Final project

Unit: Teen representations in media

Note: This unit would be after an initial unit on the basics of media studies-what media is, different kinds, how much people use it, ect. This would not be an introductory unit, but one that is more focused on teens specificially.

Grades: 10-12

Timeline: 8 lessons of 1.5 hour block classes, or 16 lessons of 45 minutes.

Unit objectives:

• Every student will be able to:
• Voice how teenagers (13-19) are depicted in popular culture, and give 3-5 examples of this.
• Develop an argument stating how and why teens are represented in a certain manner.
• List 3-5 issues that are popular in teen programming.
• Compare and contrast how teens are represented across television genres.
• Explain how advertising affects young people.
• Analyze advertising marketed to teens.
• Describe the implications of teen representations in popular media.

Unit rationale: Adolescents are using different medias more than they have in the past. However, they are not taught how to understand the images and messages that they are receiving each day. In order to understand what they are viewing, they need to be taught media literacy. This includes understanding the way that they are represented in media, as well as understanding the media that is aimed at them as teenagers. Through this unit, students will explore the messages that they are receiving through teen TV programming as well as they messages that others receive about teenagers.

Essential Question: What are the implications of teen representation in popular media?

Lesson 1: Teen representations

Anticipatory set: Show the two cartoons and ask for reactions to them. What do they say about teens? Do you agree with those viewpoints?

Teenager talking to grandpa on deathbed

Teenager wearing shirt "One Size Fits None"

Body:

• Explain the unit and the objectives. Discussion will be important in this unit.
• Develop a discussion charter.
• Present media representations and why they are important.
• Organize students into groups of 4. Have 2 students in each group brainstorm words that are associated with teenagers. Have the other 2 students brainstorm words that are associated with adults. After time is up, have the small group share with each other and discuss:
• Are the two lists different? If so, why?
• Where do we see these characteristics displayed?
• Do all teens and/or all adults fit the list of characteristics that you listed.

• Have students choose the top 3 characteristics that they feel represent teens/adults. Report back to the whole group. Debrief.

Assessment: Answers to discussion.

Homework: At home tonight, watch one TV show or the evening news where a teenager is shown. How do they present this character/person? What qualities does s/he represent? If you had only this image to go on, what would your opinion of young people be? Would it be accurate? Write a summary of your findings.

Lesson 2: Teen representations 2

Activities and materials taken from: http://www.layouth.com/index.php?module=htmlpages&func=display&pid=48

Anticipatory set: Show video of popular TV show. Have students write down their immediate reactions. Share with group.

Body:

• Have students share their homework findings from the previous night. Conduct a cocktail party discussion. Students talk to a different student for 2 minutes about their findings. Do this 4 times. Have a few students report back to the whole group. Where are these images coming from? Who is putting them on television or in the newspaper? Who is the audience for these images? What messages do these images deliver about young people? Do they, as young people, find these to be accurate or representative of them or their peers? Are there any other images of teens in the media that either balance those images on the board or at least offer a different perspective? Where do these other images come from? Who is their audience?
• Have students read the 3 articles. Have them put their chairs in a circle. Discuss the articles.
• With what points in each article do you agree? With what do you disagree? Why?
• How do you think Michelle would answer Gohar and Sarah's claims of anti-teen bias in the media? How do you think Gohar and Sarah would answer Michelle's view of the issue?
• In light of these three articles' arguments, look back at your observations from the previous exercise. Do these images support the arguments of any of the articles? If so, how?
• Where do you get your images of teens, besides personal experience? What television shows, movies, magazines, and other media outlets supply images of teens? What are some of these? Are they "true-to-life" or do them seem false? Does a representation's truthfulness or falseness matter when you choose to watch it?
• What does it mean to be "media literate"? How can you read and interpret media images like a text? Why might it be necessary to read commercial media images critically? (Why are these media images "commercial"?)

Assessment: Answers to discussion questions

Homework: Respond to the following questions in writing. How might adults for example perceive the young , based upon the way they are depicted in local and national news? What effects might these perceptions have upon adult attitudes about youth? How might these perceptions shape public policy in the way adult institutions like school and the legal system react to them?

Lesson 3: Content Analysis in Teen Television Programming

Anticipatory Set: Brainstorm a list of issues that are dealt with in teen television programming.

Body:

• Ask students: How often is sex/drugs/bullying portrayed in teen programming? How do teen shows deal with sex, drugs, drinking, bullying? How is sex portrayed in the following clip?

• Assign small groups. They will work together to come up with a content analysis on one of the following: news (stories related to or about teens), magazines related to teens, ads during teen programming, TV shows.
• Must answer the question: What are the implications of these findings? Based on these findings and the representations of teens in the media, what will others think? What is your viewpoint on that: are the representations similar to reality?
• Groups must create a presentation that summarizes their findings: iMovie, powerpoint, posterboard.
• Work time in classroom and/or computer lab.

Assessment: will take place on the last day of the unit

Homework: work on project

Lesson 4: Genres of Teen Programming

Anticipatory Set: Show TV clip. What genre is this?

Body:

• List the 4 types of genres most common among teen programming: Sitcom Drama Sci-Fi/Fantasy Reality. Define each of these genres.
• Have students list the shows that they watch under each genre
• Watch a clip of Buffy the Vampire slayer. What themes are in the show? How are teens represented? How are adults represented? Is learning presented as meaningful? What is presented as meaningful? Repeat with clip from Friday Night Lights, Taking the Stage, and What I Like About You.

Assessment: Answers to questions.

Homework: Watch 2 TV shows from different genres. Compare and contrast the two. What are the different themes? Write a 1-2 page paper. Due in 3 days.

Lesson 5: Advertising

Anticipatory Set: Show ad from teen magazine. Ask students: What age group is this aimed at? What message does the ad send?

Body:

• Have students fill out a KWL. K-What they already know about advertising. W-What they want to know. L-What they learned. They can use this the next day during the video to take notes.
• Present on advertising: the basics.
• Present the 4 Ps: Product, Placement, Promotion, Price. Have students brainstorm how they feel about the 4 Ps in relation to: McDonalds, Calvin Klein Jeans, Target, Sprite.
• Show some examples of ads in print sources. Have students attempt to analyze them.
• Read the article: Brands, Not Marketers, Define Teens
• Discuss article: Do you feel that all young people fit into a certain group? Do you avoid a product if it is advertised everywhere? Why? How do you feel about the techniques used to advertise to teens?

Homework: Take an ad from a print source, newpaper or magazine, and analyze it.

Lesson 6: Merchants of Cool

Ideas and video taken from: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cool/

Anticipatory Set: Ask students to define the word “cool”.

Body:

• Watch the PBS Frontline video “Merchants of Cool”. Have students take notes during the video.
• Explain that the following day, students will engage in a Socratic Seminar. Therefore, it is very important that they complete the homework assignment. Explain the process of the discussion.

Assessment: none

Homework: Answer the following questions. You must have the questions completed or you will not be allowed into class until they are completed.

• Is the media really reflecting the real life of kids, or is it the other way around?
• Are there trends that are not popularized by the media?
• What is “cool”? Who decides that?
• What are the implications of marketing to teens?
• Do kids create a culture of their own?
• Do you feel like you are being fed more explicit material, or that as a teen culture, you are asking for more explicit material?
• Does the idea of the “mook” or the “midriff” ring true to you? Do you see real life examples of these phenomena?

Lesson 7: Merchants of Cool 2

Body:

• Arrange circles in a chair. Review the guidelines for the Socratic Seminar.
• Begin the Socratic Seminar.
• Is the media really reflecting the real life of kids, or is it the other way around?
• Are there trends that are not popularized by the media?
• What is “cool”? Who decides that?
• What are the implications of marketing to teens?
• Do kids create a culture of their own?
• Do you feel like you are being fed more explicit material, or that as a teen culture, you are asking for more explicit material?
• Does the idea of the “mook” or the “midriff” ring true to you? Do you see real life examples of these phenomena?

• Fill out reflection/evaluation.

Assessment: Reflection from discussion

Homework: Finish reflection if did not finish during class.

taken from website

Socratic Seminar Reflection

Name

Seminar #

Text Title:

Author:

Opening Question(s):

1. Summary of key ideas:

2. Reaction: Identify what someone said; write down his/her comment. React to his/her statement.

3. Explain how the Seminar influenced your thinking about the topic or the text(s).

4. Socratic Connections: Identify and explain a connection to . . .

another writer/poet	news article	movie	song
commercial	Photograph/painting	TV show	person you know
experience you had	observation	another culture	famous/infamous person
your choices . . . .

Explain your connection fully:

5. Self Assessment

Taking a position on a question	5	4	3	2	1
Using evidence to support a position or presenting factual information	5	4	3	2	1
Drawing another person into the discussion	5	4	3	2	1
Asking a clarifying question or moving the discussion along	5	4	3	2	1
Highlighting and marking the text with questions/commentary	5	4	3	2	1

Identify a personal goal for the next seminar:

Identify a group goal and how you would be willing to contribute to it:

Lesson 8: Present Final Projects

Students take the class periods to present their final projects. Students do a self-assessment to be included with the assignment.