Wacky Media Songs: Media Representation Lesson Plan

Level: Grade K to 3

About the author: Matthew Johnson, Director of Education, MediaSmarts

Duration: 10-15 minutes per activity

This lesson is part of USE, UNDERSTAND & ENGAGE: A Digital Media Literacy Framework for Canadian Schools.

Overview

This lesson series contains discussion topics and extension activities for teachers to integrate the TVOKids Original series Wacky Media Songs. This lesson focuses on how media represent reality and how different audiences respond to those representations, covering topics such as stereotyping, how our views of the world and ourselves are shaped by media, how advertising messages manipulate us, and how we represent ourselves on social media.

Learning outcomes

Students will:

  • Understand that media are constructions
  • Understand that media have social and political implications
  • Explore how media representations affect our views of the world and ourselves
  • Understand  that audiences actively interpret media works according to their own identity and experience
  • Question dominant representations in media works
  • Understand that how interactive media are made influences how we use them

Preparation and materials