Author: Jane Tallim, Media Awareness Network
Level: Secondary Cycle Two
Subject Area: English Language Arts

Description: This lesson helps students become aware of the under-representation of First Nations peoples and visible minorities in the media. Students begin with a discussion about different forms of diversity and then read and discuss handouts about representation of visible minorities and First Nations peoples in broadcast media. Assignments include a journal entry responding to the statement "What is not said by the media is as important as what is explicitly articulated" and diversity audits of news programs, dramas, TV advertisements and sitcoms. For students who wish to investigate this topic in depth, there are a series of extension activities.

Cross-curricular Competencies	Broad Areas of Learning
To use information To solve problems To exercise critical judgment To adopt effective work methods To work with others To communicate appropriately	Media Literacy Citizenship and Community Life

This lesson satisfies the following English Language Arts Competencies from the Quebec Education Program:

COMPETENCY 2 Reads and listens to written, spoken and media texts

Constructing a Reading of a Text

• Focuses on the relationship between self as reader and the text to construct an interpretive reading
• Activates relevant prior textual knowledge before, during and after reading text(s) to monitor the meaning(s) s/he is making, (e.g. uses what is known about a writer/producer and her/his style to make predictions, draws on knowledge of structures and features of a specific genre, applies knowledge of codes and conventions particular to specific texts)
• Activates relevant prior personal knowledge and experience to make sense of a text which is frequently expressed in text-to-self connections, text-to-world connections, text-to-text connections
• Asks questions of self, writers(s) and text(s) as s/he reads to clarify and focus reading
• Determines the most important ideas/messages/themes in a text
• Draws inferences from a text
• Retells or synthesizes what s/he has read, e.g. attends to the most important information and the quality of the synthesis itself to better understand the text

Reader, Text, Context

Draws inferences about the view of the world presented in a text

• Identifies dominant elements and interprets their use, e.g. point of view, specific literary conventions, structure and sequence of argument, patterns of cause and effect
• Identifies the characteristics of the writer/producer and evaluates how these influence meaning, i.e. how stance, socio-cultural context, values and/or beliefs shape the world of the text
• Explores how power relationships are constructed in the text
• Examines how language (word, sound and image) is shaped to present ideas and information
• Makes connections between the depiction of different groups in texts and the context or setting of a text

Justifies her/his interpretation(s) of texts on the basis of own fluency as a reader

• Evaluates the way specific codes and conventions of a spoken/written/media text are employed to have an impact upon the assumptions, actions, values and beliefs of readers:
• codes and conventions of a specific genre that are employed to have an impact on readers in general or on a target audience in particular
• mode(s) of representation (sound, word and image) that influence the message(s)/meaning(s) of a text and how these reveal the intention(s) of the writer/producer(s)
• linguistic and textual features that situate or position the reader, e.g. connotations and denotations, stereotypes and bias, aspects of characterization and setting that evoke a specific emotion or response, appeals to mainstream values and beliefs
• issues and topics that present alternative values, beliefs, lifestyles in order to evaluate meanings for self as part of a process of interpreting a text
• Interrelates characteristics of the writer/producer(s) of a text and self as a reader:
• identifies characteristics of the writer/producer(s) of a text and applies this knowledge to determine how the text is designed to appeal to self as a reader, e.g. writer’s style, producer’s values or intent
• evaluates a perspective or point of view and its impact on self as reader
• recognizes the use of rhetorical strategies, e.g. use of first person to convey attitudes and feelings about an issue/topic, appeals to common beliefs or values in a culture, appeals designed to evoke a certain age group
• analyzes the representation of different groups, including interest groups, in the press in relation to controlling ideas, opinions, main ideas

COMPETENCY 3 Produces texts for personal and social purposes

Researching as a Writer/Producer

• Develops topics that are personally and socially relevant:
• looks at multiple perspectives on the topic, e.g. pros and cons of an argument, how different people perceive the issue
• considers open-ended question(s) to facilitate topic development
• broadens and/or narrows the scope of the topic

Assuming Roles as a Writer/Producer

• Adopts a stance to a topic and audience appropriate to the genre
• Considers who s/he represents, e.g. the beliefs and values of a company and/or an organization
• Adopts different points of view, e.g. first person, third person omniscient, second person and third person observer
• Explores different dimensions of a character, issue

Applying Codes and Conventions

• Explores the representation of gender, race, appearance, culture, social class

Planning and Drafting

• Brainstorms ideas, clarifies and extends thinking by talking with peers and teacher