The Arts · Foundation

Active learning ideas

Media Messages: What are they telling us?

Active learning helps young students notice subtle media cues they might otherwise overlook. By moving, creating, and discussing media messages, they build critical awareness of how visuals, sounds, and colours shape their feelings and thoughts.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9AMAFR01
• AC9AMAFE03

• 25–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Stations Rotation
• 35 min · Small Groups

Stations Rotation: Message Hunt Stations

Prepare four stations with short ads, cartoons, safety clips, and toy promotions on tablets. At each, students watch, draw the main message, and note feelings it creates. Groups rotate every 7 minutes and share one finding per station.

Explain how a commercial tries to make you feel a certain way.

Facilitation Tip

During Message Hunt Stations, place one familiar toy ad at each table to ensure students connect personal reactions to creator choices.

What to look for

Show students a short, simple advertisement (e.g., for a fruit snack). Ask them to draw one picture showing how the ad made them feel and write one word describing the main message they think it was trying to send.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Inside-Outside Circle
• 25 min · Pairs

Pairs: Feeling Freeze Frames

Show 30-second media clips. Pairs watch, then freeze in poses showing the emotion the message evokes. Partners guess the message and explain why, switching roles for next clip.

Analyze what message a short cartoon is trying to send.

Facilitation Tip

In Feeling Freeze Frames, provide emotion cards to guide students as they physically represent feelings without speaking, focusing on visual and body cues.

What to look for

Present two different images or short video clips (e.g., a cartoon character looking sad vs. a cartoon character looking excited). Ask students: 'How do these pictures make you feel? What do you think the characters are thinking or wanting?' Record their responses on a whiteboard.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Activity 03

• Inside-Outside Circle
• 45 min · Whole Class

Whole Class: Our Class Ad Creation

Brainstorm a class message like 'Share toys'. Assign roles for drawing, acting, and narrating. Film a simple 1-minute ad with phones, then watch and critique clarity together.

Critique whether a media message is clear or confusing.

Facilitation Tip

For Our Class Ad Creation, limit materials to bright papers and simple props so students focus on message clarity rather than production quality.

What to look for

Display a simple digital poster with a clear message (e.g., 'Recycle Today!'). Ask students to give a thumbs up if the message is easy to understand and a thumbs down if it is confusing. Follow up by asking one or two students who gave a thumbs down to explain why.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Activity 04

• Inside-Outside Circle
• 30 min · Individual

Individual: Message Mood Boards

Provide magazines or printed images. Students cut and paste to make a board showing a clear message and feelings it gives. Label with words or drawings, then gallery walk to share.

Explain how a commercial tries to make you feel a certain way.

Facilitation Tip

With Message Mood Boards, model selecting one strong colour or image to represent a feeling before students begin.

What to look for

Show students a short, simple advertisement (e.g., for a fruit snack). Ask them to draw one picture showing how the ad made them feel and write one word describing the main message they think it was trying to send.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach this topic by pairing direct instruction with hands-on experiences. Start with short, focused discussions on one element (colour, sound, or image) before students apply the idea. Avoid overloading with too many concepts at once. Research shows that young learners grasp media literacy best when they connect abstract ideas to concrete examples they can manipulate and see.

Successful learning looks like students confidently identifying media messages, linking elements like colour or music to intended feelings, and using this knowledge to create their own simple messages. Missteps are opportunities to clarify intent versus effect.

---

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Station Rotation, watch for students who assume all toy ads are truthful about product size or features.

  Have students measure or draw the advertised toy during the station activity and compare it to the actual packaging to reveal exaggeration.

• During Feeling Freeze Frames, watch for students who believe messages come only from spoken words.

  After pairs act out an ad without sound, ask them to explain which visual or body cues communicated the message most strongly.

• During Our Class Ad Creation, watch for students who think media messages never confuse anyone.

  Ask students to swap designs with a partner and identify one part that might confuse the audience, then revise their work.

---

Methods used in this brief

• Stations Rotation
• Inside-Outside Circle