Advertisements can present a biased cultural representation that can affect our perceptions of others.  For example, a television show may show commercials with some groups of people more than others. A magazine may have advertisements and articles representing a certain type of people in a way that reinforces stereotypes.  Students need to be taught to recognize the culture that is being represented in the media they consume as well as the cultures that are absent from the same media.This is Part 5 of a 5 Part Unit: Media Manipulation: What Are They Really Saying?

Students will develop criteria for determining statements of opinion and fact. Students will practice discerning statements of opinion in advertisements.  This is Part 2 of a 5 Part Unit Media Manipulation: What Are They Really Saying? 

Using their new skills in deconstructing advertisements, students will look at advertisements through the lens of gender.  Students will be encouraged to critically analyze the cultural stereotypes for men and women. Students will deconstruct advertisements based on gender representation.Rationale: Students will begin to see how believing in stereotypes can lead towards a negative self image for men and women.  This is Part 4 of a 5 part Unit: Media Manipulation: What Are They Really Saying?

Activity to teach students about various online resources. In Michigan, we would change Isearch to MEL.org.

Good researchers have a host of tools at their disposal that make navigating today’s complex information ecosystem much more manageable. Gaining the knowledge, abilities, and self-reflection necessary to be a good researcher helps not only in academic settings, but is invaluable in any career, and throughout one’s life. The Information Literacy User’s Guide will start you on this route to success.The Information Literacy User’s Guide is based on two current models in information literacy: The 2011 version of The Seven Pillars Model, developed by the Society of College, National and University Libraries in the United Kingdom and the conception of information literacy as a metaliteracy, a model developed by one of this book’s authors in conjunction with Thomas Mackey, Dean of the Center for Distance Learning at SUNY Empire State College. These core foundations ensure that the material will be relevant to today’s students.The Information Literacy User’s Guide introduces students to critical concepts of information literacy as defined for the information-infused and technology-rich environment in which they find themselves. This book helps students examine their roles as information creators and sharers and enables them to more effectively deploy related skills. This textbook includes relatable case studies and scenarios, many hands-on exercises, and interactive quizzes.

Students will use the Five Core Concepts and Five Key Questions to analyze and evaluate media messages.  These concepts will serve as the "Big Ideas" or the "Enduring Understanding" that students will need in order to become media literate.   Students will learn the Language of Persuasion used in advertising, specifically techniques that appeal to pathos (emotion), logos (logic), and ethos (credibility/character). They will use these techniques to analyze both print advertisements and television commercials. The lesson will culminate in the analysis of advertisements and the various techniques that they use as well as an evaluation of their effectiveness.This is Part 3 of a 5 Part Unit: Media Manipulation: What Are They Really Saying?