Using Media As A Catalyst for Writing
Frank W. Baker
media educator
fbaker1346@aol.com
Media Literacy Clearinghouse
http://medialit.med.sc.edu
The media
What do you want your
students to know about
“the media”?
The media literacy approach
Traditional Model
READ----------WRITE
New Model
DECONSTRUCT---CREATE
ANALYZE--------PRODUCE
What is “media literacy”?
Take a few minutes to answer:

What does media literacy mean? OR

What should our students be “media literate”?
Media literacy
the ability to--access, analyze, evaluate & produce
both print & electronic media
Source: 1992 Aspen Institute Nat’l. Leadership Conf.
Media literacy- AMLA
Media literacy empowers people to be both
critical thinkers and creative producers of an
increasingly wide range of messages using
image, language, and sound. It is the skillful
application of literacy skills to media and
technology messages. As communication
technologies transform society, they impact our
understanding of ourselves, our communities,
and our diverse cultures, making media literacy
an essential life skill for the 21st century.
Partnership for 21st Century Skills
Information & Communication
Technology (ICT) Literacy Maps
http://www.21stcenturyskills.org
Media literacy in South Carolina’s
ELA teaching standards
Communication: Viewing
The student will comprehend and analyze
information he/she receives from nonprint
sources.
Grade 2
begin recognizing details, setting, characters,
and cause and effect in material
from nonprint sources
Media literacy in South Carolina’s
ELA teaching standards
Grades 3-5 demonstrate the ability to make
predictions about the content of what he/she
views
Grades 4-5
Begin evaluating the ways that different
nonprint sources influence and inform
Media literacy in South Carolina’s
ELA teaching standards
Grades 6-8 demonstrate the ability to
distinguish between fact and opinion, to
compare and contrast information and
ideas, and to make inferences
Grades 6-8 evaluate the ways that the
use of language, the medium, and the
presentation contribute to the meaning
and impact of a message
Media literacy in South Carolina’s
ELA teaching standards
Grades 9-12
Demonstrate the ability to analyze and
evaluate the effectiveness of the
techniques used in nonprint sources for a
particular audience.
Teaching Strategy
Still Photographs
Moving Images
photos from history
TV/streaming
commercials
photos from
magazines/newspaper
photos in
advertisements
Motion pictures
The languages of TV & Film
CAMERAS
Positioning (high, low) Movement (pan, tilt)
Physically moving the camera
 SOUND (narration, music, sound effects)
 LIGHTING
 EDITING (post production)
 SETS & COSTUMES

The writing (producing) connection
Elementary
- have students create cereal boxes using
words and colors and other attractive
features
- have students design a print ad based on
a favorite toy commercial using techniques
of persuasion
The writing (producing) connection
Middle School
- storyboard and script a favorite scene/ad
from TV/film
- design the cover of a CD or DVD
- create a counter tobacco ad after learning
how to read an ad
- examine alliteration in a hip-hop song
The writing (producing) connection
High School
- students create a 30 second news promo
based on info found in the morning
newspaper
- Examine stereotypes portrayed in film
and/or television
- Write a film or television review