Media Smarts
Taking Charge of TV Violence
Encourage your class to become aware of the violence that is present in children's television programs and how this violence can influence children. Do this by holding the planned class discussion in this lesson plan and providing...
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Violence On TV
Students examine violence on TV. In this data collection instructional activity, students explore TV violence. Students watch TV shows and fill out a checklist about the amount of violence. Students organize and analyze the...
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What Make Good Reality Television?
Students brainstorm what they believe makes a good reality TV show. Students compile a set of attributes that they feel distinguishes the best of the reality TV shows from the others. Using the attributes that the class agrees determine...
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Class in the Media: Writing a Television Show
Students look at popular media presentations to determine what type of messages they convey about class and class-linked behavior. They listen to contemporary music to explore how the songs touch upon social class issues. They read...
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Tee-Hee T.V.
Students examine the concept of satire by reading lyrics to a song and reading "Soap and the Campus: A Web-Site Spoof Succeeds." They create treatments for parodies based on current television shows.
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Television
Students investigate the invention of television and examine its role in their lives. They read and discuss an informational handout, list the pros and cons of television on a worksheet, and create a class pie graph illustrating the...
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Get Real!
Students reach a consensus as to what makes a good reality-based TV show. They create their own scenarios for a new such show, and critique it, based on the criteria the class establishes.
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Rewrite, Revise, Recycle
Students examine different pieces of literature that have a similiar theme. They read an article about reusing ideas for television shows. They work together to create their own program proposals. They also create backstories for one of...
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Talk Shows
Eighth graders are exposed to different types of media in order to investigate the tendency of being exposed to a set of values that run contrary to conservative values. They role play a television program in order to communicate the...
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Putting on a Show
Students list and research "cutting edge" technology, then develop a Consumer Electronics Trade Show by designing posters, and developing speeches to promote products.
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Television: Comedy Vs. Drama
Students investigate the world of Television by contrasting specific programs. In this visual storytelling lesson, students compare and contrast the differences between comedy and drama by making a Venn Diagram. Students...
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Irregularly Scheduled Programming
Learners examine their favorite holidays and how they are celebrated. After reading an article, they discuss the length of television programming for the Super Bowl. In groups, they create their own television programming relating to...
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The Ramayana: Showing your Dharma
Students identify characters and events from the Ramayana. They discuss ways in whcih the images convey non-verbal information and messages. They discuss similarities and differences in the visual and verbal tellings of the Ramayana.
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Estimation and Your TV Diet
Students develop estimation skills by using real life situations. In this estimation lesson students collect data about their television watching habits. They make hypothesis about the number of hours they watch, how many...
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Create a Weather Newscast
Fourth graders explore and study basic weather terms, strengthen research skill on the web and create a weather newscast. They choose a weather site on the web, copy weather maps and create a videotape based on a written script to...
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Back To School Night iMovie
Learners work collaboratively to take and download digital images, use iMovie software, and create an iMovie to show at a Back To School Night event. They discuss how to organize the information into a clear and cohesive movie. Then,...
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Fittest of the Survivors
students consider the reality television show 'Survivor' as a means to contemplate what it means to be a survivor. They create fictional characters and explore how different personal qualities would help and hinder their success on...
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Dogs- Canine Familiaris
Students research dog species and breeds. In this dog lesson, students discuss breed of dogs, their personal experiences, and complete a Venn Diagram comparing breeds. Students use the research to analyze television shows or movies which...
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Lesson 11- Vaudeville: On With the Show
Pupils create comedy skits based on family or domestic situation. They observe their own families, write a script for a vaudeville type skit, and perform the skit.
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Fearing the Fear Factor
Students write a reaction paper on the topic: "Reality shows like 'Fear Factor' are dangerous/nothing to worry about because...." Students respond to the situation Akron, Ohio's First Energy Corporation being labeled irresponsible after...
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Creating a Digital Newspaper
Young scholars create a digital newspaper. In this digital newspaper instructional activity, students review the sections of a newspaper and brainstorm ideas for their paper. Young scholars complete a schools news report, student...
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Survival of the Fittest Microbes
Students explore the harsh conditions of Spain's Rio Tinto River and research the microbes that nonetheless manage to thrive there. They synthesize their knowledge by creating a reality television show set in the Rio Tinto with microbes...
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Media Literacy Final Project
Students meet as a class to discuss a variety of media literacy topics before breaking into groups to conduct research on one aspect of the topic. In order to gather information, they watch episodes of the Simpson's television show and...
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Great Wall of China
Students investigate the construction of the Great Wall of China. In this Chinese history lesson, students research print and Internet sources about the contributions of the Qin, Han, Tang, and Ming Dynasties. Students...