Objectives

Completion of the suggested explorations will enable students to address the following questions:

• What are the different forms of media available in society today?
• How has the Information/Media Age changed access to the media and the scope of the mediaÕs coverage of society?
• How do young children determine the difference between fantasy and reality?
• Is there a proven link between violence and the media?
• Has the mediaÕs coverage of violence increased criticism of violence in the media?

Using the Pre-Program Explorations

• Prior to viewing the program, students should define any of the content-related terms that are unfamiliar, so as to improve their subsequent understanding of the presented issues.
• Research of the suggested topics will provide students with the background information necessary to discuss the program content effectively. Depending upon your time constraints and access to research materials, you may want to divide the questions among different student groups; findings can then be shared with the entire class. The Web sites listed in the "Reference Materials" section may be good starting points for student research efforts.
• The "Issues to Consider" provide thought-provoking questions that can be used as the basis for classroom discussions or can be answered through individual written responses. You may want to revisit these issues after the students have viewed the program, to see if their thoughts and opinions have been modified in any way.

Using the Post-Program Explorations

• The explorations are divided into curriculum areas; however, you will find that some of the lessons are actually interdisciplinary in scope and could easily be placed in more than one area. We have categorized these multidisciplinary studies based upon the dominant theme of each.
• Included in this section is a "Current Event Exploration," which is a Web lesson designed around a timely issue, related to the program content. The suggested Web sites will aid students in the information gathering process. The synthesis of their research efforts can be documented via written response, oral presentation, or using multimedia (e.g. PowerPoint, HyperStudio, Web page creation).
• The suggested lesson ideas can be approached in numerous ways. Many are well suited to cooperative learning methods, where members of individual student groups address different aspects of an issue, and the group then synthesizes that information to formulate an answer.
• Individual or group completion of all of the explorations provides an interdisciplinary approach to the program theme. As a result, students are able to analyze the issues from multiple perspectives. If, however, time is limited, you may choose to confine student explorations to those that directly relate to your discipline. Students, for independent study, could then investigate additional topics.
• Possible assessment methods for these explorations are varied. You may want to have students demonstrate their understanding through individual written essays, through group projects, or through classroom discussions and debates. The method(s) you choose can be tailored to learner strengths or curriculum considerations.
• The "Reference Materials" can aid in the completion of these explorations and will probably foster your own ideas for lessons. Giving students reading assignments from the print materials, or portions thereof, will enhance their knowledge base and provide them the opportunity to examine original sources, thus decreasing reliance upon textbook accounts. These resources vary in terms of their reading level; these differences may be a consideration as you assign student readings.