LITERACY UNIT PLANNER Social Media VELS Level 9 Term: 2 Year: 201

Teac!i"# a"d Lear"i"# Se$%e"ce

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I"*rod%c*io" S*%de"* Lear"i"# Ac*ivi*+ ,i"cl%di"# i"*rod%c*io"- A''e''me"*
1
Lear"i"# I"*e"*io": What is Social Media?
,2 !o%r'-
Begin lesson by discussing the fact that social media now surrounds us and
has become apparent in almost every aspect of society. Task students with
defining social media, individually, in !"# lines $ what is social media, what
does it involve, what is it by definition, how does it work etc.
%iscuss responses as a class and note several of them, drawing further
discussion&clarification where necessary. ' common theme should emerge
about the purpose&outcomes&definition of social media though the discussion.
's a result of it, task students with creating a graph&drawing a mind map (do
the same on whiteboard) with the * central elements of social media in them.
They should then record which of the * elements their previously listed
e+amples link to $
Mo.ile: phone, ipad, laptop etc.
/i#i*al0I"*er"e*, facebook, tumblr, blogs etc.
Social: bullying, connecting, talki ng, socialising, advertising, multiple
recipients at once etc.
(Some may be hard to define and will overlap)
-ote that it is these * elements that are central to something being defined as
social media. Without all * of them, the sub.ect isn/t a social media. 0ose the
1uestion, are all things found on the internet classed as social media? 2s email
a form of social media? Why&why not? (a regular website will obviously not be
as it may lack the mobile component or sociability component, but what is
email lacking?)
%iscuss fact that social media is a relatively new phenomenon but that it has
1uickly immersed itself in all areas of society. 'sk students if they remember
social media, as we have .ust defined it, always being a part of their lives or the
lives around them? When was it that they remember first connecting with it and
what form was it? (e.g. facebook, myspace, youtube etc.)
Watch video 3Social Media 4evolution/, 's students are watching have them
pause, if needed, and record interesting facts they learnt as a result of the
video. %iscuss at its close the class reaction to what they saw $ does it
Ta'): 4esearch a specific social
media outlet and note in
particular when it began, how
many users it has, how much
money it generates and what its
purpose is (e.g. to share video,
stay connected with friends etc.)
! 5alf page response.
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LITERACY UNIT PLANNER Social Media VELS Level 9 Term: 2 Year: 201
surprise them, what did they learn, were there social media outlets on the video
they hadn/t heard of?
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Lear"i"# I"*e"*io": 6omparison of Social Media language vs. conventional
language.
,112 3 2 !o%r'-
Begin class by writing on the board the following phrases and task students
with writing a definition of what they mean7
8oogleing !
Tweeting !
0osting !
4eview their responses as a class and then ask what the words real meanings
are.
0ose 1uestion $ how is it that the terms can be completely made up, yet still
have widespread meaning? 8ive them "#!" minutes to compile, in small
groups, a list of common words that are made up or have distorted meanings,
yet people still widely understand e.g. 9:9, tanore+ia, unfollow (can include as
many acronyms as they know).
%iscuss the formation of languages and that they naturally evolve in to one
another. -ew words emerge and replace old ones, as do entire languages.
%iscuss fact that 9atin is now a dead language, but that it was once the
language spoken across much of ;urope and that <rench, 2talian, 0ortuguese,
4omanian, Spanish and even ;nglish all evolved from it. 6an also state fact
that there were once around =### 'boriginal languages in 'ustralia, whereas
now there are only around "# $ languages and words, therefore, naturally die
out as they are replaced.
2n their groups, have student/s research words that have, in recent years, been
added to the :+ford %ictionary (can find on google). They can record a few of
these e+amples and note, if they know, where they took rise from.
Words such as Muggle, Mini!Me and %/oh have all been added in recent years.
%iscuss how these words came to popularity and how then a word becomes an
3official/ word rather than .ust slang. >se e+ample 3brang/ $ a lot of people still
use it as a substitute for 3brought/ yet it isn/t an 3official/ word $ why is this?
0lace the words advertising, bump, gossip and swagger on the board and
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LITERACY UNIT PLANNER Social Media VELS Level 9 Term: 2 Year: 201
discuss how at one point in time, all of these words had to be invented by
someone for some purpose, as all words have been. -ote that words,
therefore, don/t all immediately become official words but most must go
through the process of first being slang (e+cept newly named things e.g. plants,
animals etc.)
'sk students to define what they mean and write *! other words that mean
the same thing. Then ask students what all the words have in common (all
were invented by Shakespeare, as were around "?## other words). Students
can then research other words invented by Shakespeare.
0ose 1uestion for discussion and recording7
%oes there e+ist languages within languages? (lead them to thinking about
slang, the rise of acronyms, abbreviations)
Why are these sub!languages important?
For e4*e"'io", can read the Cambridge University finding on phonics, Can
You Read This can discuss the way the brain processes words and
understands them and how this could lead to perversion of words, misreading
etc. Can also highlight why text talk has become so popular and easily picked
upadapted.

Lear"i"# I"*e"*io": 'nalysing the power of Social Media&2nternet $ !"ublic

#peaking$
Begin lesson by briefly revisiting the facts presented in the week " video,
Social Media 4evolution, and reiterate the scope that Social Media has come
to encompass. 9ead students to thinking about internet usage and internet
accessibility worldwide, without which Social Media couldn/t e+ist.
5ave students briefly research the amount of world internet usage and which
continents are more connected. Students to also research statistics on world
usage of social media ! e.g. " in @ people on earth have facebook, people
collectively spend ?## billion minutes of facebook per month, Twitter adds ##
million users per day etc.
http,&&www..effbullas.com&A#""&#@&#A&A#!stunning!social!media!statistics&
%irect discussion in to the power Social Media could have if channelled in to a
cause. i.e. with so many people connected and information being transmitted
almost immediately, mass organisation has become a far easier task.
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LITERACY UNIT PLANNER Social Media VELS Level 9 Term: 2 Year: 201
Ta'): Break students in to groups of no more than = under the premise of
reviewing an instance where social media has proved distinctly powerful. They
are to read&watch their information and then research at its close (if necessary)
and report back to the class under the following guiding 1uestions7
(Talks should go for no more than A ! minutes)
". What is the topic&issue your group reviewed?
A. 8ive e+amples of how social media was used to organise&gain
attention.
*. What were the social media devices mentioned in your groups topic?
=. 5ow many people access the social media devices discussed in your
topic.
Topics of research, (the power of social media folder)
'rab spring $ brief written overview B video (A= minutes)
:ccupy Wall Street $ * page written overview B video (* minutes)
6aine/s 'rcade $ video ("# minutes)
6hina/s 8reat <irewall $ brief written overview B diagram
Why youtube videos go viral $ video ("# minutes)
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Lear"i"# I"*e"*io": 6reation of characters in Social Media $ are people who
they really are or .ust who they want to be?
,2 !o%r'-
4ather than divulging the purpose of the lesson at its beginning, first allow
students to immerse themselves in the relatively easy task of creating their own
fictional storybook character, in line with the following rigid steps7
". %ecide if the character is happy in their setting or is battling against it
e.g. are they trapped somewhere or safe in their home.
A. 2s your character a hero or a villain?
*. 2s your character male or female?
=. 6reate a list of * goals your character wants e.g. to escape, to eat
brains, to find love, to reach the end of the hallway etc.
. 6reate a list of A!= 1uirks your character has. Things they do that gives
them individuality e.g. biting fingernails, scratching arm when nervous,
can/t tie shoelaces properly etc.
C. 6reate a list of defining features of your character/s appearance e.g.

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LITERACY UNIT PLANNER Social Media VELS Level 9 Term: 2 Year: 201
brown hair, tall, blue eyes etc.
?. 6reate a list of A!* fears, motivations or secrets your character has e.g.
scared of dark spaces, motivated by fear of re.ection, wants to succeed
to prove doubters wrong etc.
D. %ecide your characters setting and if they are comfortable in it e.g. if it
is a cave and your character is scared of dark spaces, is this a
problem?
:nce students have compiled their list of character traits they should have a
mental image of how their character looks and how they will act&react.
4eiterate again how relatively easy it was to create this character following
these steps and then task students with writing a "# line story&response that
incorporates each of their specifics.
't close, ask some students to share and then discuss, as a class, that in the
fictional world it is easy to create a character as we see fit. They can have all
the traits we want and have none of our weaknesses.
0ose 1uestion7 2s it as easy for us to portray ourselves in the 3real world/ as we
may like our character to be? Why&why not? What lu+uries do fictional
characters&writers have that we do not?
%iscussion, 9ead students to thinking about the creation of characters in Social
Media spaces. 're people always portraying themselves accurately or do they
distort their real self? 5ow can this be more easily done through social media
than in real life? (discuss status updates, choice of photos posted, type of
images on blog etc. $ people can essentially tailor their image)
4ead to class, or let them read individually, the article, 3Social Media, 9ies/.
What does the article say about friendships on social media sites and the
creation or hiding of specific character traits that would be far more apparent in
3real world/ friendships?
Why does the writer believe that social media has become so engrained in our
lives (because of our perception that we need to stay connected) and what has
come about as a conse1uence because of it (we are becoming detached,
despite it being pitched as a means to stay connected).
Ta'): 5ow has social media allowed us to become like the story book
characters we created at the start? 2s this necessarily a bad thing? Students to
write an e+tended response, discussing the proposed 1uestion in line with
class discussion and article&further research.
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LITERACY UNIT PLANNER Social Media VELS Level 9 Term: 2 Year: 201
2
Lear"i"# I"*e"*io": Social Media for good.
,2 !o%r'-
Begin lesson by reiterating the fact that social media has become engrained in
every aspect of society and that this sometimes causes it to receive criticism.
9ead students to discuss the positives that have come about as a result of
social media $ task them to compile a list, individually and then as a class, of
all the ways social media can be a benefit (to not .ust them, but the wider world
e.g. faster news services, emergency services communi1uEs, communication,
sharing of ideas, organisation etc.)
%iscuss fact that the :bama A##D campaign is considered the first election
campaign to professionally harness social media and in doing so won him the
election (also highest voter turnout since "@CD $ 'merican/s don/t have to
vote). 2n A##D, however, <acebook only had "## million users whereas now it
has D# million and Twitter had only C million users and now it has ## million
$ ask 1uestion, what does this advancement in social media use mean for
politics and social movements? 5ow will more connectedness prove beneficial
for us, the audience?
6%ic) *a'): 2f you were a political campaign adviser what social media outlets
would you use? 2n what way would you use them? Why would you use them?
(lead to thinking about apps, youtube, blogs etc.)
9ead students to discussing social movements, how and why they are formed
(can discuss 'rab Spring, nurses strike, :ccupy Wall Street etc.) 5ighlight the
recent rise of Fony A#"A campaign and that its success has been underpinned
by Social Media.
Watch, I"vi'i.le C!ildre", What is the issue presented in the video? Why do
you think the video&campaign has been successful? (it/s concise, easy to
understand, tailored for social media audience etc). What implications can the
popularity of this video have beyond this immediate campaign? (shows social
media can move the masses, makes people more aware of broader 'frican
struggle, heightens peoples social conscience and makes them more aware)
6an social and political movements in the future be successful without
harnessing social media in some way?
For Extension, can watch the %ony &'(& "art )) video and analyse the
backlash and further work that has been achieved as a result of the
Ta'): 4esearch and report on
the role social media has played
in political campaigns and social
movements in recent years?
What has eventuated as a result
of these campaigns&movements
and how has social media
helped to play a positive role?
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LITERACY UNIT PLANNER Social Media VELS Level 9 Term: 2 Year: 201
success of the initial campaign.
Can also analyse 789rie": Social media i" 2012 article and the rise of
social media in influencing elections
:
Lear"i"# I"*e"*io": Social Media for bad.
,2 !o%r'-
Begin lesson by recapping on previous week and the achievements&gains that
can be made through Social Media. -ote that the publicity that Social Media
generally gets, however, is bad publicity. %iscuss why this may be and what
instances students have heard of where it has played a negative role (bullying,
parties, false information etc.)
2ntroduce notion of a <lash Mob (will link to ne+t video) and that without social
media, positive events such as these would be impossible. Watch the T!Mobile
%ance video of an organised flash mob and discuss how positive events such
as these sit side by side with negative social media outcomes.
0ose 1uestion for discussion7 2s the power of social media beyond our control?
(lead discussion to think about fact that once something is on the internet it
stays there, posted information can go beyond our control and scope 1uickly,
information can be twisted and go from positive to negative without our
knowing&control)
Watch video <lash Mob 8one Wrong and discuss as a class if the concept is
believable. What has changed in the way social media is accessed (devices),
is used (now not .ust a social outlet for teenagers) and its prevalence $ how do
these combine to make social media a formidable network?
5ow do we really know who is accessing our information or how far something
we have posted has spread? What is the key concept that the video is
proposing? (social media has changed and is, perhaps, beyond our
control&understanding).
;+tend the understanding from this video to the issue of bullying or parties ! '
seemingly innocent post&upload can spiral beyond its intention to something
more sinister and conse1uential. 2s this ability to 1uickly and effectively
distribute information the gift and curse of Social Media?
E"d o; %"i* Re<or*
>sing understandings gained
from the unit, and further
research, respond to the
following statement7
Privacy is dead, and
social media hold the
smoking gun. 0ete
6ahmore, 6;: Mashable.com
'nalyse as a class what the
statement means and if the
death, that is proposed here,
means that social media is an
inherently bad thing.
Students to .ustify, in a " page
response, their opinion
supported by fact on whether
social media is good or bad.
Must support their opinion with
specific facts and clear research
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LITERACY UNIT PLANNER Social Media VELS Level 9 Term: 2 Year: 201
=
Lear"i"# I"*e"*io": ;+ploration of digital literacies.
Ma>or A''e''me"* Ta'):
Begin lesson by introducing the think1uest.com competition to create, within a
group, a webpage. 4eview the terms and conditions of the competition and
begin to brainstorm how groups could create an action page surrounding the
topic of S:62'9 M;%2'. $ discuss how the parameters of the competition
could be tailored to the various outlets of their possible social media sites.
(could create a site around bullying, awareness of social media for younger
teens, action page to increase use within schools, collaborative space that
draws together ideas from all social media sites etc. etc. W;BS2T;S M>ST
69;'49G 2%;-T2<G '- 2SS>; '-% 'TT;M0T T: H>;99&S:9I; 2T)
6ontinue by allowing students to e+plore past winners of the competition
(think1uest.org&library&winners&), under the various categories, and allow them
time to brainstorm ideas, resources needed, structure they are going to take
etc.
Students can also e+plore activist and -8: websites such as :J<'M, WW<,
Worldvision etc.
Ma)e "o*e o; *!e e;;ec*ive ae'*!e*ic' o; ?e.'i*e'@
;asy to navigate.
Minimal colour pallets.
Minimal information with links to more if needed.
Clearl+ de;i"ed me''a#e
A
Lear"i"# I"*e"*io": Begin creating own websites.
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Lear"i"# I"*e"*io": 6ontinue construction of websites, tailoring of group/s
direction where necessary.

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Lear"i"# I"*e"*io": 6ontinue construction of websites, tailoring of group/s
direction where necessary.
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LITERACY UNIT PLANNER Social Media VELS Level 9 Term: 2 Year: 201
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Lear"i"# I"*e"*io":
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