Grades: 9-12
Length: one semester
Prerequisites: none
Media in History is meant to critically view history through the lenses of the media. Learners will explore print, audio, video, and movies, and evaluate how it has affected views throughout history. Examples of media are public service announcements, comic books, advertisements, novels, magazines, movies, political cartoons, fake news, and artwork.
Communication
GL.1 The learner will demonstrate the ability to read a variety of texts fluently and critically by using a variety of strategies in order to evaluate arguments, biases, intended audience, and purpose.
MH.1 The learner will describe the perspective and identify the purpose or intended message of a medium, in order to be aware of the influence of media.
The learner will:
Summarize the content of the medium.
Categorize a piece as primary or secondary.
Compare and contrast the effectiveness of various forms of media in advancing similar messages.
Identify the symbols and imagery that advance cultural and political points of view to the intended audience.
Identify key phrases and dialog that advance the message of a medium.
Identify the social or political purpose of a piece.
Identify the elements that contribute to making a piece propaganda.
Differentiate between media intended to advertise, inform, entertain, or influence.
Geronimo
Campaign Literature
Advertisements
Various news outlets
Political Cartoons
Michael Moore
An Inconvenient Truth
Historical
GL.3 The learner will understand how historical events impact the modern era by applying historical inquiry skills in order to understand the forces of change and make informed decisions.
MH.2 The learner will explain that media is made for both educational and entertainment purposes, identify areas where the historical accuracy of a medium was altered for entertainment or discretionary purposes, and describe how those changes affect the understanding of an historical event.
The learner will:
Research the historical and cultural accuracy of a piece.
Identify changes made in historical accuracy for entertainment value, and evaluate how those changes affect historical understanding.
Explain why the same event or idea can be interpreted and expressed in different ways by different people for different purposes.
AK Cultural
B.1, E.7
MH.3 The learner will explain that media is a reflection of the time in which it was made, that they have the potential to affect political and societal behavior, and that their messages are interpreted differently over time, all for the purpose of making informed decisions.
The learner will:
Explain how modern society would view a piece differently than its contemporaries.
Identify aspects of a film that demonstrate cultural and historical relativism.
Identify and describe the effects that a film had on contemporary culture and society.
MH.4 The learner will explain how literary devices are used in media to enhance entertainment.
The learner will:
Explain and provide examples of foreshadowing.
Explain and provide examples of symbolism.
Explain and provide examples of allegory.
MH.5 To value craftsmanship, the learner will identify and explain how craftsmanship supports the storyline and history understanding.
The learner will:
Identify and explain intros, music, sound effects, scene changes, and zoom.
Suggest ways in which the film could have been changed to be more effective in its message or purpose.
Lincoln
Satirical Histories
Political Cartoons
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Dr. Seuss
Lagan (Bollywood)
War of the Worlds
Birth of a Nation
Loony Tunes (WWII propaganda)
M*A*S*H
Billie Holiday
David Bowie
Buffy Saint Marie
Bessy Smith
John Trudeau
To Kill a Mockingbird
Schindler's List
All Quiet on the Western Front
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Dorthea Lange
Andy Warhol
Banksy
Diego Rivera
Charlie Chaplin
Social Studies Processes, Knowledge, and Skills
GL.4 The learner will develop research skills by selecting, evaluating, and synthesizing information from varied sources in order to effectively communicate using reasoning and sufficient evidence, both orally and in writing.
MH.6 The learner will evaluate a source’s depiction of various groups of people (including but not limited to marginalized groups, ethnicities, social and economic classes, occupations, or cultural and religious beliefs) and actions to better understand historical perspectives.
The learner will:
Identify protagonists and antagonists and evaluate how those roles impact stereotypes.
Analyze the impact of casting decisions in the context of main and supporting characters and their role in the film.
Evaluate the treatment of various characters and groups of people in the film in terms of equity, respect, and accuracy.
MH.7 To develop a deeper understanding of craftsmanship, influence, and historical perspective, the learner will create media that has a specific purpose.
The learner will:
Present and support an argument.
Create media with the intention to entertain, inform, educate, persuade, disagree, or contribute to ongoing discourse.
Based on the purpose, choose an appropriate medium for creating content.
Geronimo