Author: Maureen Baron
Level: Secondary Cycle One and Two
Subject Area: English Language Arts

Description: In this three-day unit, students assess media coverage of natural disasters and their aftermath. Students explore how sensationalism plays a role in determining what is newsworthy, and how that can distort our perception of issues in developing nations.

Cross-curricular Competencies	Broad Areas of Learning
To use information To solve problems To exercise critical judgement To adopt effective work methods To use information and communications technologies for learning purposes To construct his/her identity To work with others To communicate appropriately	Media Literacy Citizenship and Community Life

This lesson satisfies the following competencies from the Quebec Education Program:

History and Citizenship Education

Within the secondary Social Science curriculum, this lesson fits well under Competency Three: Constructs his/her consciousness. Under this competency, students are given the opportunity to explore a social phenomenon of the present that is global in nature (such as portrayal of global development issues). Under this competency, students apply their knowledge to different contexts by:

• using concepts related to the object of consciousness of citizenship
• using methodological skills
• establishing a link between past and present
• considering the factors that govern social participation by:
• indicating opportunities for social participation or factors that limit such participation
• identifying principles and values that foster social participation
• mentioning various public institutions [such as media] and their roles
• describing the role that individuals can play in these institutions
• considering the pluralistic nature of a society by:
• indicating some of the factors that contribute to people’s identities of
• Making connections between human action and social change
• Recognizing the types of actions possible

Moral Education

The Moral Education Program focuses on the development of three interdependent competencies where students:

• Construct a moral frame of reference
• Take a reflective position on ethical issues
• Engage in moral dialogue

Outcomes from this lesson support a number of outcomes in this area.

Competency One: Constructs a moral frame of reference

Puts life situations and moral references into perspective:

• Makes connections between meaningful situations, their requirements, the influences at play, and the presence of known values or social precepts
• Identifies his/her own moral references
• Explores the diversity of beliefs, customs, visions of human beings, values and social precepts related to the same situation
• Identifies differences, similarities and tensions between different opinions and viewpoints

Deliberates on the elements of a moral frame of reference:

• With others, looks for the words to define moral references
• Compares definitions, opinions and viewpoints
• Questions values and social precepts, their validity and how they are applied depending on the context
• Considers the effects of diverse visions of human beings on community life

Competency Two: Takes a reflective stance on moral issues:

Identifies the ethical issues of a situation

• Describes the situation
• Explains how and why the situation poses a moral or ethical problem
• Identifies the consequences of the problem on himself/herself, on others and on the environment
• Draws upon a variety of information sources and the viewpoints of experts
• Analyzes the tensions that exist among different viewpoints, opinions, visions of human beings, values and social precepts
• Situates himself/herself in relation to the problem
• Expresses feelings generated by the problem
• Considers the viewpoints of classmates and those primarily concerned by the problem, and takes cultural references into account
• Identifies the reasons put forth in support of opinions and viewpoints
• Highlights the underlying visions of human beings and the social precepts and the values in question
• Explains the differences that exist

Imagines possible options and their consequences

• Proposes possible options and considers those of others
• Examines the consequences on himself/herself, on others and on society
• Makes a summary of the options and their possible consequences

Translates his/her choices into action

• Uses criteria to evaluate different options
• Expresses his/her preferred choice and gives the reasons and emotional factors behind his/her decision
• Delineates the individual and collective responsibilities entailed in his/her choice of options
• Explores individual and group ways of taking action

Language Arts

Within the Language Arts Program, various exercises, activities and classroom discussion in this lesson supports specific outcomes relating to media across all language arts competencies.

Competency One: Uses language/talk to communicate and learn

• Listens actively and critically to interactions of others and supports their contributions
• Compares own responses with others to check their validity:
• Generalizes from prior knowledge to new concept(s)
• Uses feedback to encourage and extend discussion
• Revises communication strategies when necessary
• Develops positive and supportive attitudes towards peers

Competency Two: Represents his/her literacy in various media

• Negotiates text type to be produced
• Manipulates visual elements to build skills for later production activities
• Immerses self in the text type to be produced in order to deconstruct some of its textual features, codes and conventions
• Analyzes samples of text type
• Carries out a content analysis or inquiry into some aspect of media text

Competency Three: Reads and listens to written, spoken and media texts

• Constructs meaning(s)/message(s) by reinvesting her/his knowledge of the text as social construct, i.e. language-in-use:
• Draws on cues in familiar structures, features, codes and conventions to make sense of texts
• Identifies connotation and denotation of words, images and their referents
• Makes connections between conventions of a familiar text type/genre and own response(s)/interpretation(s)

Competency Four: Writes a variety of genres for personal and social purposes

Explores the grammars of text:

• Follows an inquiry process, working in collaboration with peers and teacher, to explore how a text is constructed and/or some of its social purposes
• Draws on prior literacy experiences with familiar texts to deconstruct them
• Discusses the purpose of familiar texts within a genre
• Identifies some structures and features of a genre
• Identifies some codes and conventions of a genre