Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
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DEFINING THE MEDIA
Good afternoon, boys and girls. My name is Media Man. I have come
to teach you about a very important subject: The media. Before I can teach
you about the media, I must tell you what the media is. The media is “a
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LIVING IN A MEDIA FILLED WORLD
media messages. The media can be found in our homes, schools, churches,
grocery stores, and streets. It is not like this everywhere. There are some
places where they do not have televisions, radios, and computers. Here in the
Home________________________________________________
School________________________________________________
Grocery store___________________________________________
Car___________________________________________________
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FUNCTIONS OF THE MEDIA: POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE?
The media does many jobs for us. These jobs are called media
example, the news can tell us about what is happening in our world.
• Secondly, the media can entertain or amuse us. Video games are one
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Use the following words to fill in the blanks below.
Entertain
Socialize
Persuade
Inform
might decide to read a Harry Potter book and allow the media to
____________ me.
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FUNCTIONS OF THE MEDIA: POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE?
The media can also perform negative functions. The media can tell us
things that are not true. The media can take us away from other important
activities. The media can encourage us to make bad choices. The media can
also cause us to spend less time with our family and friends and more time
with technology.
ACTIVITY: Write one paragraph about a time when the media gave
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MEDIA MESSAGES: REAL OR FAKE?
awesome functions. With the new technology being created every day, the
powers of the media continue to grow. One of the most amazing powers of
It is very easy to forget that many of the images we see, the sounds we
hear, and the events we participate in through the media are fake. Media
imagination. Many of these images, sounds, and events do not occur in real
life.
movie are not real. Dinosaurs do not exist today; therefore, the
Yet, not all fake media messages are easy to identify. It is sometimes
difficult to know if the movie we are watching or the book we are reading is
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With the use of special photography and computer technology, media
producers can make animals talk (Babe), people fly (Mary Poppins), and
children shrink (Honey, I Shrunk the Kids). They can make short people
look tall and fat people look thin. They can make people travel to the moon
(Apollo 13), fight in a war (Saving Private Ryan), or sink on a ship (Titanic).
by their created realities. Yet, we must always remember that much of what
1. With the new _______________ being created every day, the powers
______________________.
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6. With the use of special ______________ and __________________,
__________________.
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HIDDEN MESSAGES
Not all of the messages the media sends us are easy to recognize.
Some messages are hidden. They must be decoded in the same way that we
decode a secret message. The media sends us secret messages all the time.
We must realize this and always be ready to find and decode these messages.
and all of the players are wearing Nike shoes, we get a secret
message that says, “If you want to be cool and play bassketball well, you
will wear Nike shoes.” Now, none of the players actually stand out on the
court and say those words, but we still get the message. How is this?
such as Michael Jordan, and they want to be like them. They may
even want to dress the same way and wear the same shoes. So,
the advertisers have all the players wear their shoes so that we
will want to wear them too. Does that sound sneaky? Of course it is, because
it is a secret message!
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Circle the correct answer.
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HIDDEN MESSAGES: POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE?
can be found in movies, books, computer programs, and even video games.
Think for a minute about the video games sold today. These games send us
think that it is fun and “cool” to do the things that our parents and teachers
The secret messages sent by such video games and fashion magazines
are not true. Violence causes pain and suffering, not excitement. Winning is
not more important than respecting others and doing the right thing. A girl is
beautiful because of who she is on the inside, not because she wears make-
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The secret messages sent by these media sources are negative. Yet,
not all hidden media messages are negative; many of the messages are
positive.
________________ .
message? __________________
clothes. _____________
__________________________________________________.
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MEDIA ADVERTISEMENTS
highway, flyers in our mailboxes, web sites on the Internet, articles in the
must also be able to decide what is being advertised and if the product is
product. They tell us how good Tootsie Roll Pops taste and how far a Super
soaker can shoot. Advertisements do not usually tell us about the bad
qualities of a product. They do not tell us how sticky Tootsie Roll Pops are
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“Advertisements all around!” Fill in the blank.
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Design your own bulletin board to advertise one of your favorite
products (a toy, food item, brand name clothing, etc.). What good things
will you tell consumers about your product to persuade them to buy it?
What bad things will you avoid telling them? Think about the size of the
letters you use to write your advertisements, the colors you choose, and
the pictures you include. All of these things can be used to attract
attention to your bulletin board and your product.
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MEDIA INFLUENCES
Have you ever wondered why your parents and teachers are so
concerned about what you watch on television and listen to on the radio?
Why do they say “No!” when you ask to go see a horror movie or when you
want to buy a particular rock group’s new C.D.? Are they just being old
know that what you see and hear affects what you
remember that horror movie long after you leave the movie theatre.
Your parents and teachers also know that your thoughts affect your
watching that show, did you want to tie a cape around your neck and
pretended to fly around the house? How many of you girls watched a
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dance around the house in a tutu or do cartwheels like Mary Lou
Retton? You saw something on television, and then you wanted to copy it!
This does not mean that you will do everything you see on television
or read in a book. It simply means that you are more likely to do what you
see someone else do, especially if you watch them do it again and again. The
messages we see and hear from the media can influence us or encourage us
2. T / F We will be more likely to think about and act out the media
5. T / F Your parents will not let you watch some movies because they
are old-fashioned.
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Tell me about a time when the media influenced you to think or act
in a certain way.
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CHOOSING MEDIA MESSAGES
Secret Message #1
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Positive / negative
Secret Message #2
Positive / negative
Secret Message #3
_____________________________________________________________
Positive / negative
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3. Are these messages hidden? ___________________
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HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU SPEND WITH THE MEDIA?
spend with the media? How much time is too much time?
Many boys and girls spend far too much time with the media. They do
not spend enough time doing other activities such as playing outside, talking
whose brain has become mush form all of the hours of media he has
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Marvin consumes media every moment of the day: He wakes up in
the morning and watches cartoons while eating breakfast. He listens to the
radio while driving in the car to school. He surfs the Internet during recess
and reads magazines during lunch. Marvin plays video games after school,
and he reads comic strips while eating dinner. He watches movies after
dinner, and he always emails his friends before bed. Marvin cannot imagine
None of these things are wrong for Marvin to do. They only
dad.
_____________________________________________________________.
_____________________________________________________________.
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BECOMING A MASTER OF THE MEDIA
You now know what the media is and where its messages can be found.
You know the functions the media performs. You have learned how to
determine whether a message is real or fake. You can find and decode
decide if they are accurate. You understand that the media can influence
your thoughts and actions. You know how to make wise choices about what
media to consume and how much time to spend with the media.
Only one task remains. You must use your newfound knowledge
about the media every day, and you must teach others to do the same.
I must go now. Many children around the world still need to hear this important
information. I will not rest easy until all have heard my media message. Perhaps someday
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GLOSSARY
• Entertain- To amuse.
socialization, or entertainment.
be positive or negative.
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Glossary
lonely.
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References
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