TED 697 Chelsea Jones, Jordan Earley, Carolyn Campbell, and Megan Manoguerra

“What is in the media I consume?” Course Proposal

Our Course Proposal is focused towards helping students be more aware on what they

watch on TV but also who is being represented in those shows. The time of the day we would

complete this module would be during English Language Arts or History and each module would

take anywhere from 30-45 minutes to complete, each module would be a day in the week. We

are planning these modules for 5th grade, while using the Speaking and Listening Standard ,

SL5-1 a-d*, from the Common Core State Standards for Writing, Reading, and English. The

class size we are planning for is about 30+ students, that way each student can have a partner to

discuss their information about their favorite TV show. Our goal for this course proposal to help

students understand what media are and what is being presented to them in the media they

consume. We are starting off this course proposal in module 1 with educating the class on what

media is and bringing to light how often they may be using it everyday, teacher will also gather

students responses on what media is before giving the legit definition. By watching a popular TV

show with the class and filling out the questionnaire, we are being good models to our students

and also opening their eyes to examining what we watch everyday. After that students will be

doing the same thing for homework, which is going to be our big stepping stone into what we do

for the next 3 modules.

In module 2, we are going to be using the data that the students gathered from watching

their TV show and present to them a few questions on a chart paper, where they can post their

sticky note up with their answer. We will discuss what everyone put on their sticky notes and

bring up the topic of different races being represented in media. After we discuss as a class, we

will have students think, pair and share about what show they watched and what they saw in their
show, that may be similar or different to what their partner saw in their show. This will allow

them to really see what they are watching and how this can influence the way they see the world

and the way that people are perceived.

In module 3, the teacher will facilitate whole class discussion about advertisements.

Students will compare the various advertisements that appeared while they were watching their

show in small groups. They will then produce and present a visual representation of some of the

advertisements they saw during their show. This may also include product placement within the

show. After looking at an article about media conglomerates and concentration of ownership,

students will look at the companies behind the media that they consumed and look for any

potential bias. To conclude this module, The class will examine the data that they have

accumulated. Data from the poster with sticky notes will be presented through visual

representations produced on Google sheets. Easily accessible charts and graphs on Google sheets

will allow the teacher to analyze data very quickly. We will review the data about representations

of people. While looking at representation models, the teacher will facilitate a class discussion

about representation and who was represented in our shows. Minority groups will also be

discussed by looking at if they were positively represented in our shows, and if they aren’t how

should they be. The goal with asking all these questions about their media, is to help the 5th

graders become effective media citizens and to give them the opportunity to have collaborative

conversations about what they are watching, why they are watching it, and finally who is being

represented and is it fairly. This activity will also get the students to start thinking about module

four’s assignment.

In module 4, students will have the opportunity to express themselves through a letter

written to either the network that aired their show or the show itself. Before writing, students will
do research about the network or show to support why they are writing to it. Students will have

to option to write about who is being represented in their show and/ or what they would change

in the show they could. This is a great opportunity for students to positively express themselves

through writing and it brings our whole, “What is in the media I consume?” lesson to an

expressive end, based on what the students learning through the week. This will be the time for

students to reflect on their learning, make connections to their lives, and brainstorm ideas about

how to make positive and impactful changes.

Learning Map/Learning Outcomes:

Student Learning Outcomes Module 1 Module 2 Module 3 Module 4

Students will be able to explore

content in a show with
commercials and critically
analyze what they are viewing.

Students will be able to

collaborate and communicate
their opinions and findings
through posing and responding
to specific questions.

Students will be able to

construct their own opinions
and support them with data
from content they consumed.
Students will be able to have
collaborative discussions about
how they feel someone is
represented in a show based on
their race.

Students will be prepared

through finding research and
their own data within the class
to support their reason for
discussion and change.

Students will be able to

compare and contrast multiple
different sources of
advertisements.

Students will be able to

effectively analyze different
media sources and become
media citizens

Students will be able to

expressively draw on their
findings to propose change
through a written component.

How our lesson is critical media literacy:

This lesson is critical media literacy because we are going to ask students to observe,

collaboration, analyze, and critique the media they consume on a day to day basis. We want

students through this lesson to develop a more critical eye when consuming their favorite or most

consumed source of media. This lesson fits a critical media literacy model because it is inquiry
based both on the individual and collaborative level, with students exploring themes of

representations of power, race, and gender. During module 1 and 2, the teacher will be

introducing students to media concepts through inquiry-based questions. The goal is for students

to begin noticing what attracts them to media and patterns they might observe from all the

different media sources presented by the class. Module 3 will be where the teacher begins

discussing representation within the media. During module 4 of the lesson, each learning

outcome will be brought together through students discussing how media affects the views and

representations of other groups, and then come up with ideas for a change. This is where critical

media literacy themes will be expanded upon because students will be looking at the media

discussed in previous modules with a clearer and more critical lens.

This lesson is not an acritical media literacy lesson because an acritical media literacy lesson

would not be asking students to use a critical lens. Acritical media literacy lessons wouldn’t

place an emphasis on analysis of media in a critical lens because there wouldn’t be an emphasis

on there is something crucial to observe or point out in media. This lesson points out critical

points that students need to be aware of. This lesson is not for students to only watch media for

leisure, but to learn how to critique and analyze the media that is consumed daily. This lesson

places emphasis on critical exploration of media, with the goal of making students more aware of

the power of media on representation of people, cultures, and groups.

Module’s In Detail:
Module 1:
In module 1, the teacher will begin this module by opening the floor for discussion about,

“ What media are?”, then the teacher will make take notes on the board on their responses. After

students have finished giving their responses, the teacher will present with the formal definition

of what media is to the class and forms of media that they may consume during the day. The
teacher will have students raise their hands if they consume that kind of media during the day

and keep a tally on the board.

Next the teacher will play an episode of any popular TV show for their age, point out the

name of the show and network presenting it. Teacher will then introduce the worksheet that we

will be filling out today in class and the same worksheet they will fill out for homework after this

course. The whole class will watch through the show and watch the commercials, then the

teacher will walk them through the worksheet and complete it together.

Once they have finished completing the worksheet in class with the teacher, with the

students help, the teacher will pass out their own worksheet and give them the instructions to

complete tonight for homework and bring back tomorrow and discuss. The differentiated

instruction that I will apply to this activity would be to let students that do not have access to

cable TV at home, they can watch a Youtube TV Show online at school or at home that includes

commercials. The work they do on this worksheet will be their evidence that they will use in

order to participate in discussion during the next 3 modules.

TV Show Worksheet Link

Module 2:
In Module 2, we will begin with talking about microaggressions. We will explain how the

link https://www.buzzfeed.com/hnigatu/racial-microagressions-you-hear-on-a-daily-basis that

shows many different microagressions. Let the students talk about if they have had any

experience with these. This is a great starting point for students to see that even these are

stereotypes. The conversation will then shift to what a stereotype is. The class will give their

responses before giving them the formal definition. The students will take notes on what a

stereotype is so that they can refer back to it on the last day. The teacher will play a video

http://mediasmarts.ca/sites/mediasmarts/files/tutorials/thats-not-me/html5.html to help them

understand stereotypes so that they can really see what those stereotypes can be and then will

discuss if they saw any of these in the show they watched or the commercials that they saw.

Next, the students will take out their sticky notes and they will answer the questions that

are on the board and post them. They can sign them or they can leave it anonymous.The

questions that will be on the board are What attracts you to this show? Who is represented in the

show? What companies showed advertised in commercials? All of these questions can be found

on the worksheet that they did for homework. The students will then do a think, pair, share

discussion in class about what they put on the chart and also anything else that they noticed

while the were watching their show that could be interesting or that caught them by surprise

when they had to look at the show that they love to watch with more of a critical eye then just to

watch it. We want them to be able to see how people are being perceived in their shows and

question if it’s the right way for people to view any minority in the show whether that person is

of a different race or background or they have a disability. We will do a share out loud and talk

about the different things that they saw in their shows. What was different? What was the same?

What commercials were the most interesting? What commercials really made you think? The

teacher will let them know what has been discussed will be combined to make a data chart that

will be shown tomorrow.

Module 3:
The teacher will show a short video from MediaSmarts.ca which is one minute and thirty

two seconds long. The clip reviews some information discussed in module two and also

introduces how media has social and political implications. Students will then break up into

groups to illustrate some of the advertisements that they came across. When finished, students

will present their posters and reflect on advertisements that they saw and how the advertisements

targeted them. Next, there will be a class discussion on how the media we intake says a lot about
us and how we need to be aware of how media might change our perception. The teacher will

discuss viewing media critically and how looking at the funding behind media can help them be

more perceptive of bias. After passing out the article, “Media Conglomerates, Mergers,

Concentration of Ownership” by Anup Shah students will discuss “concentration of ownership”

at look at companies like Disney and their media influences. Then students will examine the

influences and companies behind the media that they consumed.

To wrap up module three, the class will examine the data that they have collected from

the sticky note poster and engage in a class discussion about representations of people in media.

Students will look closely at the representation of people that are members of a minority group.

They will also look for absence of representation. In doing these activities students are becoming

more responsible media citizens and contributing to collaborative conversations amongst peers.

At home, students will continue to do more research on their show or network for tomorrow's

activity. Students will look closer at advertisements and what they say about them. They will

also examine advertisements on their parents favorite show and compare and contrast the two

shows and examine how different the commercials can be.

Module 4:

Module 4 is where each module lesson will be brought together for students to use in

their final activity. The teacher will begin this module by asking students to share their media

research, ideas, and analysis with the students around them. The teacher will have students pull

out any notes, worksheets, or resources they have completed in the past 3 modules for reference,

as well as make the data chart visible for student reference at the front of the class. The teacher

will state the expectations of the module lesson and activities by saying, “my expectation is that

when you discuss each media source you will discuss issues of representation, the main
attraction to that specific media, and your overall thoughts of the power of media in our lives”.

The teacher will then allow for student discussion and then ask for students to share out what

they discussed. After, the teacher will then introduce the module’s activity.

The teacher will introduce the letter activity by explaining how students will write a letter

to the network or show of their choice. The teacher will then ask students to share out ideas of

what should be included in their letter, including their thoughts, feelings, observations, and

critical exploration findings. As students share out, the teacher will write out their ideas on the

whiteboard at the front of the class for students to reference as they write their letters. Students

will be allowed to collaborate with elbow partners next to them. Once done, the teacher will

bring out a chart titled “Media Literacy Goals” and have a whole-class wrap up discussion of

media and the effect it has on their lives. Students will be asked to read out sentences from their

letter, share new ideas, as well as any changes they hope to make for themselves when

consuming media. The teacher will write these on the chart to leave up in the room for students

to read and reflect on for the rest of the year.

How our module’s met our learning outcomes:

Module 1:
The first learning outcome that met this module are that students will explore the content

in a show with commercials where they can critically analyze what they are viewing. This is

done when the teacher shows the group the TV show and they work on the worksheet together,

they will be analyzing what they saw in the show and look at the commercials. The second

learning outcome that is addressed in this module is where students collab and communicate

their opinions and finding through posing and responding to specific questions, this is done

through the worksheet provided and when the teacher asks the class “What media are?” in the

beginning of class. The third learning outcome that is addressed in this module is where students
construct their own opinions and support them with data from content they consumed, this is

achieved by having the open discussion in the beginning about “What media are?” and about

what media they consume daily. The final learning outcome that is addressed in this module is

where students are effectively analyzing different media sources and becoming media citizens,

this is achieved through discussion about what media they consume and also when students talk

in groups about the show are watching. I feel that all four of these learning outcomes connected

to each part of module 1 and what we would do as a group.

Module 2:
For this module it hits quite a few learning outcomes. The first learning outcome that it

hits is students will be able to explore content in a show with commercials and critically analyze

what they are viewing. This is achieved by the group discussions and the forming of media in the

classroom by using post it notes to show the differences in the advertisements and their own

personal favorite television shows. The next student learning outcome that this module hits is

students will be able to collaborate and communicate their opinions and findings through posing

and responding to specific questions. This happens in the module by getting into groups and

talking about their findings for the questions that they answered the night before for their

homework. This module also hits this by posing specific questions about stereotyping and having

them discuss how their shows stereotype different people. Another student learning outcome that

this module hits is Students will be able to have collaborative discussions about how they feel

someone is represented in a show based on their race. This is the main discussion point of this

module. They will be able to openly communicate how people are being perceived in their

favorite show and communicate how they think that this is wrong based on what they learned at

the beginning of the module when they talked about what a stereotype is and what a

microaggression is. The last student learning outcome that this module looks at is students will
be able to effectively analyze different media sources and become media citizens. This is hit in

ever module and they way that module 2 hits this learning outcome is because by analyzing and

communicating the different shows they can look at media in a different way and more critically.

Module 3:
Facilitated whole class discussion about advertisements gives students the opportunity to

to accomplish the learning outcome of collaborating and communicating their opinions and

findings through posing and responding to specific questions. Students will also be able to

achieve this learning goal through small group work on depicting various advertisements that

they were exposed to during their media consumption assignment. In doing this, students will

also achieve another learning goal by being able to compare and contrast multiple different

sources of advertisements. Students will be prepared through finding research and their own data

within the class to support their reason for discussion and change. This learning goal will be

achieved when students review the article, “Media Conglomerates, Mergers, Concentration of

Ownership” by Anup Shah and when they will also examine the ownership of the media that

they watched. By looking at media ownership students will learn to be more critical of media and

accomplish the goal of being able to effectively analyze different media sources and become

media citizens. Students will be able to view media in a more responsible way by also looking at

representations of people in the media. Students will examine and discuss representations and if

they were accurate or biased in some way. In their discussion they will talk about about

misrepresentations of people and support their reasons for enacting change.

Module 4:

Module 4 primarily covers the last learning outcome where students will be able to

expressively draw on their findings to propose a change. It also covers another learning outcome

that describes how students will be prepared to have a discussion through finding research and
use their own data from their show. This is shown in this module, by the students coming to a

conclusion on what they would like to change in the show or their opinion of the show and how

others are represented based on their race. This module also incorporates the previous learning

outcomes because students will be compiling all learning objectives and content into an

expressive writing assignment where students will be writing a letter to a tv show network. The

student’s letters should include a critical analysis view of the tv show of topic and include any

data or research that the student or class conducted throughout the previous modules. This

module will be where students can collaborate by sharing their opinions of how media affects us

and other consumers and come up with ideas on how to be better media citizens. This letter

becomes the action piece of the Critical Media Literacy unit where students are using research

and data to support their opinions and critical lens perspectives. Becoming media citizens is

another learning outcome that is stressed throughout this module. Students will be reviewing the

content explored with a critical lens rather than with a consumer lens, and therefore their letters

should reflect that distinction. Students can share their letters with the class after they are done

and revise their letters when needed based on group suggestions. The letters will all be compiled

and sent to the specific networks the students are addressing.

How our module requirements are critical media literacy:

Module 1:
This module explores critical media literacy by opening the students mind to what media

are and how it is represented in the media they consume daily. By exposing our students to what

media are and what it looks like in their everyday life, it will make them more media literate and

help them question what they are watching and why they are watching it. By doing the

worksheet with the class first, the teacher is not only modeling how to do the worksheet but also

modeling how to analyze media in real time. Students will gain so much knowledge on how to
become media literate by seeing media being analyzed in front of them and actively participating

in it. The learning outcomes will also help students become literate in media and be able to

communicate effectively their own opinions on what they see in media at home, in school and in

their community. This module to help students think more about what media they consume and

how to act accordingly to when they see media. After Module 1 is complete, students will be

able to see media critically and become literate in the terms the teacher will use about media and

how we are exposed to it.

Module 2:
Module 2 explores critical media literacy by allowing students to use what they did for

homework which was to look at their favorite show more through a critical lense and be able to

express through conversation what they noticed about their favorite show. It also allows them to

look at advertisements as more than just a break in the show but also how they are directed

towards the age group or the person that is watching the show that they chose. The students are

being exposed to the media in a new light and being able to become critical thinkers in their own

way and in their own light. By looking at their favorite show and analyze it and talk about it it

allows them to really notice why they are attracted to the show and why they like it. It allows

them to think about how people are portrayed and perceived in the media, whether it be their

favorite show or the advertisements that are being shown.

Module 3:
Module three invites students to explore the media that they consume in two very

important ways which helps them become more media literate. First, students will critically

examining their shows by looking at how the advertisements and network ownership influences

media that they consume. Our class will work in groups to compare and contrast the different

advertisements that they were exposed to and how it reflects them. Students use higher thinking
when discussing possible bias and implications of their media. This is an important aspect of

media literacy and can be used when consuming all kinds of media. Students also get to examine

a brand that they like and are familiar with, Disney, in the article “Media Conglomerates,

Mergers, Concentration of Ownership” by Anup Shah. This article talks about the problems and

bias that can arise when attached to large multinational companies. By looking at media they are

familiar with, students are engaged and are analyzing media that influences them. Last, students

will think critically about media and discuss representations of people, especially people that are

considered minorities. Students learn how media can influence how we view people and see the

world around us.

Module 4:
Module four requires students to apply what they have learned through the last three

modules about media, stereotypes, representation, and commercials and bring it all together in a

written component that will show the teacher their critical media literacy. Students are proving

how media literate they are by conducting research on their show, analyzing what is being

discussed and seen in the show, and providing their opinion on how someone is represented in

the show. Students will be asked to share their ideas with students around them and collaborate

on ideas of how media affects representation and what changes need to be made. The purpose of

this module activity is for students to learn how to be media citizens rather than just media

consumers, and in doing so they will be learning how to take action. This module pulls together

all module themes and content into a strong writing assignment that asks students to use their

critical lens perspective to propose a change. The letters will be compiled, read through by the

teacher, and then sent to whomever the students addressed their letters to. This step is crucial

because the sending of the letters puts their proposals in action.

 How our assessment tool accurately measures our learning outcomes:
Module 1:
The assessment tool that I will be using during this module is the worksheet that we do in

class together, that is the same worksheet my students will do for homework tonight, this is a

formal formative assessment I will be using to make sure my students are engaged in the activity

and lesson as a whole about media. The discussions that we do in the beginning of the module

and throughout the module is going to be the informal formative assessment, because that is just

a way for me as the teacher to check in and make sure my students are actively engaged in the

module.These two assessments accurately measure the four learning outcomes for this module

because students will continue to by working collaboratively during discussion and communicate

their opinions and thoughts positively through group discussion, as an informal formative

assessment. In our group discussions, students are also able to actively analyze a media source

with the teacher and classmates before they do it on their own. The learning outcomes is the

foundation to each of the assessments that I will be using in module 1, when I give an assessment

effectively I am taking into consideration the four learning outcomes about collaborative

conversations while analyzing media in the classroom.

Module 2:
For Module 2, the assessment tool that will be used is an informal assessment. Module 2

is a lot of collaborating and discussion. By using the sticky notes it allows the students to see the

differences and similarities in their shows and be able to analyze and be critical thinkers with not

only their own favorite show but haea open discussion about someone else’s show that they may

feel differently about. The conversations and the think pair share are a way for students to

actively engage in the conversation and be able to understand the way that media portrays

different people and how that can be looked at and taken seriously and it will either influence

you to be like that towards a person that is being portrayed or you will be able to look at it
through a critical lense and understand that this is the wrong way to portray someone and start

thinking about what they would do differently. At the end of the module I think one of the best

assessments that can be done is on the way out the door they can do a got and need on a post it so

the teacher is able to assess what they got out of the discussions and what questions that they still

have that can help drive into another discussion.

Module 3:
Assessments in module three are tied to the learning outcomes and are mostly informal.

There is a lot of whole class group discussion but there is also small group discussion facilitated

by having them respond to specific questions. While students are discussing advertisements in

their groups the teacher will monitor and check for understanding by walking around the room

and checking in with individual groups. Students will be effectively analyzing different media

sources and becoming responsible media citizens. In their small groups students complete their

assignment where they create a poster of advertisements targeted to them in their media

consumption assignment. In this assignment, students record their data in a collaborative and

creative way from watching their favorite show. When completed, each group will present their

poster describing the types of advertisements that they are exposed to. In the presentation,

students will compare the targeted advertisements that they saw in relation to themselves.

Through class discussion, students will show their understanding of how media influences the

representation of people and how the media has political and social implications.

Module 4:
The letter writing activity in Module 4 is the summative assessment of what students have

taken away from the entire unit. This assessment tool accurately measures our learning outcomes

because before students write their letters the teacher will be looking for students collaborating

with one another to discuss ideas and opinions of how media affects our daily lives as
consumers. The teacher will also be listening for student use of research, collected data, and

direct evidence from the media examples in their discussions. The learning outcome for students

being able to expressively compile their findings to propose a change will be assessed directly

through the teacher reading the student’s written out letters. Students will be given the

opportunity to share their letters and get feedback for revision and hand in a finished complete

letter. When reading through each letter the teacher will be asking themselves what each student

got from the entire unit. The teacher will be assessing whether students were able to use research,

data, class discussions, and observations within their letters as evidence for why a change needs

to occur. Success of the unit will be determined by whether students are able to express their

proposal for change within their letter, using evidence gathered and opinion based direct

observations.

Summary to Conclude our Proposal

This proposal is not just being taught because it is important, it is being taught because it

is something that needs to be addressed with children and for them to become media citizens and

not just consumers. By the students looking at their favorite shows with questions in mind they

start to see what they were missing or the hidden message that is most the time in a show that

they watch. It allows them to view their favorite show in a more critical matter that will allow

them to make smarter decisions about what they watch. Each module is designed to push them to

look at media in a different way and to understand that they have a choice in how they respond to

the media that they see. In module one it is all about learning what media are and how we see it

today and then having them answer questions that they would never ask themselves when

watching a show. In module 2, the students are discussing and making inferences about what

they have seen in their shows and how those shows may be portraying minorities in the wrong
way. In module 3, the students look more in depth at the advertisements that they saw and use

that to right out pros and cons about the different advertisements and who the advertisement is

directed towards. In module 4, the students are able to take all that they have learned and put into

writing in a form of a letter writing to a producer or network head about how the show needs to

portray people the right way and ways that they can do that and what the advertisements are

really doing and be able to voice their opinion for change in the show or in the advertisements

that they show. Throughout each of the modules, there are opportunities to look at different

videos and discuss them as a class. Some videos that can be looked at are

http://mediasmarts.ca/media-literacy-101 ,https://youtu.be/baftkjc5gKs?list=UU_jQ4vYf-

WPf4_5eSdGABWQ

https://youtu.be/YZi6s22yktw?list=UU_jQ4vYf-WPf4_5eSdGABWQ . Each of these videos

allow for student led discussions and that is the base of this proposal is for inquiry and allowing

them to question and find answers instead of just being told what something is.

References

MediaSmarts. (2019). Media Literacy 101. [online] Available at: http://mediasmarts.ca/media-

literacy-101 [Accessed 11 Oct. 2019].

YouTube. (2019). Media Minute: Media have social and political implications. [online]

Available at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZi6s22yktw&feature=youtu.be&list=UU_jQ4vYf-

WPf4_5eSdGABWQ [Accessed 13 Oct. 2019].

Shah, A. (2019). Media Conglomerates, Mergers, Concentration of Ownership — Global Issues.

[online] Globalissues.org. Available at: http://www.globalissues.org/article/159/media-

conglomerates-mergers-concentration-of-ownership [Accessed 11 Oct. 2019].

*CCSS: SL5-1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups,

and teacher- led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and
expressing their own clearly.
a. Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw
on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under
discussion.

b. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles.

c. Pose and respond to specific questions by making comments that contribute to the
discussion and elaborate on the remarks of others

d. Review the key ideas expressed and draw conclusions in light of information and
knowledge gained from the discussions.