Page 68 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 and 10: English, 2007 (Revised)

Critical Literacy
1.5 identify the perspectives and/or biases evident in a few simple media texts and teacher-selected complex media texts and comment on any questions they may raise about beliefs, values, and identity (e.g., identify the perspective reflected on a CD cover that carries a parental advisory warning; identify the perspective pre- sented in a review of a video game)
Teacher prompts: “What does this music video tell you about the beliefs and values of the people it portrays?” “What similarities or differences do you see between yourself and the characters portrayed on the CD covers or in the video games that interest you most?”
Production Perspectives
1.6 explain how a few different production, mar- keting, and distribution factors influence the media industry (e.g., explain why a major recording studio might ask a rock group to“sani- tize”some of their lyrics; explain how store names and locations, lighting, décor, and signage in a shopping mall are designed to influence consumer behaviour)
Teacher prompts: “How do marketing and advertising campaigns for a CD launch affect product distribution and sales?” “How can the Internet help new artists to promote themselves?”
By the end of this course, students will:
Form
2.1 identify general characteristics of a few differ- ent media forms and explain how they shape content and create meaning (e.g., in a television ad, a charitable organization soliciting donations can use film and voice-over narration to drama- tize the story of an aid recipient, whereas in a print advertisement it can convey an impression of the recipient’s situation through a still photo- graph or collage and descriptive text 4)
Teacher prompt: “What does a car ad in a newspaper automotive supplement tell you about the product that a television ad doesn’t, and vice versa?”
Conventions and Techniques
2.2 identify a few different conventions and/or techniques used in familiar media forms and explain how they convey meaning (e.g., eye- catching colours and large print and images
on a billboard enable passers-by to process the message quickly;5 quick cuts in a music video emphasize the speed and intensity of the musical beat)
Teacher prompts: “What does the musical score contribute to the climax of the movie?” “How does the font support the message of this advertisement?”
3. Creating Media Texts
By the end of this course, students will:
Purpose and Audience
3.1 describe the topic, purpose, and audience
for media texts they plan to create (e.g., a storyboard for a music video to raise money for an environmental cause;6 the outline for a radio broadcast over the school PA system to commem- orate a famous Canadian) and identify challenges they may face in achieving their purpose
Teacher prompt: “How can you make sure that your video welcoming students to the school will make students from diverse cul- tures feel welcome?”
Form
3.2 select a media form to suit the topic, purpose, and audience for a media text they plan to create, and explain why it is an appropriate choice (e.g., a mock“menu”identifying the main characters for the back cover copy of a Young Adult novel that features a café as a teen hang- out; a multimedia display to highlight students’ athletic achievements)
Teacher prompt: “Why might a human rights organization choose a music video to deliver its message? What does the choice of form tell you about the intended audience for the message?”
Conventions and Techniques
3.3 identify a few different conventions and/or techniques appropriate to a media form they plan to use, and explain how these will help them communicate meaning (e.g., movie poster conventions/techniques: visuals suggesting the characters and setting; text taglines conveying the theme or plot “hook”; symbols /icons signalling the particular genre, such as weapons and high- performance vehicles in a techno-thriller)
Teacher prompt: “When creating a cover for your science notebook, what images, icons, or graphics would you use? Why?”
MEDIA STUDIES
2. Understanding Media Forms, Conventions, and Techniques
4. TL Media 7-10 “Reading Between the Lines (Predictions)” 10
5. TL Media 7-10 “Exploring the Key Concepts of Media Literacy” 2
6. TL Media 7-10 “Producing a Public Service Announcement” 18
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