Unit 8: Reading – Media Literacy & Research; Writing – Writing Process; Open Choice /
Suggested Time Frame: ≈ 3 weeks
Introduction / The Instructional Timeline, as required by RRISD Local Board Policy (EG – Local, 246909), breaks down the content of each nine-week period into smaller, more manageable units of instruction. Each timeline includes opportunities for teachers to extend instruction and/or to re-teach as necessary; this unit has ______Instructional Days and ______Days to re-teach and/or extend Instruction.
The following Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), the accompanying Knowledge & Skill Statement (KSSs), and Student Expectations (SEs) are listed in this document where they should be taught initially; it is the expectation that the TEKS, KSSs, and SEs will continue to be reviewed so that students master their grade level TEKS, KSSs, and SEs. Figure 19 appears recursively throughout these documents because the TEKS/SEs serve to support the instruction of Figure 19.
Description / Media Literacy
The focus of this unit is to assist students in distinguishing media from fiction texts. Students need to understand the purpose of media is to communicate with large groups of people in an efficient way, but not to tell a story for entertainment purposes. Students should also be able to distinguish the physical characteristics of media versus the features of story books/picture books. As a focal point of instruction, it is important to help students understand how the conventions of print, sound, and movement are used to attract the listener/reader and grab his or her attention. This unit of study is extremely important as marketing firms are actively pursuing younger audiences; current research on consumer behavior shows that children have tremendous purchasing power in stores as well as on-line. Students also need explicit instruction about how websites are developed to contain a combination of various types of media: information, games, and advertisements. Advertisers design their images with hyperlinks, animation, and sound effects in order to draw readers toward the advertisements and away from only examining the content of the site. In addition to media literacy, students should read from a variety of genres throughout this unit. Students will:
· explore different forms of media with adult assistance;
· explore the techniques used in various forms of media;
· explore advertisements, newspapers, and radio programs;
· gain an understanding of how website designers use graphics, audio, and animation to engage the reader through structured opportunities
Research
The research process will be used as a vehicle to explore newspapers, advertisements, and commercials. The expectation is that teachers will support students in the creation of anchor charts as they work together to examine the distinguishing features of newspapers, advertisements, and commercials. Anchor charts are another form of writing in which writers list traits or characteristics of specific kinds of documents (in this case, media). Students need to understand that sometimes writers make lists as opposed to writing stories. Students should gain an understanding of the purposes of each type of media and the features of those forms of media and their impact upon readers/listeners. Teachers will want to help students make the link between newspaper articles and daily news written in class. In addition to research, students should read from a variety of genres throughout this unit.
Open Choice
Teachers will support students as they experiment with features of print ads, creating their own using features of ads studied in class. Students might also investigate interesting events happening on campus and compose newspaper articles on those events, as a class. Teachers can help students make the connection between class newsletters sent home each week to families and newspapers that report on daily news. Students will:
· continue honing their writing skills and strategies; and
· see a wide variety of styles of writing modeled
Assured Experiences
Throughout the unit, students:
· experience daily opportunities to read and write in a workshop format, as defined in the Introduction of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills;
· read for a minimum of 20 minutes per day in both independent and instructional level text;
Pacing Suggestions
Week 1:
Week 2:
Week 3:
Reading Workshop / Writing Workshop
TEKS/SE taught during this period and eligible for testing on district assessments / Reading TEKS/SEs
Daily: Independent & Guided Reading
Figure 19 (A) discuss the purposes for reading and listening to various texts (e.g., to become involved in real and imagined events,
settings, actions, and to enjoy language)
(C) monitor and adjust comprehension (e.g., using background knowledge, creating sensory images, rereading a portion aloud)
(D) make inferences based on the cover, title, illustrations, and plot
(F) make connections to own experiences, to ideas in other texts, and to the larger community and discuss textual evidence / Writing TEKS/SEs
Daily: Writing Process
K.13(A-E)
.
Bold and underlined TEKS/SE are high stakes for our district (less than ___% mastery on TAKS)
Bold TEKS/SE are assessed on TAKS / Unit: Media Literacy
KSS K.12 – use comprehension skills to analyze how words, images, graphics, and sounds work together in various forms to impact meaning
K.12(A) identify different forms of media (e.g., advertisements, newspapers, radio programs) (with adult assistance)
K.12(B) identify techniques used in media (e.g., sound, movement) (with adult assistance)
Unit: Research
K.19(A) ask questions about topics of class-wide interest
K.19(B) decide what sources or people in the classroom, school, library, or home can answer these questions
Figure 19 (A) discuss the purposes for reading and listening to various texts (e.g., to become involved in real and imagined events, settings, actions, and to enjoy language)
(B) ask and respond to questions about text
(C) monitor and adjust comprehension (e.g., using background knowledge, creating sensory images, rereading a portion aloud)
(D) make inferences based on the cover, title, illustrations, and plot
K.20(A) gather evidence from provided text sources (with adult assistance)
K.20(B) use pictures in conjunction with writing when documenting research (with adult assistance) / Unit: Open Choice: Students may write using any style they wish, about any topics they wish, including letters, stories, nonfiction writing, diary/journal entries, etc
Vocabulary Development
K.5(B) recognize that compound words are made up of shorter word
K.5(C) identify and sort pictures of objects into conceptual categories
K.5(D) use a picture dictionary to find words
Spanish:
K.5(C) recognize that compound words are made by putting two words together (e.g. saca + puntas= sacapuntas)
Phonics
K.3(D) identify, read, and write at least 25 high-frequency words from the RRISD word list (ARRC) / Oral and Written Conventions
K.16(A) understand and use the following parts of speech in the context of reading, writing, & speaking (with adult assistance) (i) past & future tenses when speaking (iv) prepositions & simple prepositional phrases appropriately when speaking or writing (e.g., in, on, under, over)
K.16(B) speak in complete sentences to communicate
K.16(C) use complete simple sentences
Spanish:
K.16(A) understand and use the following parts of speech in the context of reading, writing, & speaking (with adult assistance) (i)Sp. verbs, including commands and past and future tenses when speaking (iv) prepositions & simple prepositional phrases appropriately when speaking or writing (en, de, por la tarde, en la mañana) (v) personal pronouns (e.g., yo, ellos)
Generaliza-tions / Media Literacy
· Media is a way to communicate with large groups of people.
· Media literacy teaches people to understand the messages sent out to large groups of people.
· When reading or listening to media, it is important to pay attention to the pictures, the words, the sounds, and the graphics.
· Advertisements are seen in print (newspapers and magazines), heard on the radio, viewed on television, and read/watched on the internet.
· The job of an advertisement is to sell the listener/reader/watcher a good or service.
· Advertisements use interesting and appealing pictures, images, songs, and words in order to convince the audience they need to buy or use a product or service.
· There is a difference between the goal/purpose of an advertisement and the goal/purpose of a newspaper article or a news segment. / Open Choice Writing – Media Literacy
· People who create ads use language that others enjoy hearing and reading.
· People who create ads use images/pictures that make people want to look at the ads longer.
· Authors who write articles for newspapers or internet sites research new stories and publish those stories quickly.
· Newsletters are different from newspapers because they are written once a week or once a month, and highlight important events that will occur across time.
· News stories and articles have different purposes from ads.
Essential Questions / Media Literacy
· How are messages and stories delivered to large groups of people?
· Why do people need to understand advertisements?
· Why do people need to understand news stories?
· Why should people pay attention to the pictures, words, sounds, and graphics from media?
· How are advertisements different from news stories?
· How do advertisements appeal to the people who are reading, listening, and viewing them? / Media Literacy
· How do people who create ads decide what kinds of language to use?
· What kinds of images do writers of ads use that would make a consumer want to look at the ads longer?
· Why are the images used in ads and the words used in ads often created by different people?
· How are internet sites and newspapers alike and different?
· Why do some authors publish in newspapers while other authors publish on websites?
Core Components / College & Career Readiness Standards (CCRS) – [the STAAR test (2011-12) will be based upon these CCRS, in addition to the related TEKS/SEs]
Foundational Skills
C.1. Understand which topics or questions are to be investigated.
C.2. Explore a research topic.
E.1. Use technology to gather information.
E.2. Use technology to organize, manage, and analyze information.
E.4. Use technology appropriately.
Core Components / TEKS/SEs Clarification:
· Before students will be able to ask questions about media literacy, they need exposure to some of the formats of media literacy.
· Students should look through ads and begin to distinguish the differences between ads and news stories. Once students have experience with some advertising and newspapers/web sites, then students will be able to generate much deeper questions.
· It is important to remember that children initially are not aware that ads are attempting to sell them products and services. Children are usually not able to tell the difference between ads and news stories until the specific features are pointed out.
· When exploring radio and the differences between songs, programs, and commercials, the availability of radio stations via the internet provides a nice vehicle for exploring radio. Often commercials can be found through hyperlinks so that teachers can access commercials for specific lessons. / TEKS/SEs Clarification:
· Although this unit of study is open-ended and students should be encouraged to continue writing stories, this is a great opportunity to look at other types of writing. After studying advertising and the features of news stories, students can create and publish either or both as part of writing workshop.
· Students should be able to discuss the intentional use of graphic features used in advertisements they create.
· This is a great time to work on shared writing covering topics that are a focus of other content areas. Topics explored as part of science and social studies can be written up as class articles and shared in weekly class newsletters that are sent home. Students need to understand how delivering papers home from school (school newsletters, class newsletters, notes from the principal) can be thought of as mass communication.
· Composing daily classroom news messages is another great way to help students connect with newspapers. The connection should be made regarding the various ways news is delivered: internet, newspaper delivered to the home/school, television, radio, student backpack.
Core Components / Vocabulary
The vocabulary noted below is derived from this grade level’s TEKS/SEs. Related definitions come from the TEA Glossary. Please visit the following TEA links for additional information: English / Spanish.
A-I / J-Z
audience
The intended target group for a message, regardless of the medium.
bandwagon appeal
A persuasive technique used in media messages that appeals to the “everyone is doing it” mentality.
digital media
Electronic media that work on digital codes (as opposed to analog media). Examples include e-mail, digital video, e-book, Internet, video game, and interactive media.
exaggeration
An overstatement or a representation of more than is true.
inference
Connecting bits of information to make a logical guess. Readers make inferences by drawing conclusions, making generalizations, and making predictions. / multimedia
The use of several different media (i.e., text, audio, graphics, video, and/or animation) integrated to convey a single message.
overstatement
An exaggerated statement is made; often used in print ads and commercials.
sensory detail
A detail in writing that describes what is seen, heard, smelled, tasted, or touched.
word choice
The author’s thoughtful use of precise vocabulary to fully convey meaning to the reader.
Curricular Connections / · Science - Matter and Energy - Changes in Properties; Earth and Space - Weather & Climate, Objects in the Sky; Organisms and Environments - Basic Needs
· Social Studies - K.1A explain the reasons for national patriotic holidays: Presidents' Day and Independence Day; K.1B identify customs associated with national patriotic holidays: parades and fireworks on Independence Day; K.2A identify contributions of historical figures who helped to shape our state and nation: Stephen F. Austin and George Washington
Required Lessons
Recommend-ed Lessons / Mini-Lesson Ideas
· Features of Media Graphic Organizer – click “ok” and “continue” to open the document
· Senses and the Media Graphic Organizer– click “ok” and “continue” to open the document
· Distinguish advertisements published in print, radio, and television, compared with actual programs and articles.
· Examine the features and purposes of print ads and ads published via television and on the internet.
· Examine items in ads with actual items to see if items are portrayed realistically (often the advertised items are shown with exaggerated detail or have enhanced sound effects via media ads that do not represent the actual item).
· Compare and contrast advertisements that promote products versus advertisements that promote services. / · Mini-Lesson Ideas
Experiment with features of ads such as detailed photographs and illustrations using clip art on Word.
· Experiment with font sizes and colors when creating advertisements.
· Focus on language that would attract a consumer (this is an important time to highlight parts of speech that are used to draw the consumer’s attention – e.g., adjectives, vivid verbs).
Differentia-tion: / English Language Proficiency Standards Student Expectations with Sentence Stems and Activities to support implementation of the Standards (Note: when you open the link, it may ask you for a certificate or if it is OK to open the file, click OK each time you see the screens.)
Instructional Resources / Websites
· Don’t Buy It, Get Media Smart – PBS Website
· Promoting Ad Savvy – PBS Website
· Children and Media Use – PBS Website
· One Minute Audio clips on Media Literacy topics – American Academy of Pediatrics
· Think Central – Leveled readers associated with the Journeys and Senderos textbooks
· Read-Write-Think – Model lessons
Textbook Resources
Note: The resources below are suggested as possible shared reading and/or writing experiences. Please use your judgment to determine if these selections are appropriate for use with your students.
Journeys / Senderos
· / ·
Books
· Harvey, S., & Goudvis, A. (2000). Strategies that work: teaching comprehension to enhance understanding. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers. (193 copies, iBistro)
· Ray, K. W. (2006). Study driven: a framework for planning units of study in the writing workshop. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. (69 copies, iBistro)
Assessment Resources
© Round Rock I.S.D. 6