Get your class primed for a comparative analysis lesson with this activity. They compare and contrast their music preferences to those of their classmates. After reading an article, they identify current trends in popular music, analyze...

Have your young television viewers discuss popular shows among their peers. After choosing one show to analyze, middle and high schoolers read about the 2007-2008 network television lineup with the New York Times article "Gauging Viewer...

Introduce your social studies lesson about communism with this four-minute video. A student narrates facts about communism and how it works in a society. Tip: After watching this video, have your students write a reflection paragraph...

Young scholars explore differences between superficial and real "coolness," how marketers use cool to sell products, and how their own attitudes and perceptions are affected by media messages that reinforce specific messages about what...

Studying societal patterns is so interesting. Whether you use this prior to reading a study about society, equality, or success, or to spark some discussion in your middle and high school classrooms, this sheet poses some interesting...

Law and society go hand-in-hand, explore the  law as it pertains to social impact throughout history. Here are 20 excellent questions that have learners examine law from the code of Hammurabi, to Napoleonic law and the Magna Carta....

One of three lessons on gender stereotype, this resource from the Media Awareness Network discusses the violence that is inflicted on men and women as they try to live up to the stereotypes of their gender. The section on women focuses...

Looking at art is the first step to analyzing it. And, if you can analyze art, you can analyze anything. Kids examine several pop art pieces that represent consumerism in modern culture. They discuss multiple facets of each piece and...

Students identify likes and dislikes at home and school. Then they identify the relationship between training and the world of work. Students also discover and evaluate patterns and relationships in information, ideas and structures....

Make your learners critical consumers of media, and foster an awareness of how culture is reflected and shaped by media. This resource covers how alcohol advertising presents and promotes gender stereotypes. After a discussion on...

An introductory instructional activity shows learners how pervasive and influential advertising is in our culture; particularly, how teenagers are actively targeted by advertisers. As teenagers, your learners already have all the...

Teach young adults how to become advocates for their privacy in the modern information age. In a series of five lessons, learners explore their beliefs and opinions about privacy vs. the actual laws regarding who has the right to access...

Explore concepts of audience, purpose and symbols in this instructional activity from Media Smarts that asks students to consider all the functions of music. Through a series of discussions and activities, your class will brainstorm...

Students examine aesthetic movement known as modernism, discover why organizers chose modernism as World Fair's design pattern, interpret photographs of modernist fair buildings and identify artifacts that reflect modernist ideas, and...

Students are introduced to the concept of orphan trains. In groups, they research the history of the New York Children's Aid Society and begin to identify the social-trade offs involved on the orphan trains. They examine the geneological...

Students examine the St. John slave revolt of 1733. In this slavery and apartheid lesson, students view the DVD "Slavery, Society, and Apartheid." Students respond to discussion questions regarding the content of the DVD which features...

Learners investigate art to discover the role of women in history. In this fine arts lesson, students examine art pieces from the Internet and identify the time period and the civilization it came from. Learners discuss their observations.

Here are two warm-up sheets on one piece of paper. Each half sheet (you cut) contains 10 questions related to world geography, states, capitals, oceans, and landforms. The questions cover everything from the largest continent to the...

Pupils explore technology and how it can be used to bring about change in other cultures.  In this investigative lesson students complete several activities using technology. 

Seventh graders complete a handout on how their lives differ from those portrayed on television. In groups, they identify their misconceptions about gender roles and equality. They also discover ways to not buy into the negative messages...

Seventh graders examine the social influences on gender and sexuality. In groups, they discuss their responses to how the lives of television characters differ from their own. As a class, they complete a scenerio on stereotypes and...

Young scholars complete activities involving women's suffrage. They prepare a timeline and conduct an interview with someone to gain an understanding of the changing view of women in American society.

Folktales reveal volumes about a culture, so get your literary analysts perusing them for anthropological clues! Learners examine characteristics of a folktale before researching one particular culture to better understand their...