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).
Media: Different types of communication (videos, ads, news, social posts).
Text: Anything that communicates a message (not just words — also images, sounds, designs).
Elements: The building blocks (words, images, music, colors, editing) that create meaning.
Constructedness: The idea that media doesn’t appear naturally; someone “pulled the strings” to make it.
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
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?
What does this video reveal about how media is made?
What choices were clearly made by the producers?
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
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?