Curated OER
The Price of Happiness: On Advertising, Image, and Self Esteem
Are your students aware of the effect advertising can have on their self-image, self-esteem, and happiness? This lesson from the Media Awareness Network is aimed at increasing that awareness and mitigating any negative effects it might...
Learning for Justice
Beauty is Skin Deep
If you are in need of a lesson on tolerance or the impact of media, this plan could be useful. The class begins with a brainstorming session in which they reflect on their own experiences with bias based on appearance. Next, they...
Curated OER
An Electronic Self-Portrait Lesson Plan - A Unit for Middle School
Using a photo of themselves for inspiration, learners create a multi-media self-portrait. A digital image of each child is taken, it is uploaded into the computer where is can be experimented with in a digital format. Young artists then...
Curated OER
Lesson: Mathias Poledna: Crystal Palace
Film analysis takes critical thinking, connections, and context. Upper graders look at the film installation, Crystal Palace in terms of the film makers choices, presentation, and perspective of truth. After an analytical discussion...
Curated OER
Media Literacy: TV - What You Don't See!
Students examine how to evaluate what they are watching on television. They discuss hip hop music videos, compare/contrast them to other types of music videos, write a letter or press release about promoting positive teen stories, and...
NPR
Suffrage Lesson Plan
Has life changed for American women in the last century, or are there common themes between the lives of 21st century women and the struggle of suffragettes from the 1910s? Explore the ways media reflects the position of women...
Curated OER
Music: "Hearing Between The Lines"
The class listens to and reads lyrics from popular songs that explore themes of self-esteem, body image, and eating disorders. The song interpretations will serve as a jumping-off point to deeper discussion on the issues, culminating in...
Curated OER
Benjamin Franklin: Colonial Printer and Journalist
Fifth graders explore how important print media is to everyone's daily life. Students use present daily newspapers and they are to reproduce weather forecasts.
Teaching Tolerance
Using Photographs to Teach Social Justice | Exploring Identity
Even without captions, photographs can tell amazing, involved, and complex stories. Viewers analyze two photos, consider what the pictures reveal about the subjects' identity, and determine the social justice issues represented in the...
Curated OER
Self-Esteem, Advocacy, Media Literacy
Young scholars recognize their strengths and personality traits. As a class, they discuss and brainstorm qualities a professional organization may look for in a company representative. They observe a commercial and determine the intended...
Curated OER
Finding the Positive
Fifth graders meet the "Famous Artist." They are introduced to the topic of self-concept. Students work in small groups and get organized to create collages. They create a collage that represents characteristics of positive self-concept.
Curated OER
Propaganda of War
Learners examine examples of war propaganda. In this historical literature lesson plan, students research the elements of propaganda in relation to various wars of the past. They discuss different types of propaganda, and the...
Curated OER
Adbusting: A Media Literacy Unit
Young scholars examine the ethical issues regarding the role of advertising in our society. They watch a series of ads, analyze the messages of the commercials, and in small groups create a counter-ad.
Curated OER
Heroes Here and There
Students explore the concept of philanthropic heroes. In this everyday heroes activity, students compare and contrast media and famous heroes with everyday heroes. Students discuss heroes in small groups and then come together in large...
Curated OER
Identity of Women in Portraiture
Students look at portraits to learn history. Making connections is done with the identification of details found in the portraits. The gallery depicts the historical times of the Revolutionary War in Colonial America.
Constitutional Rights Foundation
The Election of 1912
The Election of 1912: an election with four competitive opponents. Pupils get to know the candidates with informative reading passages that provide context to the election. Then, the class engages in a debate and answers questions as one...
Curated OER
The Real Me!
Fourth graders examine and explain who they are and communicate that person to the viewer through the use of the visual arts. They think about themselves and try to find five things that represent who they are and what they feel is...
Curated OER
Exploring Indiana: Tales, Timelines, and Trivia
Pupils record timelines of Indiana history and include events from their own personal history on it. After using various research sources, the record their timelines using the Timeliner software application. They share their timelines...
Curated OER
The Mystique of the Artist
Students use mixed media to create personal expression on canvas art supplies bag, design three-dimensional model of their ideal studio space, write character sketch of Robert Harris using images of him, letter he wrote, and his art work...
Smart Museum of Art
The Making of a Superhero
Thor, Loki, Iron Man, and Captain America. As part of their study of Greek and Roman gods and heroes, middle schoolers compare the characters in The Avengers to Greek counterparts. Individuals then create their own superhero,...
Curated OER
So, So Surreal Self-Portraits
Students take virtual trip back in time to 1924 when a Dada manifesto sparked the Surrealist movement in Europe and the United States. They explore about the history of Surrealism and visit online galleries of notable artists of the past...
Curated OER
Hannah Montana: You're So Vain, You Probably Think This Zit is About You"
Students watch an episode of the Disney Channel series, "Hannah Montana". After viewing the episode, they discuss their own definition of beauty. They answer questions related to how companies advertise their products and discuss how...
Curated OER
Art and Patriotic Culture
Art forms, especially government-sponsored "poster art", very effectively conveyed specific cultural values during World War II. Understanding the role that visual images play in expressing issues and ideas is critical to developing...
Curated OER
Exploring Heroism
Students examine the concept of heroism in this lesson, through personal reflection, group activities and a thoughtful analysis of the documentary, HEROES OF GROUND ZERO. They explore their own understanding of what it means to be a hero.