This lesson was designed to be taught independently by a Teacher-Librarian, but is flexible enough that it will allow for collaboration with a 5th grade teacher through the simple division of duties. Its purpose is to teach students how to recognize and consider sources of information in so that they may be able to analyze media messages, determine both the validity of an information resource, as well as to identify intended target audiences. Various media formats are employed including: newspapers, magazines, the Internet and a buILder mini-lesson (to be completed in conjunction with a web site evaluation worksheet). Additionally, the length of this lesson is such that it will take several library class periods to conduct. Anticipate a one month focus, or 3 to 4 class periods.

Instructional Goals:

Students will develop media literacy

 

Students will learn to recognize bias in media

 

Students will become familiar with the various kinds of periodical formats and their purposes.

 

 

Learning Objectives:

Students will be able to read, analyze, and evaluate communication from magazines, newspapers, and web sites in order to determine credibility and appropriateness.

 

Students will have gained the awareness necessary to acknowledge the existence of bias in a newspapers, magazines, advertisements or web sites.

 

Students will be capable of distinguishing between the scholarly journals, trade magazines and popular magazines, and able to identify the purpose and general bias of each type.

 

 

Motivational Goals:

 

Generate interest by illustrating the bias and disparage that exists amongst various media formats.

 

Build confidence in students as they develop and master information literacy skills.

 

Promote the importance of knowledge as power, therefore encouraging students to seek the best possible resources available.

 

Empower students by enabling them to be discriminating consumers of information.

Materials

 

• Access to chalk board or white board. 

• Have various appropriate samples of different types of periodicals available to pass around during the discussion.

•  Have 20+ copies (or corresponding to the number of students in your class) of 4 different articles. Each article of the 4 should vary in difficulty level, therefore accomadating and including all students in discussions and anaylzing of material.

•  Access to a chalk or white board.

•  Each student should have loose leaf paper, and a pencil or pen to write with.

• Access to projector or a setting where all students can simultaneously see a modeled web site evaluation conducted by the instructor.

• Have 20+ web evaluation worksheets & computer stations available for students to work at.

(If limited amount of computers are available, then students can share/work together, but must still complete and submit individual worksheets.)  

• 4 pieces of poster board (one for each group)

• Magazines that can be cut up.

• Newspapers that can be cut up.

• Approximately 10 Scissors

• Approximately 10 glue sticks  or  jars of rubber cement.

• Array of colored construction paper

• Glitter Glue

• Other available and various craft materials (i.e., tissue paper, ribbon, pipe cleaners, etc…)

 

 

 

 

Sources

• buILder program.

·     Smithsonian web site

• A hoax web site http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/sightings.html

 

 

 

Ask students to take two minutes think about their favorite summertime activities.  Then call on a few students and have them share what it is they love (e.g., amusement parks, camping, sleeping in, travel, etc…) Writing these answers on the white board or chalk board.

 

This will segue into the exploration of bias, that way students being to understand (in a way that is relevant to them) that what isn’t factual, is subjective and therefore based on the individual who: made the statement, wrote an article, or created a web site.

 

So as to help them understand that just as they are different and their interests vary, so do those of the media.

 

Provide examples:

• News reporters (Politics vs. Entertainment)
• Advertisers
• Non-Profit Organizations

The goal is to help them understand that everything they encounter in the media exists with purpose and bias.

 

Now pass out some pre-selected newspaper & magazine articles (therefore discretely accommodating the various reading levels but still making all students feel included) and ask the students to take a few minutes to read it.

 

In the meantime write the following questions with samples on the board. Then have the students divide up into groups to discuss and help each other identify bias in their articles.

Next have each group take a single piece of paper and list their names on it. Then as a team effort, they need to give an example of:

• What was the author’s purpose or motivation for writing this article?
• Was it persuasive or informative in nature?
• What type of format did the article come from (popular magazine, newspaper, journal, etc…)
• What was the tone of the article? (give examples of strong language or negative words)

Each group's analysis should be turned into the teacher.

 

Recap at the end of the class about:

• Different types of periodicals
• Fact vs. subjectivity
• Bias (language, perspective,culture)

 

This part of the lesson should open by having students take out a piece of paper and list their top three favorite Web sites, providing at least one reason for each one, explaining why they like it.

 

Next select one of the students (or another relevant Web site) and model a Web site evaluation.

 

Look for:

• Content/Accuracy
• Authority
• Objectivity
• Currency
• Purpose

 

Then pass out Web evaluation worksheets and have students complete the accompanying mini-lesson called “Consider the Source” on buILder. Have students submit the completed worksheets by the end of the class period.

 

Divide students into groups and have each group create and present a poster presentation on an assigned subject.

 

Group #1 –  About bias in newspaper articles.

Group #2 – About journals vs. magazines (with the focus on bias of the varying types of publications)

Group #3 – About web site evaluation

Group #4 – About bias in advertisements

 

Each group will be provided with poster board, creative supplies, one class period to create their poster.

 

The next time the class meets they will be required to give presentation (a total of 7 minutes for each group).

 

Learning will be assessed based on the completed worksheets, with special attention given to the final two questions addressing what they learned.

Class presentations will help to assess how well they grasped the other ideas addressed in the lesson regarding bias in media and varying bias according to publication type (i.e., journals, popular magazines)

Submitted group article analysis papers will demonstrate students' ability to read, analyze and evaluate communication for bias, credibility and appropriateness.

Additionally, the instructor should take time to reflect back and take notes on what worked well, and what areas needed adaptation or improvement for future use of lesson plan.