Hype! - Lesson
Lesson Plan
Level(s): Grades 10 - 12
Author: John A. Macdonald is with the Toronto Catholic District School Board. This lesson was adapted from The AML Anthology (1990), produced by the Association for Media Literacy.
Overview:
This unit helps students become more aware of the media’s use of hype and its influence on them. This will be achieved through:
- class and group discussions of reactions to various examples and aspects of hype.
- a variety of oral and written responses
- a role-play scenario to investigate the ways in which hype shapes what we value in society.
- an examination of a media event.
- discussion and examination of our tendency to favor strong, emotional appeal over factual information.
- discussion and examination of the commercial aspects of hype.
- opportunities to talk about hype with a guest speaker from a marketing outfit or advertising agency.
Learning Outcomes
Students will:
- explore and reflect upon ways in which promotional techniques and marketing strategies determine the content of the media and the values it presents.
- appreciate the methods, strategies and techniques used by the media to create an atmosphere of excitement surrounding an event.
- understand how hype affects our relationship with, and interpretation of, the media.
- understand the commercial implications of media hype.
This lesson and all associated documents (handouts, overheads, backgrounders) is available in an easy-print, pdf kit version.