This module is for Teacher Resources
General Implementation Guide
Topics: Media Literacy, Identity
Grades: 6-12
Subject Area(s): Social Studies, U.S.History
Duration: 45 minutes
This module may be completed independently online by students, or through a combination of guided and independent practice within a classroom setting.
Module Description
The Media Literacy and Identity Module raises awareness and challenges students to think critically about how issues of identity—race, gender, sexual orientation, class, religion, age, and ability—are represented in, and influenced by, media.
In this self-paced module, students examine the role that media plays in shaping the way identities are formed and enacted in society, historically, in the life and times of Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass, and today. Students discover how understanding identity is important for understanding themselves and the world around them. With an emphasis on building student agency, students select an issue of identity that is important to them and use the tools and techniques that they learn about in the module to analyze issues of identity in historical and contemporary media. Students will explore Essential Questions about the relationship between media, power, and identity.
Pedagogical Approach
This module uses the gradual release model of instruction. Instructional content is presented through direct instruction and modeling. Direct instruction and modeling comes in the form of interactives, videos, and written content. As students gain understanding, they engage in guided practice, where they answer questions and receive immediate feedback. Finally, students apply their learning through independent practice to demonstrate their mastery of the learning objectives.
Assessment
- Students respond to formative assessment questions as they work through guided instruction in the module.
- Students select an issue of identity that is important to them and use the tools and techniques that they learn about in the module to analyze issues of identity in historical and contemporary media. Teachers may review and provide feedback to students based on their independent analysis
Big Ideas
- Understanding identity is important for understanding yourself and the world around you.
- Media has influence over how you perceive yourself and how you perceive others.
Essential Questions
- What is identity?
- How are issues of identity represented in media?
- How does media influence identity?
- What is the relationship between media, power, and identity?
Module Objectives
- Recognize how media represents different identities.
- Describe how media influences how people perceive themselves and others.
- Analyze issues of identity in historical and contemporary media.
Standards
Dimension 1 Developing questions and planning Inquiries
Dimension 2 Applying disciplinary concepts and tools
- Civics
- History
Dimension 3 Evaluating sources and using evidence
- Gathering and Evaluating Sources
Dimension 4 Communicating conclusions and taking informed action.
Social Studies Framework Grade 5-12
Standard 1.0 Civics: Students shall inquire about the historical development of the fundamental concepts and processes of authority, power, and influence with particular emphasis on civic reasoning in order to become informed, responsible citizens, engage in the political process, and contribute to society.
Standard 2.0 Peoples of the Nations and World: Students shall inquire about the people of the United States and the world using a historically grounded, multidisciplinary approach in order to recognize multiple narratives and acknowledge the diversity and commonality of the human experience.
Standard 5.0 History: Students shall inquire about significant events, ideas, beliefs, and themes to identify patterns and trends and to analyze how individuals and societies have changed over time to make connections to the present in their communities, Maryland, the United States, and the world.
Standard 6.0 Skills and Processes: Students shall inquire about civics, geography, economics, history, and people and nations of the world using disciplinary literacy skills and processes to critically evaluate content through a variety of source materials across disciplines and use reading, writing, and other forms of communication to develop, defend, and critique arguments in order to take informed action. [This standard reflect the Inquiry Arc of the C3 Framework]
Social Studies Indicator and Objective G5
Students will identify slavery as the central cause of the Civil War by: comparing forms of resistance used by Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and the abolitionist
movement.
Social Studies Indicator and Objective G8
Students will analyze the impact of antebellum reform movements on American politics and society by: Identifying the methods, arguments, and impacts of the abolitionist movement.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.7
Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.7
Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem.
Reading Grades 6-8
RL1 CCR Anchor Standard: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it
RL6 CCR Anchor Standard: Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.
RL9 CCR Anchor Standard: Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.
Reading 9-10
RI.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
Reading 11-12
RI.11-12.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
Writing 6-8
W.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Writing 9-10
W.9-10.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Writing 11-12
W.11-12.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Teacher notes for each section
Identity
In this section, students learn about the different dimensions of identity and take a close look at the identities of Audre Lorde, Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass. They also reflect on their own identity.
Consider having students share their responses to the What is Your Identity activity.
After students read about how Tubman and Douglass used the power of media to define their identities, consider facilitating a brief discussion based on the question under Consider This: In what ways has the relationship between media, power, and identity changed over time? In what ways has it remained the same?
Media Literacy
In this section, students learn about key concepts for understanding media.hey walk through an example of a media analysis of a collection of sports magazine covers. You may ask students to share some of their answers to the media analysis guiding questions and compare them with the example.
Consider facilitating a class discussion about how students believe their favorite media outlets might influence their identity.
Analyzing Media
Encourage students to share the issues of identity that are important to them and discuss their media analysis of their chosen image.
Extension Activity
As an extension, students may choose a piece of media that they consume regularly and analyze it using the ten guiding questions from the media analysis activity:
- Who designed this media?
- What is the purpose of this media?
- What values or points of view are represented?
- What techniques were used to get my attention?
- What message is it trying to convey?
- What other message might it also convey, intended or unintended?
- How does it make me feel?
- Would everyone feel the same way? Why?
- What issues of identity are represented in or left out of this message?
- How might this media influence issues of identity?
Students may also explore more about media literacy from the following websites.