Quebec Competencies Chart - Kellogg Special K Ads
Author: MediaSmarts
Level: Secondary Cycle Two
Subject Area: English Language Arts, Physical Education and Health
Lesson Link: Kellogg Special K Ads
Description: This lesson helps students understand the relationship between body image and marketing by exploring the Kellogg's Special K "look good on your own terms" advertising campaign. Students begin by reading about this award-winning, controversial campaign which uses humour to skewer traditional advertising stereotypes about thinness. Students will deconstruct a series of Special K ads and discuss how marketers target "ideal beauty" messages to both men and women. Students will also look at the differences between the different marketing campaigns for Special K that have been used with Canadian and American women.
Cross-curricular Competencies |
Broad Areas of Learning |
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This lesson satisfies the following English Language Arts Competencies from the Quebec Education Program:
COMPETENCY 2 Reads and listens to written, spoken and media texts
Constructing a Reading of a Text
- Focuses on a topic and/or issue that is of interest to her/him to construct an efferent reading, (e.g. makes sense of the text by coming to terms with the ways in which a topic has been developed by a writer/producer)
- Focuses on the relationship between self as reader and the text to construct an interpretive reading
- Activates relevant prior textual knowledge before, during and after reading text(s) to monitor the meaning(s) s/he is making, (e.g. uses what is known about a writer/producer and her/his style to make predictions, draws on knowledge of structures and features of a specific genre, applies knowledge of codes and conventions particular to specific texts)
- Activates relevant prior personal knowledge and experience to make sense of a text which is frequently expressed in text-to-self connections, text-to-world connections, text-to-text connections
- Asks questions of self, writers(s) and text(s) as s/he reads to clarify and focus reading
- Determines the most important ideas/messages/themes in a text
- Draws inferences from a text
- Retells or synthesizes what s/he has read, e.g. attends to the most important information and the quality of the synthesis itself to better understand the text
Reader, Text, Context
Draws inferences about the view of the world presented in a text
- Identifies dominant elements and interprets their use, e.g. point of view, specific literary conventions, structure and sequence of argument, patterns of cause and effect
- Identifies the characteristics of the writer/producer and evaluates how these influence meaning, i.e. how stance, socio-cultural context, values and/or beliefs shape the world of the text
- Examines how language (word, sound and image) is shaped to present ideas and information
- Makes connections between the depiction of different groups in texts and the context or setting of a text
Justifies her/his interpretation(s) of texts on the basis of own fluency as a reader
- Evaluates the way specific codes and conventions of a spoken/written/media text are employed to have an impact upon the assumptions, actions, values and beliefs of readers:
- codes and conventions of a specific genre that are employed to have an impact on readers in general or on a target audience in particular
- mode(s) of representation (sound, word and image) that influence the message(s)/meaning(s) of a text and how these reveal the intention(s) of the writer/producer(s)
- linguistic and textual features that situate or position the reader, e.g. connotations and denotations, stereotypes and bias, aspects of characterization and setting that evoke a specific emotion or response, appeals to mainstream values and beliefs
- issues and topics that present alternative values, beliefs, lifestyles in order to evaluate meanings for self as part of a process of interpreting a text
- Interrelates characteristics of the writer/producer(s) of a text and self as a reader:
- identifies characteristics of the writer/producer(s) of a text and applies this knowledge to determine how the text is designed to appeal to self as a reader, e.g. writer’s style, producer’s values or intent
- evaluates a perspective or point of view and its impact on self as reader
- analyzes the representation of different groups, including interest groups, in the press in relation to controlling ideas, opinions, main ideas
COMPETENCY 3 Produces texts for personal and social purposes
Researching as a Writer/Producer
- Develops topics that are personally and socially relevant:
- looks at multiple perspectives on the topic, e.g. pros and cons of an argument, how different people perceive the issue
- broadens and/or narrows the scope of the topic
- Researches aspects of the media and publishing industries to best produce, market and distribute their products:
- investigates how texts are produced and under what conditions
- examines how a text is vetted, marketed and distributed by a producer to its target audience, e.g. how a book gets published, how a trend is created
Assuming Roles as a Writer/Producer
- Adopts a stance to a topic and audience appropriate to the genre
- Assumes a variety of roles
- Considers who s/he represents, e.g. the beliefs and values of a company and/or an organization
- Explores different dimensions of a character, issue
- Applies language conventions to establish relationships, e.g. using gestures to elicit sympathy; using statements, conditions and commands to imply control and power; tilting the camera up to show authority
- Exploits generic conventions
- Plays against audience expectations for specific effect
Characterizing an Audience
Investigates how different target audiences use and respond to particular texts:
- identifies factors that constitute a target audience and evaluates how media texts are shaped to suit them
Analyzes characteristics of audience for own productions:
- chooses an audience depending on context for production
- draws on previous experience with audience
- generalizes factors such as age, gender, cultural background, race, location, level of education
- analyzes the expectations of audience, e.g. the uses the audience will make of the text (for entertainment, for information, for escape), generic conventions
Draws on audience reactions to shape own texts:
- explains possible reasons for the audience’s varying interpretations of a text
Public and Private Space
Conducts a genre analysis:
- compares and contrasts texts within a social function, i.e. Why do people produce them? Who has access to these texts? Do they serve the same purpose? How do they communicate the values of a community?
- evaluates the structures, features, codes and conventions used
- examines how language (sound, word and image) is shaped:
- to represent and/or exclude people, events, ideas and information
- to organize and develop ideas
- for special effect
Uses texts as models to guide production:
- refers to model text(s) throughout the production process
- creates criteria for guiding production
- identifies specific structures and features to reproduce own interests, purpose and audience
Applying Codes and Conventions
- Applies conventions of the genre:
- chooses textual structures and features
- chooses linguistic codes and conventions
- Explores the representation of gender, race, appearance, culture, social class
- Adopts ethical standards in own productions
Production Process
Media Practices
- Manages resources, e.g. financial constraints, available technologies
- Respects genre constraints, e.g. format, layout, target audience’s expectations, industry standards such as time allotment
- Examines impact of production roles on final text, e.g. editor’s decisions
Planning and Drafting
- Brainstorms ideas, clarifies and extends thinking by talking with peers and teacher
- Uses strategies to work out ideas, plan and draft, e.g. concept map, free writing, storyboard
- Evaluates material gathered and decides on its use, e.g. reviews video footage for best shots
Going Public
- Chooses most suitable ICT to present production, e.g. PPT® presentation, CD-ROM, etc.
Physical Education and Health
The secondary cycle 2 Physical Education and Health curriculum states:
The messages conveyed by the media can have major repercussions on adolescent behaviour. Therefore, it is important to encourage students to exercise critical judgment. Consider, for example, the violent images involving professional players shown during televised hockey games, the prestige awarded to successful athletes who use substances that are legal but whose long-term health effects have not been evaluated, and the promotion of weight-loss diets or products that rapidly affect body weight. These issues raise questions about the place and influence of the different media in daily life, in society and in the way reality is represented. Questions of integrity, morality and ethics may be discussed in relation to different types of physical activity that students practice.
Competency Three: Adopts a healthy, active lifestyle
- Critically assess the myths perpetuated by their peers and the media regarding health