Exploring Media Messages

Lesson 1: Introduction to Media Literacy

Overall Expectations (Ontario Curriculum: Language, Grade 6 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1–8: The Ontario Curriculum, English, 2006, Revised 2007)

• Reading: 1.4 – Recognize a variety of media texts and describe their main purpose and intended audience.
• Media Literacy: 1.3 – Demonstrate an understanding of a variety of media texts.
• Listening and Speaking: 2.1 – Listen to understand information and ideas.
• Language: 3.6 – Use a variety of strategies to expand vocabulary.

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Learning Goals

By the end of this 45-minute lesson, students will be able to:

• I can define media literacy in my own words.
• I can list at least three types of media I encounter daily.

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Success Criteria

Students will demonstrate mastery when they can:

• Write or verbally explain their own definition of media literacy.
• Identify and list at least three types of media they encounter (e.g., advertisements, social media, news).
• Participate actively in group discussions, showing understanding of media’s role in daily life.

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Materials Needed

• Chart paper and markers
• Projector and computer/tablet for media examples
• Printouts of simple definitions and examples
• Audio recording of media literacy definition (for dyslexia-friendly option)
• Visual cards depicting different media types (ads, social media icons, newspapers, TV, podcasts)

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Lesson Setup and Environment

• Seating arranged in a semi-circle for easy group discussion and interaction
• Visuals displayed prominently to support reading
• Quiet corner for students who may need sensory breaks or extra support

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Lesson Outline

1. Warm-Up/Engagement (7 minutes)

• Teacher Prompt: "Think about the different kinds of media you use every day. What are some things you see, hear, or watch that give you information or ideas?"
• Use a quick interactive activity: Students shout out words (e.g., TV, Instagram, newspapers, ads), teacher writes on chart paper to create a class media word web.
• Introduce today's lesson focus: media literacy — understanding and thinking critically about the messages we receive from media.

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2. Direct Teaching / Modelling (10 minutes)

• Show a clear, student-friendly definition of media literacy both visually and using an audio clip:
  ”Media literacy means understanding messages from different types of media and thinking about what they are really trying to tell us.”
• Use visuals to reinforce: show images representing advertising, news articles, social media posts.
• Explicitly connect to students' lives by asking: “Have you ever seen an ad or a video online? What message was it sending?”
• Write a simplified definition on the board:
  Media literacy = How we understand and think about media messages.

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3. Guided Practice (15 minutes)

• Divide students into small groups (4-5 per group, ensure support for community class and students with IEPs).
• Each group receives visual cards representing types of media (TV, online videos, social media, newspapers, podcasts, advertisements).
• Task: Identify which cards show types of media they encounter daily and discuss what messages the media might be sending.
• Teacher circulates to support groups, using open-ended questions, encouraging students with diverse needs to share using pictures or words, and providing vocabulary aids as needed.
• Support students with IEPs and ADHD by assigning clear roles within groups (e.g., card holder, note taker, speaker).
• Involve multisensory strategies: for example, students with dyslexia hear audio excerpts of ads or news clips to stimulate discussion.

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4. Independent Application (8 minutes)

• Students write or draw their own definition of media literacy in their notebooks or on prepared worksheet with sentence starters (e.g., Media literacy means...).
• Students also list three types of media they see or hear daily.
• Those with writing difficulties can record a verbal response or use sentence strips with word banks.
• Teacher and EA offer support in accommodations as needed, providing dyslexia-friendly fonts and audio prompts.

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5. Plenary / Closing (5 minutes)

• Invite 3-4 volunteers to share their definitions and one example of media type from their list.
• Discuss as a class why it is important to “think about the messages we get from media.”
• Revisit the success criteria and ask: “Do you think you met these goals today? Why or why not?”
• Collect student work for formative assessment purposes.

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Differentiated Instruction

Learner Profile	Strategy
Students with IEPs	Visual aids, roles in group work, simplified language, extra time to process and respond.
ADHD Learners	Clear, short instructions; active group work for engagement; frequent check-ins.
Community Class	Sensory breaks, one-on-one support, use of concrete examples and visuals.
Dyslexic Students	Audio clips, dyslexia-friendly fonts on handouts, one word per line, oral explanations.
Advanced Learners	Encourage use of media terms (e.g., “target audience”, “bias”), challenge to think critically.

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Extension Activity (Optional / Homework)

• Research and Present: Students choose one type of media (e.g., social media, newspapers, television) to research briefly (using school books or guided online resources).
• Prepare a short presentation for another class day on:
  • What is this media?
  • Why do people use it?
  • What kind of messages does it usually share?
• Advanced learners may integrate questions about media bias or effects on people.

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Assessment for Learning

• Observation of group discussions and participation
• Review of individual definitions and lists for understanding of media literacy
• Ongoing informal questioning to check comprehension

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Teacher Reflection Notes (Post-Lesson)

• Which students needed more support and how effective were accommodations?
• How engaged were students in identifying types of media?
• Did students understand the concept of “media literacy” or did some confuse it with general literacy?
• Adjust scaffolds and examples for next lessons based on student feedback.

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Thank you for helping foster critical thinkers who can decode the media messages shaping their world!