Language Arts · Grade 3

Active learning ideas

Media Has a Purpose

Let's become media detectives! This topic helps your students uncover the secrets behind advertisements and posters to figure out who they are for and what they want us to do.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1-8: Language, 2023 - Strand D. Comprehension: Understanding and Responding to Texts

• 20–60 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Four Corners
• 45 min · Small Groups

Media Detective Agency

Students work in small groups with a 'case file' containing several print ads from magazines or websites. Using a graphic organizer, they must identify clues like colours, fonts, and characters to determine the target audience and purpose for each ad.

Identify the main purpose of your favourite TV show: to inform, entertain, or persuade.

Facilitation Tip

Provide a word bank of descriptive words to help students articulate their observations.

What to look for

Exit Ticket: Show the class a movie poster and ask them to write on a sticky note who the audience is and one clue from the poster that told them so.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Four Corners
• 60 min · Pairs

Design a Cereal Box

In pairs, students are assigned a target audience (e.g., toddlers, athletes, parents) and must design a new cereal box to appeal to them. They will then present their box to the class, explaining their choices for the name, colours, and mascot.

Explain how you can tell if an advertisement wants you to buy something.

Facilitation Tip

Encourage students to think beyond cartoons and consider what other images might appeal to their audience.

What to look for

Poster Project: Students create a poster for a school event (e.g., book fair, sports day) aimed at a specific audience (e.g., younger students or parents). They must be able to explain their design choices.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Four Corners
• 20 min · Whole Class

Soundtrack Sleuths

Play short audio clips from different commercials or movie trailers without the visuals. Students guess the type of product or film and its intended audience based solely on the music, sound effects, and tone of voice.

Analyze a website for kids and determine its primary purpose.

Facilitation Tip

Pause after each clip to have a brief class discussion about what the sounds made them think and feel.

What to look for

Two Stars and a Wish: After analyzing an ad, students share two things they did well (the 'stars') and one thing they could improve on next time (the 'wish').

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Begin by modelling a 'think-aloud' with a very obvious example, like a toy commercial. Use a simple chart to record 'Clues I See/Hear' and 'Who It's For'. Move to guided practice where students work with a partner to analyze a different ad, before asking them to try it independently with a new piece of media.

Your students will learn to spot the clues, like colours and characters, that media creators use. They will be able to confidently explain who a media message is for and the reasons for their conclusion.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• Media is just for fun and doesn't mean anything.

  While media can be very entertaining, most messages also have a purpose, like selling a product, sharing information, or teaching an idea. The fun part is often a strategy to get you to pay attention to the main purpose.

• If I like an advertisement, it must be for me.

  You might enjoy an ad with a funny animal or a catchy song, but the creators might have a different audience in mind. For example, a car commercial might be fun to watch, but it's really aimed at adults who can buy cars.

• Everything shown in an ad is exactly what the product is like in real life.

  Advertisements often use special effects, perfect lighting, and other tricks to make products look as exciting as possible. It's important to be a critical viewer and think about what the product would be like outside of the ad.

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Methods used in this brief

• Four Corners