Curated OER
My Country, My Country: To Vote or Not to Vote
Students view a film about elections in Iraq. They examine the story of a doctor and his decisions to vote. They work together to complete a worksheet about voter turnout.
Curated OER
Health Education: Advertising
Fourth graders become conscientious consumers. In this personal health lesson plan, 4th graders analyze techniques used in advertising health-related products and services.
Curated OER
Cool Commercials Critique
Students investigate advertising by critiquing commercials in class. In this media lesson, students view several commercials on their computers while completing a worksheet which helps them critique the ads. Students define several...
Curated OER
Midwest Region Commercials
Third graders research their assigned state using a variety of resources including a website, books, and travel brochures. They complete questions on a worksheet to use when writing a commercial for the state. They film the commercial...
Curated OER
Energy Agents in Action
Students share information about energy use and conservation. In this energy use lesson, students work as a production team to make an instructional video about basic energy information. They develop a short survey about energy use that...
National First Ladies' Library
Digging up the Past: Sir Arthur Evans and the Palace at Knossos
Middle schoolers explore the excavations of the Palace of Knossos on the Island of Crete. They create a simulated news broadcasting on the work of Sir Arthur Evans and his colleges. In their news investigation, learners cover such topics...
Curated OER
Teaching Acting Technique and Building a Character Through Cinema
Students review the style techniques related to the American Method Acting and practice using them in groups. Using various scenes from films, they try to recreate the scene using props. In groups, they discover the proper way to get...
Curated OER
Final Performance of a Play
Second graders study theatre by designing a play, studying actors, and work in partners to create a story to perform. In this theatre study lesson, 2nd graders discuss theatre as live theatre, television, film, and radio. Students act...
Curated OER
Science Italian Style: Eruption!
Young scholars explore ways scientists prepare for a volcanic eruption. They observe films of earthquakes, oil spills, volcanoes and hurricanes. Students perform activities to demonstrate the relationship of viscosity to lava flow. ...
Curated OER
"War of the Worlds": A Broadcast Re-Creation
Why did Orson Welles' 1938 Broadcast of a adaptation of H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds cause such a panic? To answer this question, class members listen to the original broadcast and research the panic that resulted. They then engage...
Curated OER
Is Radio 1 British enough?
Students read the story Radio 1 defends not playing enough UK tunes. Students are then asked: What are the benefits of having a mix of musical cultures in a country?, Do countries lose a sense of identity when other cultures are added?...
Curated OER
Brother Outsider
Students view the film "Brother Outsider" and read an article by Bayard Rustin as springboards to discuss the concept of civil rights in the United States. They follow a discussion guide.
Curated OER
Advertising Project
Students use word processing software to create slogans for products. They write their own jingles and create their own packaging for products they design. Then they write and act out their own television commercials for their products.
Curated OER
State Commercials
Third graders create a travel commercial for an eastern state. They form small groups to do internet research on the state using guide questions. They use this information to write a script for the commercial. Then all group members...
Curated OER
Michigan's Lumbering history: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
Fourth graders explore lumbering in Michigan. For this lumbering instructional activity, 4th graders examine the life of a modern day lumberjack and how technology can interfere with natural ecology. Students create a list of products...
Curated OER
Maus Lesson Plan
The artistic choices Art Spiegelman made in his graphic novel, Maus, are the focus of an exercise that asks class members to compare classic comic book forms with Spiegelman’s panels and frames. Directed to specific pages and guided by a...
Curated OER
Francophone Tourism Package
Students research and write a report about a French-speaking country and present their research to classmates. They create a persuasive advertising brochure promoting one specific country as the best tourist destination.
Curated OER
The Shakespeare Crowd
Students study the life and times of Shakespeare. They read and analyze one of his plays and use the Internet and videos to gain an understanding of how Shakespeare engaged his audiences, then and still today.
Museum of the Moving Image
Developing Critical Analysis
To gain an understanding of how images and sounds are used to influence viewers, class members analyze these features in Presidential campaign commercials from 1952-2012.
Media Smarts
Looking at Food Advertising
Tony The Tiger, The HoneyComb Kid, The Nestle Quick Bunny. As part of a study of the methods advertisers use to sell foods and how this advertising effects their food choices, kids create their own spokescharacter and/or jingle for one...
Curated OER
The Ramayana: Showing your Dharma
Learners 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.
Global Oneness Project
Deconstructing Consumerism
A short, engaging video provides a critique of the hyper-consumerist mentality that many think have taken over the Western world. After watching the video, pupils reflect on their own habits and use evidence to respond to discussion and...
Museum of the Moving Image
AdMaker, Nixon vs. Humphrey, “Convention” (1968)
After viewing the infamous 1968 Presidential campaign ad, "Convention," groups use AdMaker to create their own 30 second ad that features Richard Nixon rather than Hubert Humphrey.
Museum of the Moving Image
AdMaker, Obama vs. McCain, “Fundamentals” (2008)
Truth is often left on the cutting room floor when political ads are produced. After viewing the 2012 backfire ad, "Fundamentals" that takes John McCain's comments on the US economy out of context, class groups edit the audio and video...