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Lesson plan: Diversity on television
Editor's note: If you are planning to use this lesson plan for a homework assignment, please write the URL on the board and have your students copy it. CNNfyi.com updates the site in the early evening, so students may have difficulty finding it without the URL. You can find the lesson plan by going to the Subject Areas page and clicking PREVIOUS in the square for Today's Lesson Plan. Objectives After completing this lesson, students will be able to:
Standards Mid-continent Research for Education and LearningLanguage Arts Standards MediaStandard 10: Students understand the characteristics and components of the media. Level 4: Students understand the influence of media on society as a whole (e.g., influence in shaping various governmental, social and cultural norms; influence on the democratic process; influence on beliefs, lifestyles and understanding of relationships and culture; how it shapes viewers' perceptions of reality; the various consequences in society of ideas and images in media). Materials CNNfyi.com article, "Coalition urges TV shows to broaden diversity"Work sheet, Gaining perceptions from the media Television Suggested time
One to two class periods Procedures 1. Ask students what TV shows they watch on a regular basis. Ask them to describe the main characters. Are any of the main characters nonwhite? Are any characters on the show nonwhite? What kinds of roles do they play?2. Have students read the CNNfyi.com article "Coalition urges TV shows to broaden diversity." Then ask:
Accommodations Visual: Students can choose several advertisements in magazines that they believe offer poor representation of a group. Ask them to write a brief critique or present their ad to the class and explain reasons that it demonstrates unfair representation. Assessment Have students discuss their findings in class and see if they find any parallels in their analyses. Ask for their ideas on what would change any poor representation they see in the programs into more accurate representations. Ask: Do they think that an audience would be as interested in the show if poor representations were changed to positive ones? Why or why not? Challenges 1. Use the HighWired.com lesson "Gender, body image and self-esteem: The impact of the media" to explore a less frequently discussed misrepresentation found in media: that of men. 2. In groups or individually, students can create their own proposals for new television prime-time programs. The proposals must include what they envision as appropriate representation of at least one minority group. Students need to describe the basic situation, setting, characters, themes and target audience. If possible, allow them to work together to videotape a scene from their proposed show. RELATED SITES: Children & The Media: Fall Colors II. TV Diversity Highlights |
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