Page 97 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 and 10: English, 2007 (Revised)

Grade 10, Applied
3. Creating Media Texts
2. Understanding Media Forms, Conventions, and Techniques
THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9 AND 10 | English
Critical Literacy
1.5 identify the perspectives and/or biases evident in both simple and complex media texts and comment on any questions they may raise about beliefs, values, identity, and power (e.g., identify beliefs or values revealed in examples of graffiti; explain how the cover of a magazine might be changed to attract a wider audience of readers;4 identify examples in media texts of Aboriginal images that have become stereotyped)
Teacher prompts: “What social or economic perspectives are rarely represented in graffiti?” “What implied messages about body image are predominant in mainstream men’s or women’s magazines? About sexual orienta- tion? About lifestyle?” “Whose beliefs are represented in this podcast/radio broadcast?” “Which characters have power in this video game? What kind of power do they have?
To whom would this type of power appeal?”
Production Perspectives
1.6 explain how several different production, mar- keting, and distribution factors influence the media industry (e.g., explain why books are reissued to tie in with film releases; explain why some artists allow their music to be downloaded from the Internet for free)
Teacher prompt: “What are the pros and cons of downloading music from the Internet? How does the prevalence of downloading influence the production, distribution, and pricing of music CDs?”
By the end of this course, students will:
Form
2.1 identify some general characteristics of several different media forms and explain how they shape content and create meaning (e.g., tabloids use negative images of celebrities to sell copies, whereas advertisements use positive images of celebrities to sell a product;5 ”talk radio”programs rely on phone-in questions to generate content, whereas on morning news radio programs the newscaster reads a prepared script conveying
information)
Teacher prompt: “Why does a hamburger look different in an amateur photograph than in an advertisement?”
Conventions and Techniques
2.2 identify several different conventions and/or techniques used in familiar media forms and explain how they convey meaning and influ- ence their audience (e.g., feature articles in a community newspaper reinforce readers’ aware- ness of the local businesses represented in the ads; the order of stories in a news broadcast indicates the relative importance of each story; emoticons in text messaging convey the type of information communicated by body language, facial expression, and tone of voice in live conversation6)
Teacher prompt: “Why is a subscription card usually inserted somewhere in a magazine?”
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, and identify specific challenges they may face in achieving their purpose (e.g., a collage or a cartoon strip to communicate a health message to teens; two book covers for the same novel, one for the teen market and one for the adult market, with the rationale for each design)
Teacher prompt: “Why might it be difficult to design a text that strongly appeals to teenagers but is also of interest to their parents?”
Form
3.2 select a media form to suit the topic, purpose, and audience for a media text they plan to cre- ate, and explain why it is an appropriate choice (e.g., explain why a computer presentation with a musical soundtrack would be the best way to present their interpretation of a poem to the class; explain why a series of stamps would be an appropriate way to celebrate people who have made significant contributions to Canada7)
Teacher prompts: “What forms might you choose to express your allegiance to a sports team or your membership in a social group?” “Why did you choose a cartoon strip rather than a collage to communicate the health message to your peers?”
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4. TL Media 7-10 “Examining Multiple Perspectives of an Advertisement” 22 5. TL Media 7-10 “Reading Between the Lines (Predictions)” 10 6. TL Media 7-10 “Exploring the Key Concepts of Media Literacy” 2 7. TL Media 7-10 “Producing a Public Service Announcement” 18