Beyond the EU: DORA and NIS 2 Directive's Global Impact
Historical and Modern Political Media
1. Historical and Modern
Political Media
7th Grade United States and New York
State History
Alida Fabian
2. Lesson Basics
Target Audience: 7th grade United States
and New York State History (easily
adaptable to 11th grade U.S. History by
increasing the depth of media study,
maturity of content covered by the media,
and focus on media subtleties)
Lesson Length: 5 days, 40 minute periods
Class size: 15 – 30, inclusive setting
3. Objectives
O Students will be able to identify
techniques used in media to convey
meaning and persuade others.
O Students will be able to analyze how
people in the past and present use the
media to affect society’s political opinions.
O Students will be able to create their own
media with the goal of persuading others
to a certain political position.
4. NYS Social Studies Standard 1
Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to
demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras,
themes, developments, and turning points in the history
of the United States and New York.
O Key Idea 3: Study about the major social, political,
economic, cultural, and religious developments in New
York State and United States history involves learning
about the important roles and contributions of
individuals and groups.
O Intermediate Performance Indicator: Students will
describe how ordinary people and famous historic
figures in the local community, State, and the United
States have advanced the fundamental democratic
values, beliefs, and traditions expressed in the
Declaration of Independence, the New York State and
United States Constitutions, the Bill of Rights, and other
important historic documents.
5. NYS Social Studies Standard 1
O Key Idea 4: The skills of historical analysis include the
ability to: explain the significance of historical evidence;
weigh the importance, reliability, and validity of evidence;
understand the concept of multiple causation; understand
the importance of changing and competing interpretations
of different historical developments.
O Intermediate Performance Indicators: Students will
• consider the sources of historic documents, narratives,
or artifacts and evaluate their reliability
• understand how different experiences, beliefs, values,
traditions, and motives cause individuals and groups to
interpret historic events and issues from different
perspectives
• compare and contrast different interpretations of key
events and issues in New York State and United States
history and explain reasons for these different accounts
6. Background Information
Students will have already developed some
skills needed for this project through the
following activities:
O Analyzing historical sources through DBQs
O Using digital video to create short newscasts
O Developing posters and print advertising
They will already have worked on developing
some of the technological skills to use new
media.
7. Lesson Rationale
In social studies, media literacy is both
important to the study of the past and the
present. The analysis of primary sources is a
major skill that students need to develop to be
successful in social studies courses and the real
world. Media education blended into social
studies courses can help students develop a set
of skills to understand and analyze various
types of media. These skills will help make
them more conscientious consumers and
producers in a democratic and capitalist country.
8. Lesson Rationale, cont.
This lesson, which can occur anytime after
learning about the Constitution and the establishment of
the U.S. government, addresses the use of the media
by special interest groups and the influential role the
media can play in political decisions. Students will look
at various forms of media from different time periods
and use questions derived from Buckingham’s (2003)
key concepts, NAMLE’s (2007) key questions, and Joll’s
(2008) five core questions of media literacy to analyze
media. Then, they will use these concepts to create
their own form of media to promote a specific political
position. The student created media will function as the
assessment for this lesson and will require students to
have a firm grasp of the effect of media and apply it to a
real-world situation.
9. Lesson Rationale
Connections to NAMLE
1. Media Literacy Education requires active inquiry and
critical thinking about the messages we receive and create.
2. Media Literacy Education expands the concept of
literacy (i.e., reading and writing) to include all forms of
media.
4. Media Literacy Education develops informed, reflective
and engaged participants essential for a democratic
society.
5. Media Literacy Education recognizes that media are a
part of culture and function as agents of socialization.
6. Media Literacy Education affirms that people use their
individual skills, beliefs and experiences to construct their
own meanings from media messages.
10. Lesson Rationale
Connections to “12 Basic Ways…”
1. Practice general observation, critical thinking, analysis,
perspective-taking, and communication skills.
3. Identify how students’ prior ideas about a topic have
been influenced by media messages.
5. Identify sources for erroneous beliefs about a topic.
6. Develop an awareness of issues of credibility and
perspective.
8. Analyze the effect that specific media have had on a
particular issue or topic across different cultures and/or
historically.
10. Facilitate use of a range of media formats to express
students’ opinions and illustrated their understanding.
11. Use media as an assessment tool.
11. Materials
Technical Materials Student Materials
O TV or Projector with O Notebooks
internet access O Pens/Pencils/Markers
O Flip Digital Camcorders O Glue/Scissors
O Student computer access O Paper/Posterboard
O Editing software Other Materials
O Printer O Media Analysis handout
O Digital Camera O Examples of historical
political media (cartoons,
advertisements,
pamphlets, etc.)
O Reflection Guide
Worksheet
12. Lesson Outline
Day 1: The effect of historical political media
Day 2: The effect of modern political media
Day 3: Producing politicized media
Day 4: Producing politicized media
Day 5: Present and reflect on political media
production
13. Lesson Narrative: Day 1
Discussion (10 minutes)
O Review democracy in the U.S. How does it work?
What are our responsibilities as citizens?
O Why do others care about what we think?
O What are some ways people or political groups try
to influence others’ opinions? (Media: articles,
advertizing, political cartoons, posters, etc.)
14. Lesson Narrative: Day 1
Introduction to Media Analysis (10 minutes)
O Handout Media Analysis sheet (see next slide).
O Introduce the 4 Key Concepts of Media
1. Authorship/Production
2. Messages/Meanings/Language
3. Audience
4. Representation/Realities
O Show 0:00 – 3:30 of “Generation M-Media Literacy,
Education & Choice” youtube video
16. Lesson Narrative: Day 1
Guided Practice: Historical Media Analysis (20 minutes)
O Show students historical political cartoons, campaign
advertisements, and short articles
O Model media analysis for students using the questions
from the Media Analysis handout.
O Guide students to ask and answer the appropriate
questions from the Media Analysis handout
O Provide rationale and support where needed
O Ask students to compare historical media to today’s
media.
Homework: Bring in a digital or print example of media
from the present that tries to politically influence the
audience. Will use these in tomorrow’s activity.
17. Lesson Narrative: Day 2
Review of Day 1 (5 minutes)
O How and why do people try to influence political
opinions?
O What questions should we ask to better understand the
media we encounter?
Analysis of Modern Media (10 minutes)
O Ask for 3 volunteers to share the modern political media
they collected for homework (if no one volunteers, have
some examples ready)
O Guide students to use the Media Analysis handout from
Day 1 to ask and answer questions about the media
samples
O Discuss: What are the differences and similarities
between modern and historical political media?
18. Lesson Narrative: Day 2
Independent Practice (18 minutes)
O Students in groups of 2 – 4
O Students will use the Media Analysis handout to analyze 2
historical political media (provided by the teacher) and the modern
political media (provided by the students from their homework
assignment).
O Teacher will rotate throughout the room providing assistance as
necessary.
Closing Discussion (7 minutes)
O What patterns did you notice when analyzing media from the past
and the present?
O Were there certain themes that the media circled around? (Write
answers on the board: campaigns, civil rights, immigration, laws,
etc.)
Homework: Brainstorm at least 5 topics for creating your own
political media. You can produce any of the following: political
cartoon, poster, print advertisement, TV commercial, news report or
any other form approved by me.
19. Lesson Narrative: Day 3
Introduction to Assessment (15 minutes)
O Pass out the instructions and rubric for Producing Political Media
(see next slide for rubric)
O Explain that students will be making their own media to persuade
others in their class to a certain side of a political issue or to
support a political candidate. They need to choose which form of
media they will use (30 second advertisement, 1 minute newscast,
political cartoon, article, or print advertisement), what audience
they are targeting, and the representation that they want to portray.
Students may work alone or in groups of up to 4 people, and
should use the ideas they brainstormed for homework to start.
They will have the rest of the period and all of the next period to
work on producing their media.
O Field any questions students have.
O Give students 5 minutes to choose groups and start working
Producing Political Media work time (25 minutes)
O Teacher will rotate around the room and make sure that students
have a topic and are working on putting it all together.
21. Lesson Narrative: Day 4
Producing Political Media work time (40
minutes)
O Students will work on producing their
chosen media with political message.
O Teacher will rotate around the room
providing assistance as necessary.
22. Lesson Narrative: Day 5
Presentations (40 minutes)
O Students will present their media to the class
Reflection (after the presentations, if time
allows, or for homework)
O Students will complete the reflection guide
reflecting on the production process, the
decisions they made, how the audience
received their product, and what they learned
from the process. (see following slide for
Reflection Guide)
24. Lesson Extension
The teacher should pay special attention to
students’ understandings of how to analyze
and create media. If it appears that
students need remediation in any of these
areas or more time is needed to create the
media, the teacher can plan to add an extra
day to the lesson.
25. References
Buckingham, D. (2003). Media education: Literacy, learning
and contemporary education. Cambridge: Polity Press.
ChallengingMedia. (2008). Generation M: Media Literacy,
Education, and Choice [video file]. Retrieved from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzeVjAM-
drg&feature=channel
National Association for Media Literacy Education. (2007,
November). Core principles of media literacy education in
the United States. Retrieved from http://namle.net/wp-
content/uploads/2009/09/NAMLE-CPMLE-w-
questions2.pdf.
Scheibe, C. & Rogow, F. (2008). 12 basic ways to integrate
media literacy and critical thinking into any curriculum (3rd
ed.). Ithaca: Project Look Sharp and Ithaca College.
