We now have the new curriculum for English, grades 9 and 10, a mixed blessing indeed. AML executive members Neil Andersen and Carol Arcus were involved last Spring in writing the drafts of the media strand. Their drafts were scrutinized by many other people on the writing team, including those from outside organizations not necessarily sympathetic to the values of media studies. So after numerous alterations and open heart surgery we now have the slim, authorless, 56-page document (the Media Strand constitutes four pages.)
In each of gardes 9 and 10, the overall expectations focus on identifying elements, audiences, and production practices of media forms and creating media works from a variety of media forms, purposes and audiences. Looking at the specific expectations, we are encouraged to examine a variety of forms (read genres) for describing media techniques, as well as the intended audiences. In Grade Nine, in the section on creating media works, students are required to adapt literature to other media forms and to create media works for different purposes and different audiences. The difference between academic and applied levels is not too apparent; the applied students tend to do less critical thinking about the media. Furthermore, the task of adapting literature to other media is a safe, unthreatening activity and not likely to lead to any kind of challenging, critical media literacy. The good news, however, is that everything seems so vague that experienced media teachers can write their own ticket and help their less knowledgeable colleagues see beyond the great wall of the almighty MET expectations.
The following unit is an example of a way you can integrate media into your current, or reformed, Grade Nine (Academic) programme. This works well as a culminating activity; however, individual lessons in this unit easily stand alone as well.
The Grade 9 English (Academic) Media Strand requires students to "use knowledge of the elements, intended audiences, and production practices of a variety of media forms to analyze specific media works." They must also use their "knowledge of a variety of media forms, purposes and audiences to create media works and describe their intended effect." This extended unit covers most of the specific expectations which fall under these overall expectations: identifying explicit and implicit messages; examining and explaining their own and their peers' reactions to media works; and creating works for different purposes and different audiences.
Students will be provided with opportunities to participate in purposeful experiences which will focus on questions of ideology and strategy in advertising, using four fundamental questions: what is being sold, and with what message?; how is this message constructed?; for whom is this message intended?; how does this message both reflect and affect us? Students will be guided through a series of activities which will allow them to explore their own and their society's values. So, the questions become: what are these values? how are they represented? who are they intended for? are they our values? (and why or why not?) The unit moves from working with both the promotion of commercial products and the promotion of social causes and lifestyles, through active student representation of issues of their own choosing.
Examine the language of advertising, through the viewing and discussing of the following resources:
Raise the following questions for general discussion:
Students deconstruct one TV (or one print) ad, using a designed worksheet. (see pp 181 - 185 of the Media Literacy Resource Guide for specific questions as a guideline). Also see the Scanning Television Teacher Guide.
Students read the Russell-Einstein Manifesto by Bertrand Russell and Albert Einstein:
Examine print and TV ads which promote causes/lifestyles:
Draw comparisons between ads for commercial products and ads for causes/lifestyles.
In groups, students construct a print ad. Display these ads throughout the school. Suggestions for content: a product created by the Entrepreneurial Studies Course in the Business Department of the school; a local issue (keeping the caf clean; recycling; a performance by the Drama, Music, or Dance Departments; anti-smoking; an upcoming dance; anti-racism, etc.)
Students will construct a media product. This will be a 30-second advertisement for a cause relevant to their peers and their school. Perhaps the teacher can arrange for this to be shown on a cafeteria television, if applicable.
Each group will choose one.
Each group submits a rationale outlining and explaining construction decisions: purpose, choice of content, editing, camera angles and other strategies, narrative, definition of target audience (and connecting target audience to production decisions), etc. They should be prepared to present this rationale orally, and take questions from both teacher and peers after class viewing.
** Note: if video resources are scarce, this activity may be adapted. Students may produce a series of captioned, photographic stills which represent key images in the ad. Or they may storyboard the production. The rationale should still remain an integral part of the activity.
Media Literacy Resource Guide , Intermediate and Senior Divisions, 1989 . Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1989.
Popular Culture (The Issues Collection). Worsnop, Chris. McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd., 1994.
Scanning Television: Videos for Media Literacy in Class. Andersen, Neil and Pungente, John. Harcourt Brace Canada, Toronto, 1997. Set of 4 video cassettes plus Teacher Guide.
Video in Focus, A Guide to Viewing and Producing Video. Hone, Rick and Flynn, Liz. Globe Modern Curriculum Press, 1992. pp. 120 - 181