Lesson 1
Key Question:
How are media messages put together, and by whom?
Medium – The “stage” where a message is performed (like TV, TikTok, books).
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Media: Different types of communication (videos, ads, news, social posts).
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Text: Anything that communicates a message (not just words — also images, sounds, designs).
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Elements: The building blocks (words, images, music, colors, editing) that create meaning.
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Constructedness: The idea that media doesn’t appear naturally; someone “pulled the strings” to make it.
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Choice: The decisions creators make (what to include, what to leave out, how to show it).
Vocabulary
All Messages
Are Constructed
by the end of this lesson:
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I can explain that all media messages are created by someone.
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I can identify choices that creators make when building media messages.
Icebreaker:
Walking Exercise
Purpose: Warm up students to the concept of choices constructing performance
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Instructions:
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Watch quick video example: Walking Warm-Up - YouTube (1 min)
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Ask students to silently walk around the room based on the following prompts:
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Walk like you at your lowest point.
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Walk like you at your best.
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Walk like your favorite animal.
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Walk like someone searching for answers.
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Walk like someone asking questions.
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Debrief (2–3 students share):
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“How did it feel to walk differently?”
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“Which version felt the most like ‘you’?”
Transition: “Just like we perform different versions of ourselves, media messages are also performed and constructed.”
Lesson:
Constructedness & Choice in Media Texts
Questions to consider with any media text​
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What choices do you see the creators making?
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What parts of the process are visible or invisible?
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What elements stand out?
Media Literacy Questions:
Media Construction
What surprised you about how this was made?
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What does this video reveal about how media is made?
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What choices were clearly made by the producers?
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What is one element you now notice that you didn’t before?
Exit ticket:
Fold up your zine and pick a piece of media to analyze
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What is the medium of this piece?
What is this piece of media about?
Who made it?
What is one choice they made in constructing it?