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WIINDMILL PRESS PUBLISHING (Canadian publishers of media literacy books and resources)
The Ontario Ministry of Education's 1999 Grade 10 Curriculum lays out specific expectations for teachers to teach media literacy within the English curriculum, both at the academic (ENG1D) and applied (ENG1P) levels.
The new English curriculum consists of four strands:
Literature Studies and Reading
Writing
Language
Media Studies
Because of the pervasive influence in our lives of print and electronic media, it is important for students to learn how to understand and interpret media works. In the English Program, students should have frequent opportunities to analyze various aspects of media communications, including key elements of the works themselves, the audience and production codes and practices. Students should also learn about the media through the process of creating their own media works, using a range of technologies to do so. By working in the various media to communicate their own ideas, students will develop critical thinking skills and understand at first hand how media works are designed to influence audiences and reflect the perspectives of their creators. Students will also develop production skills that may open up career opportunities in the entertainment and communications industries. Students should be encouraged to appreciate the media as sources of personal information and pleasure.
By the end of the course, students will:
analyze a range of media forms to identify their elements, audiences, and production practices, and draw conclusions about how these factors shape media works;
use knowledge of a range of media forms, purposes and audiences to create media works, and use established criteria to assess the effectiveness of the works.
Specific Expectations
I. Analyzing Media and Media Works
By the end of the course, students will:
demonstrate critical thinking skills by identifying the differences between explicit and implicit messages in media works;
identify key elements and techniques used to create media works in a variety of forms and analyze how these elements and techniques contribute to the theme or message;
analyze the elements of a variety of media works, in order to identify and describe the intended audience(s) for the works;
analyze the relationship between media works and the production and marketing of related products;
II. Creating Media Works
By the end of this course, students will:
adapt an idea, theme or issue from a work of literature for presentation in two related media forms, and assess the presentations to destermine what aspects of the original have been strengthened and/or weakened by the adaptation;
create media works for different purposes and explain how the design decisions for each were shaped by the purpose;
design media works appropriate to different audiences and explain why certain elements will appeal to a particular audience.
By the end of this course, students will:
describe the elements, intended audiences, and production practices of a range of media forms and explain how these factors shape media works;
use knowledge of a range of media forms, purposes, and audiences to create media works and explain their intended effects.
Specific Expectations
I. Analyzing Media and Media Works
By the end of this course, students will:
demonstrate critical thinking skills by identifying the differences between explicit and implicit messages in media works;
identify key elements and techniques used to create media works in a variety of forms, and explain how these elements contribute to the theme or message;
analyze the elements of media works in order to explain the reactions of different audiences to the works;
describe and explain how and why media works are used to market related products.
II. Creating Media Works
By the end of this course, students will:
adapt an idea from a work of literature for presentation in another media form and determine whath aspects have been weakened/strengthened by the adaptation;
create media works for different purposes and explain how the design has been influenced by the purpose;
design media works appropriate to different audiences and explain which elements will make a work appeal to a specific audience.
write a report comparing unique features of several newspapers to assess their appeal to readers
explain satire in a parody of a media work such as The Simpson's or CBC Television's This Hour Has 22 Minutes
analyze a political cartoon and define the structure such as caption, bubbles, headlines
look at signs such as health and safety warnings and give reasons for colour, font, and symbol choice on the packages
analyze advertising in a range of newspapers and magazines to identify the target audience
explain in a written or oral report how the target audience for a film determines the range of products marketed with it, and how this marketing, in turn, helps shape the film
watch an episode of a popular situation comedy along with the commercials: ask pointed questions about elements of the show that target an audience (language, sets, costumes, hair styles; analyze the commercials to figure out target audience
read and compare the front pages of two different newspapers to determine their appeal to readers
explain the appeal of popular film genres to mass audiences
identify the key elements of a situation comedy (plot, sub-plot, conflict, conflict resolution, final "wink")
identify the key concepts of a commercial
analyze the juxtaposition of colour and text in movie posters
write a report examining the sponsors of selected programs to determine which groups of people the programs are aimed at
explain the relationship between media and other market-related material (books released with movies; fast food toys with films
write a script adapting a short story or scene from a novel for radio and television
create a personal anthology of poetry in print and as a web page with link to related sites
create a personal anthology of poetry in print and as a web page with links to related sites
create a public service video to inform people about a health hazard
construct a collage of print advertisements to illustrate the media's concept of a teenager
design a magazine for a specific audience and explain how it differs from typical magazines
recreate a theme or images from a poem as a CD cover with liner notes
create an informational pamphlet and a promotional pamplet for the same product or service
design a brochure marketing a product to consumers with different income levels and explain the appeal of each
