ReadWriteThink
Critical Media Literacy: Commercial Advertising
Commercial advertising—we can't get away from it, but do we realize just how often we are being advertised to? With this lesson, scholars analyze mass media to identify how its techniques influence our daily lives. Learners browse...
Curated OER
How Media Shapes Perception
Students analyze how media shapes their perception of events. In this media instructional activity, students research the home pages of assigned web sites to determine how media influences how they feel about tragic event. They look at...
Media Smarts
Violence on Film: The Ratings Game
Learn about film and TV ratings systems in Canada (includes a comparison to the MPAA system) and how they influence appropriate viewing for youths. A detailed commentary about the film Seven pointed at revealing flaws in ratings systems...
Curated OER
Rules of Conduct: Media Violence, Dating and Teenage Behavior
Students discuss the role of media in their lives and making decisions. In groups, they define violence and identify how it is represented in the type of entertainment they are accustomed to viewing. They compare and contrast behaviors...
Curated OER
Marketing to Teens: Introduction
An introductory lesson shows learners how pervasive and influential advertising is in our culture; particularly, how teenagers are actively targeted by advertisers. As teenagers, your students already have all the information they need...
Curated OER
Keeping News Trustworthy
Students analyze media sources. In this media awareness lesson, students consider media outlets as businesses and discuss how they present information. Students keep media logs and analyze selected newspapers, magazines. or television...
Curated OER
T.V. Smarts
Students research visual messages by completing a media quiz. In this television programming lesson plan, students identify the many programs and commercials which use sexual imagery to sell their program or product. Students discuss...
Visa
The Influence of Advertising
Pupils become informed consumers and citizens with this instructional activity on the influence of advertising, identifying basic advertising techniques and discriminating between fact and claim in modern advertisements and commercials.
Curated OER
Television and Teens
Learners discuss the relationship teenagers have with the television. In groups, they watch different excerpts from various television shows and note every instance of violence including children. They also discuss the instances of...
Curated OER
Language Arts: Living in "The Matrix"
Learners are able to identify, in a discussion mode, the ways in which the media uses persuasion to achieve their desired aims. They analyze, also in a discussion mode, the media's influence on our society by comparing media advertising...
Curated OER
"The Merchants of Cool"
Why are so many advertisements geared towards the teenage population? Watch a video with your class (link included), and have them fill out the attached listening guide. Then discuss persuasion, presenting biased information, and where...
PBS
Stories of Painkiller Addiction: The Cycle of Addiction
Drug addiction, including prescription drug addiction, begins with a reason that's different for every user. High schoolers learn more about the reasons people begin abusing drugs with a set of videos and worksheets that discuss four...
Curated OER
Critical Consumerism: Videos and Teen Culture
Students analyze music videos as a study on teen culture. In this teen culture lesson, students view music videos and track a different aspect of the videos for male representation, female representation, racial representation,...
Nemours KidsHealth
Self-Esteem
It's important to have healthy self-esteem, but it't not always easy for a teen to identify and maintain it. Support your pupils' healthy self-esteem through grand conversations, daily positive self reflections, and scenario problem...
Social Media Toolbox
Cyberbullying
What can we do to make our school community more aware of cyberbullying? From The Social Media Toolbox, lesson 10 of 16 takes on the tough topic of bullying. Learners research cyberbullying through online research, then create an...
Nemours KidsHealth
Stress: Grades 9-12
Everyone feels stress from time to time, but how can you move past it? A seven-page packet of activities guides high schoolers through the process of recognizing and managing their stress. The resource includes discussion topics, a quick...
Personal Genetics Education Project
Genetics and Reproduction
Disease prevention or designer babies? Use a set of slides to introduce the growing practice of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, or PGD. Teens read related articles and then break into groups to address different scenarios. Afterward,...
PBS
Stories of Painkiller Addiction: Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Campaign
The I-STOP law was designed to regulate the distribution and tracking of prescription drugs. After reading an article about its signing and implementation, middle and high schoolers work together to come up with their own ideas for an...
Curated OER
A New Twist on Race Relations
Learners analyze the impact of American Bandstand on race relations. In this race relations instructional activity, students use the music and dance show American Bandstand to learn about race relations. Learners categorize pivotal...
Curated OER
Decision Making
"What pressures are there for teens to become sexually active?" The class writes anonymous responses on paper. The teacher then reads them aloud and the response is discussed by the group. They then examine their personal life goals and...
Curated OER
Examining Abstinence
Highschoolers investigate the concept of abstinence and how it is considered the safest expression of teen sexuality. Guiding questions are used to help students through the lesson. There are many components to this lesson which take a...
Curated OER
I Don't Pay Attention to Advertisements
Sixth graders examine the eight persuasive techniques, identifying them in all avenues of media including magazine, TV, Internet, and billboards, and making them aware of how advertising already influences them. They write an essay using...
Curated OER
"I Don't Pay Attention to Advertisements? (At least I don't think so?)"
Sixth graders study eight persuasive techniques that occur in a variety of media types. They write a persuasive essay and present it to the class. They create a "new product" for which they produce an advertisement using persuasive...
Curated OER
Creating Student Advertising
Students explore common advertising strategies used by the media. In this advertising lesson, students identify persuasive language in advertisements and construct their own persuasive ad.