Microteaching Assignment :

Visual Literacy

Media Awareness, Looking at media with a Critical

eye

AJ Appel and Ange Huber

PS2 Education 3601
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Unit Plan Rationale

We chose this unit for grade nines because we feel they are at an age
where they are struggling with their identity and self image. The media
plays a huge role in these young peoples everyday lives. The purpose
of this unit is to create self-awareness of how the media generates and
portrays unrealistic stereotypes. The media shows students
unattainable body images and unrealistic ideals of beauty. It shows
them the heightened American dream and unattainable goals. It
shows them what to eat and tells them how to dress. Jingles stick in
their heads for weeks. We want the students to become aware of
power that advertising in the media has over them. We want them to
be aware that this is happening all the time in their everyday
environment. By doing this, we will provide them with tools to look at
the constant bombardment of advertisements they face with a critical
eye.

Unit Plan Summery

The students use critical thinking in regards to media throughout the

unit. They will learn of the final project after learning some basics
about advertising and its influences. In the first lesson the students
realize that it is all around them. We have a discussion with thought
provoking questions. This will capture the interest of even the most
unmotivated student, because no student likes to be told what to do,
and the idea that the media is telling them what to do everyday will
capture most grade nines ears. We will then show them You Tube
videos of catchy jingles, past and present. Through group work the
students will begin to realize how much the media is in their heads.
The second lesson in the unit, lets them look at how an advertiser
would go about promoting a product to their age group, by finding out
their interests, hobbies and where they get funding for the product
(whether it be parents or a job). They will then get to critique each
others products based on the criteria that the group provided. The final
lesson will take a better look at gender stereotyping using art history.
Students will get a chance to connect what they learned in the last two
lessons to art history. They will then get a chance to create a
photograph (with their previous photography skills) using an art piece
from an art history textbook. They will be adding their own tag line as
if they were advertising what is going on in the image. Students will
then be comparing how gender stereotypes have changed throughout
history and how they are viewed today. After creating their final piece
students will have a final critique in which they will discuss the finished
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works along with what they have learned in the unit and if it changed
their perspective on the world on advertising.

LESSON SUMMARIES

LESSON 1:

In this lesson the students are introduced to the idea of becoming self aware of
the media around us. This is the first lesson because it introduces an awareness
of how media influences the students both consciously and unconsciously. The
students start by humming a common jingle that is already in their head. They
then have a discussion with their peers about media influences, followed by a
name that brand activity. Finally, in the last activity the students compare beauty
ideals from the past and present. Through these activities the students really
begin to see how the media affects us and how much it influences them in their
day-to-day lives.

LESSON 2:

This lesson takes the student dive deeper into understanding the ad jargon that
surrounds them. The second lesson in the unit lets them look at how an
advertiser would go about promoting a product to a certain age group,
by finding out what interests, hobbies and what they like to spend their
money on. It also takes a look at where they get funding for the
product (whether it be parents or a job depending on the age group).
They will then get to critique each others products/presentations on
how effective they think it would be to getting the audience to buy that
item.

LESSON 3:

In this last lesson the student gets to explore the gender stereotypes in found in
art history. The students learn about Jeff Wall because in his practices he takes
old classical art works and modernizes them through photography. The students
get a chance to do recreate a painting through photography heightening the
gender stereotypes. They then create a tagline, bringing into play, their previous
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knowledge about advertisements and media. This last lesson shows students
that stereotypes and ideals of beauty have been around forever. It is up to them
to have critical thinking when looking at mass media images or at pieces from art
history.

Lesson # 1 Introduction
Lesson Length: 90 mins ( 2 or 3 classes) Grade: 9

GLO:
Impact of Images: Students will become aware of the importance
society places upon various works of art

Source of Images: Students will consider the natural environment as

a source of imagery through time and across cultures.

SLO:

Students will understand the concept of how people use art (or
media) changes through time.

Students will understand how images of people change through

time

Learning Objectives:

1. Students will gain an awareness of how media has influenced

them both consciously and unconsciously
2. Students will understand how images of beauty have changed
over history

Resources Consulted:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLRhsxJ8_GE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48u6EPvCs10
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KDj2Uo0IwU

Materials:
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Brain power
Computers (computer lab)
PowerPoint Presentation
Lined paper
Pencils
Hat
Names of common day items written out on small paper
Sketch book
Glue

Procedure: Day 1
Introduction: (10 minutes):

1. Get the class settled. Give them 2 mins to think of a common jingle.
Then have the people who feel comfortable sharing, hum the jingle
they have come up with.

2. Then have students guess what product this jingle is selling. Usually
the students will get it right away.

3.Talk about how effective jingle are at catching consumers attention,

both in present day, and in the past.

PAST: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLRhsxJ8_GE
PRESENT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48u6EPvCs10
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KDj2Uo0IwU

4. This is a good lead into talking about self-awareness of media.

Body:
Activity #1 Self-awareness of the Media (20 mins)

Have a class discussion with the students about media, and the
advertisements shown.

At this point, have them split into 3 groups of 6 or 7. Number them off,
so they work with people they normally wouldnt.

Within their groups have them discuss the following questions: (power
point)
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Questions:

Does media affect you? Why or why not?

How has media affected you?
Have you bought certain clothes or food because of
advertisements?
If you answered yes, does that mean you more likely to
buy a product because of something you have seen?
Example: Tim Horton vs. Coffee Company? Why do we
choose one over the other?
What did you see on the way to this class that can be
considered media?
Did you use anything today that has any sort of
advertising on it?

Can artists use advertisements in their art? Or as art?

Can advertisements be considered art?

Come back together as a class and discuss what you came up with.

Activity #2 Brand Match (10 mins)

1. Have the students return back to their groups and have them
draw out of a hat, 5 names of different household items.
2. Challenge them to come up with at least 2 different brands for
each, and if they can come up with what the tag line, colors, logo
or jingle is for the item.

Activity #3 What is Beauty (30 mins)

1. Have the students line up to go to the computer labs.

2. Have them search for images of woman from an earlier time period
3. Have them search for models or pop cultures stars from todays society
4. Have them chose two images, and put into a PowerPoint page for
printing.
5. Print the two images off, after gaining approval from the teacher
6. Glue in sketch book
7. Compare the ideals of beauty in todays society vs. another time period.
Have the students compare the two images.
8. Using a chart. (a T chart is recommended but not required)
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Examples: Can make a chart of what is the same, what is a different,

observation the students see, ect.

Sponge activity: If time have the students go to your art history resources in your
classroom, and have them find painting where the idea of beauty is portrayed.

Conclusion: (15 mins)

1. Talk about what they learned as a group.

2. How easy it was to come up with logos to brand match, and
how hard it is for students to remember things math facts, but
how easy it is for a jingle to stick with them. Or how easily they
remember a tag line.

3. Talk about the ideals of beauty and how they are different then
and now. Are they realistic?
3. Explain what they are going to be doing next lesson, how they
are going to be coming up with their own product.

Lesson # 2 : Creating a Product

Lesson Length: 100 mins (3 or four classes) Grade: 9

GLO:
Impact of Images: Students will become aware of the importance
society places upon various works of art

Source of Images: Students will consider the environment as a

source of imagery through time

SLO:

Students will understand the concept of how people use art (or
media) changes through time.
Students will understand how images change through time

Learning Objectives:

1. Students will gain an awareness of how media has influenced them both
consciously and unconsciously
2. Students will create a product that relates to their peer group.
3. Students will design the advertising that goes around it.
4. Students will understand why the advertising works for their particular peer
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group.

Materials:

Power Point Presentation

News print
Poster paper
Markers
Paint
Pencils
Sketchbooks

Procedure: Day 1
Introduction: (10 minutes):

1. On the power point show Andy Warhols:

Campbell soup
Brillo boxes
Diamond dust

Explain that he was an artist who took the most popular consumer
items at the time and reproduced them using silkscreen. Ask the
students why they think he used pop culture and media in his art. The
reason why he did this was to make a statement to today's society,
about that we are all consumers.

2. Remind students of the previous lesson about how branding, jingles,

logos and images of beauty all have such a big impact on todays
society.

3. Tell the students that they are going to have a chance to create a
product

On the power point show students examples of how certain products

are targeted for certain audiences.

Body:
Activity #1 Self-awareness of the Media (40 mins)

1. Set up tables with big news print poster papers, markers, and paint.
2.Split the students up into about 6 groups, number them off, so they
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work with people they normally wouldnt.

Within their groups have them discuss and write in their sketchbooks
the following questions:

Questions

1. Who am I?

2. How old am I?

3. Sex: Boy or Girl?

4. What is popular in your peer group?

Clothing
Music
Hobbies

5. As this person what do you want to buy with your money?

6. How do you obtain this product?
Job?
Parents?
Other?

3.After students have answered these questions together with their

group they will now come up with a product to sell to the specific
age group.

4.Students should try and come up with the best way to attract the
attention of their target audience by creating a slogan, jingle, skit
(1min), or logo.

5. They can use the mediums and paper in front of them for props, signs ect.

6. Go around the classroom to make sure they are working well with their
groups and smooth over any problems that may arise.

Activity #2: Advertising in the Classroom: Presentations

(40min).

1. Students will share with the class what they have come up with.

2. In will be an informal setting so the students will all feel

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comfortable around each one another.

3. After watching the presentations, the groups will share the

reasons behind the choices that they have made about their
product.

This includes:

The students selling techniques, colors used, imagery, style, size,

contrast, as well as other principals of design and elements of art
they included to catch the viewers eye.

4. They will then ask the audience if they think it hit the target age
ect, from the questions above, because they will read out loud
the information they recorded before hand.

5. After all the groups go back to their work stations and clean up,
after which the students can sit back in their seats.

Conclusion: (15 mins)

Class discussion:
Why we did we do these presentations?
What did we learn from it?
If we did it over again what would we do differently and why?

Lesson # 3 A Twist of Art History

Lesson Length: 90 mins Grade: 9

GLO:
Impact of Images: Students will become aware of the importance
society places upon various works of art

Source of Images: Students will consider the natural environment as

a source of imagery through time

SLO:
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Students will understand the concept of how people use art (or
media) changes through time.
Students will understand how images of people change through
time

Learning Objectives:

1. Students will understand of the role of gender and stereotyping in

the media and art history

2. Students will compare how gender stereotypes have changed

throughout history and how they are viewed today.

Materials:

Art history textbooks

Power Point
Cameras
Markers construction paper
Film
Developing store

Introduction: (10 mins)

1.Using power point show the image of the Oath of the Hariatti by
Jacques Louise David, and discuss the gender roles that are
portrayed within it.

Questions:

What time period is it in?

What kind of body postures do we see?
Where is the focus?

2. Put up the picture of the re-photographed version. Discuss how

the gender roles are portrayed. Discuss modern gender roles and
how the stereotypes are changing.

Q: How does reversing the gender roles change the image?

Body: (60 mins)

1. Show Jeff Walls Picture for Women and Waitress at the Folies
Bergeres.
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Ask Questions:

What gender roles that are portrayed?

What two time periods are we looking at?
How is the female being portrayed?
How does society stereotype this woman?
How did Jeff Wall modernize this stereotype?

2. Students will then browse through textbooks provided and search

for a classical painting that portrays gender stereotype.

3. Students will then get into groups of 4 or 5 and look at the

paintings that their peers have found.

4. As a group they will decide on one classical painting that they

will then re- photograph. They will either modify or manipulate it in a
way that it portrays a modern gender stereotype.

5. The photographs have to be in black and white. Students are

allowed to go anywhere on campus to shoot their photo.

6. Each photo must have a satirical or ironic tag line of what the
students are trying to portray. This can be used in the place of a title,
Students will use their previous knowledge of advertising from the past
two lessons.

Conclusion: (10 mins)

1. Students will show their photos on the smart board to the
class, and read our tagline.
2. The class will critique them,
Asking the following questions, along with the usual critique
questions.
What did your group change in the classical painting?
Does your photo portray a modern view of gender stereo
type?
If it was successful in the latter, how so?