are actively targeted by marketers. Students explore gender roles presented in advertisements, create their own mock advertising campaigns, and learn how to communicate concerns to advertisers.
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/lessons/secondary/advertising_marketing/mtt_introduction.cfm
Advertising and Marketing: Tobacco
The tobacco advertising lessons explore the marketing techniques used by the industry, the physical and social effects of smoking, and the role of social activists in focusing media attention on the risks of smoking.
In Thinking Like a Tobacco Company, students in Grades 4 to 6 learn how the tobacco industry exploits the needs, wishes, and desires of various target audiences in order to foster brand-loyalty.
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/lessons/elementary/tobacco/think_like_tobacco_ele.cfm
Body Image
The lessons on body image encourage students to reflect on media messages about thinness, dieting, and beauty, and to understand the role media play in perpetrating gender stereotypes.
The lesson Prejudice and Body Image teaches students in Grades 2 to 7 to think critically about societal pressure to conform to certain standards of beauty (particularly to be thin) and the related prejudice against being overweight.
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/lessons/elementary/body_image/prejudice_body_image.cfm
Broadcast News
Lessons on broadcast news teach students how to deconstruct news in order to understand the commercial and ethical issues surrounding the industry, how bias or slant can occur in reporting, and how broadcast news differs from print journalism.
How to Analyse the News offers an analytical framework for educators to use with students in Grades 5 to 12 to help them understand the process by which news is constructed.
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/lessons/secondary/broadcast_news/how_to_analyze_news_lesson.cfm
Consumerism
Resources on consumerism include teachable moments on Buy Nothing Day and Earth Day, lessons addressing issues related to mass consumerism, and the role of media in influencing attitudes and perceptions about global development issues.
The lesson Hype helps students in Grades 10 to 12 become more aware of the methods, strategies and techniques used by media to create an atmosphere of excitement surrounding an event or product.
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/lessons/secondary/advertising_marketing/hype.cfm
Crime
The crime resources compare real-life crime with how it is reflected in the media. Students examine how law enforcement is portrayed in films and on television. They explore the ethical issues surrounding the reporting of crime, and how stereotypes can impact real life attitudes and perceptions of crime.
Cinema Cops is a lesson for students in Grades 7 to 12 to help them develop an awareness of how public perceptions of law enforcement have been influenced by film and television depictions of police over the past eighty years.
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/lessons/secondary/crime/cinema_cops.cfm
Diversity Portrayal
Lessons on diversity portrayal allow students to explore the ways that ethnic and visible minorities are portrayed in media, how negative stereotypes can happen, and the consequences of under-representation.
In the lesson, Ethnic and Visible Minorities in Entertainment Media, students in Grades 10 to 12 use the media education key concept – “media are constructed to represent reality” – to explore how media "re-presents" people, ideas and events from a particular viewpoint.
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/lessons/secondary/stereotyping/minorities_in_entertainment_lesson.cfm
Ethics
The resources in this section explore the ethical issues surrounding the construction of media, the implications of its messages, and its perceived influence and impact on viewers.
The lesson The Anatomy of Cool helps students in Grades 4 to 7 become aware of the media's role in determining what, and who, are perceived as cool. Students explore how marketers use cool to sell products, the differences between superficial and real coolness, and how their own attitudes and perceptions are affected by media messages about coolness.
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/lessons/elementary/body_image/anatomy_of_cool.cfm
Gender Portrayal
The gender portrayal lessons provide opportunities for students to examine gender messages in the media, and compare media depictions of males and females to people in real life.
Exposing Gender Stereotypes is the first of a lesson-series that address gender portrayals. Students (Grades 8 and 9) are encouraged to develop critical thinking about gender stereotypes presented in film, television, rock music, newspapers, and magazines, and to examine their own assumptions about what it means to be a man and a woman.
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/lessons/secondary/gender_portrayal/exposing_gender.cfm
Internet
The Internet resources cover a wide range of topics including basic information on how the Internet works, how students can deconstruct Web pages to authenticate information, and the challenges students can encounter online such as privacy invasions, online marketing tactics, and Web sites containing hateful content.
Jo Cool or Jo Fool is an interactive Flash module on Web literacy for students in Grades 6 to 8. Players take a CyberTour with Josie and Joseph Cool as they visit their favorite Web sites and help them to make smart online choices.
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/games/jocool_jofool/teachers.cfm
Land Mines
MNet’s resource on land mines is two-part unit entitled, The Road to Ottawa : Introduction and Background. The unit helps students in Grades 9 to 11 understand the roles played by non-government organizations (NGOs), the press, and the Internet in influencing public perception and shaping foreign policy agendas on specific issues.
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/lessons/secondary/land_mines/rto_introduction.cfm
Movies
Resources on the topic of movies include teachable moments on the Academy Awards and product placement in movies, and lessons on film violence, classification systems, and the hype surrounding blockbuster movies.
Movie Heroes and the Heroic Journey has students in Grades 11 and 12 look at the role of myth, archetype and the heroic journey in popular film and think about the differences between a classical hero, modern hero, and a celebrity.
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/lessons/secondary/movies/movie_heroes_journey.cfm
Music
The music resources explore the role of music in popular culture. Students examine the media conventions and techniques used in music production (including video and CD covers), and the controversy surrounding file-sharing music files on the Internet.
Popular Music and Music Videos is part of a three-lesson unit designed to introduce students to the concept of popular culture and the role that it plays in peoples’ lives. In this lesson, students in Grades 9 to 12 examine the importance of videos to the music industry.
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/lessons/secondary/popular_culture/pop_culture_popular_music.cfm
Newspaper and Magazines
Lessons on the topic of newspapers and magazines look at various issues including elements on the front pages of newspapers, relevance of political cartoons, implications of digital image manipulation technology, differences between fact and opinion in newspaper articles, and the role played by news in the political process.
Newspaper Ads is a lesson that introduces students in Grades 2 to 5 to advertising in newspapers – why they need it, and how it may influence editorial content.
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/lessons/elementary/newspapers_magazines/newspaper_ads.cfm
Online Hate
Resources on the topic of online hate provide opportunities for students to develop critical thinking skills to authenticate online information and recognize hatred and bias in online content. Students learn how hate groups are using the Net to target young people. They explore the inherent tension within democratic societies between freedom of expression and freedom from hate.
Allies and Aliens is an interactive student module for Grades 7 and 8 designed to increase students’ ability to recognize bias, prejudice, propaganda, and hate on the Internet. The module comes with an extensive teachers-guide containing background information, ideas for classroom activities, and student handouts.
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/games/allies_aliens/teachers.cfm
Popular Culture
Lessons in this section helps students address popular culture as a concept and explore its effect on their lives and the pressures they face to conform to its messages.
Defining Popular Culture is part of a three-lesson unit designed for students in Grades 9 to 12 to analyse popular culture and the role that it plays in their lives. Students learn about the media's role in defining and perpetuating trends in popular culture.
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/lessons/secondary/popular_culture/define_pop_culture.cfm
Privacy
The privacy lessons introduce students to a range of issues surrounding privacy in the electronic age, including ways in which commercial Web sites collect personal information from youth, and what their privacy rights are as citizens and consumers.
Privacy in the Information Age helps students in Grades 11 to 12 develop a critical awareness about privacy and the security of personal information. Students learn about protecting their privacy in online environments and how personal information can be manipulated for the purpose of direct marketing.
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/lessons/secondary/privacy/privacy_in_the_info_age.cfm
Sports
Lessons on the topic of sports address how media represents athletics, and the ways in which companies use sporting events and athletes to sell products and influence consumers – especially young people.
Favourite Sports and Athletes: An Introduction to Sports Media develops for students in grades K to 3, an awareness of how media can convey value messages to the audience, e.g., women aren't as athletic as men.
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/lessons/elementary/violence/fav_sports_and_athletes.cfm
Stereotyping
The 25 resources on the topic of stereotyping address the under-representation, misrepresentation, and negative portrayal of certain members of society in the media. Students learn about the messages that media stereotypes convey by examining gender portrayals, ethnic representations, and portrayals of young people.
Stereotyping and Bias: The Three Little Pigs, helps students in Grades 5 to 7 to recognize and understand stereotyping and bias in literature and film by looking at representations of wolves.
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/lessons/elementary/stereotyping/stereotyping_and_bias.cfm
TV and Radio
Lessons on the topic of television and radio offer students the opportunity to learn about the various techniques used by broadcasters to communicate with audiences, and how to analyse and assess messages. They will understand the technical aspects of television, film, and radio production and how production decisions impact meaning.
Broadcast Codes introduces students in Grades 11 and 12 to the legislation and self-regulatory codes and guidelines that govern the broadcasting industry in Canada , and the mechanisms that exist to deal with consumer complaints.
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/lessons/secondary/television_radio/broadcasting_codes.cfm
The Global Citizen
The global citizen resources explore how perceptions of world issues and international campaigns and events are shaped through media coverage, and how the Internet can be utilized to connect people and share information.
The Buy Nothing Day teachable moment provides classroom activities to promote awareness of spending habits and issues to mark this international campaign.
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/teachable_moments/buy_nothing_day_TM.cfm
Video Games
The video games lessons offer students the opportunity to explore the issues surrounding video game violence, including: the debates about the influence of violent video games on young people, the connection between violent video games and stimulus addiction, and the classification systems that govern video and computer games.
The Killer Games lesson has students (Grades 7 to 9) look at the Entertainment Software Rating Board’s (ESRB) rating codes for video and computer games. Students discuss the elements that contribute to video game violence, appropriate ages for playing violent games, and the possible effects of violent video games on young people.
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/lessons/elementary/video_games/killer_games.cfm
Violence
The resources in this section explore the subject of violence as it appears in television, music, films and video games. Students think about the different types of media violence they encounter and the absence, or unrealistic portrayal, of consequences to violence.
Facing TV Violence is a three-lesson unit that encourages students to think critically about the types of violence that appear on television, the consequences depicted and ways that conflict can be resolved in real life. In the lesson Facing TV Violence: Consequences and Media Violence students (Grades 1 to 4) explore the absence, or unrealistic portrayal, of consequences to violence in the media.
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/lessons/elementary/violence/ftv_media_violence.cfm
To browse for more resources on any of the above topics, visit the Media Awareness Network’s Lesson Library at www.media-awareness.ca/english/teachers/
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