Media Literacy: Analyzing Messages
Effective media literacy instruction to help students develop the skills to analyze and understand messages in
new media.
Key Method
Teacher-led student analysis and critical response to popular, media-based texts related to students’ course of
study.
Method Components
Through any of a variety of methods (written report, poster, video or audio productions, etc.) students clearly
demonstrate the knowledge required to effectively analyze the messages associated with specific pieces of
popular media. This micro-credential forms one part of the message–audience–production (or Media
Triangle) framework for teaching media literacy. Analyzing Audience and Analyzing Production are additional
micro-credentials in this set. Analysis can be conducted individually, in small groups, or in whole-group
instruction.
Frames for analyzing the messages in popular media
§ Message: How can the media’s message be summarized? How closely does this message align with
your reality, beliefs, and values?
§ Authorship: Who created the media? In what ways do they benefit from people watching or
interacting with the media? In what ways are the assumptions, beliefs, and values of the creators
present in the message?
§ Purpose: What is the purpose of the message? Is it to instruct, inform, sell, persuade, explain, argue,
entertain, or something else? How does the purpose influence how the message is communicated?
§ People, Places, and Cultures: How are different people, places, and cultures portrayed in the media?
Are there generalizations or stereotypes? Are there people or cultures left out? How does the portrayal
of people, places, and cultures impact the message?
Suggested preparation
§ Media Choice: Choose a set of media that addresses specific content in your curriculum. Select media
employing similar production styles and forms and directed at similar audiences but with a variety of
different messages. This will help to isolate messaging as the key variable to explore so that students
do not confound the analysis of message with production and audience.
§ Anticipatory Set: Before beginning formal analysis of media for the first time, address the role of media
in the lives of your students either in whole-class or small-group discussion or through individual
reflection and sharing. This ensures you and the class have an opportunity to express, consider, and
explore students’ preconceptions about different media and its influence on them. Suggested
questions include:
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Who and what is “the media”?
Which medium appeals to you the most? Which medium do you most dislike? Why?
Has any information you received from the media ever angered you? Made you feel really good?
Do you think the media influence your attitudes toward school, work, family, clothing, what to eat
and drink? If so, how?
What cultural messages do you get from the media (e.g., regarding clothing, food, behavior,
language, personal interactions)?
Do you feel represented in the media (e.g., through references to race, religion, background,
gender, age, talents, abilities, weaknesses)?
Are certain issues or groups of people represented more often than others in the media? Why do
you think this is?
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Framing Analysis: Provide a specific lens for students to use during analysis. Are they consumers
making decisions about what products to use? Are they teachers deciding what content best fits the
needs of the class and best communicates the messages? Are they marketers or advertisers doing
research for their own campaigns? Are they members of the voting public deciding how to cast their
ballot? Or is there another problem to solve? Assigning a role helps students understand the relevance
of the task by connecting it to a specific real-world purpose.
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Reflecting and Sharing: Have students share and discuss their work with others. A gallery walk, class
debate, blogging, presentations, or any number of other activities that promote discourse between
students can be effective avenues to get students to reflect on their work in ways that will deepen and
refine their thinking.
Supporting Research
This approach is informed by the Media Triangle (http://themedialiterateteacher.weebly.com/mediatriangle.html), a student-friendly approach to understanding the key concepts of media literacy. Students
analyze media texts using prompts organized around the three arms of the triangle. Each arm can be
simplified into the following questions:
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Message: What meaning is being conveyed?
Audience: To whom is the meaning being conveyed?
Production: How and why is the meaning being conveyed?
Embedded in the arms of the media triangle are the five key concepts of media literacy. The concepts overlap,
supporting the ideas that understanding media messages requires consideration of multiple perspectives and
that ideas come together to create meaning.
“Media literacy empowers people to be both critical thinkers and creative producers of an increasingly wide
range of messages using image, language, and sound. It is the skillful application of literacy skills to media and
technology messages.” - National Association of Media Literacy Education
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Renee Hobbs, Digital and Media Literacy: A Plan of Action, http://www.knightcomm.org/wpcontent/uploads/2010/12/Digital_and_Media_Literacy_A_Plan_of_Action.pdf
National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE), Core Principles of Media Literacy
Education in the United States, http://namle.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/CorePrinciples.pdf
Media Smarts, Media Literacy Fundamentals, http://mediasmarts.ca/digital-media-literacyfundamentals/media-literacy-fundamentals
Except where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under:
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Resources
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KQED, Framework for Teaching Media Literacy Social Studies Integration: Audience,
http://blogs.kqed.org/assets/pdf/education/digitalmedia/ssla-ml-audience.pdf
National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE), Media Literacy Education & The Common
Core State Standards, http://namle.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/MLECCSSGuideBW.pdf
Sperry, Chris, Teaching Critical Thinking Through Media Literacy (Science Focus),
http://www.projectlooksharp.org/Articles/ScienceScopeArticle.pdf
Sperry, Chris, The Search for Truth: Teaching Media Literacy, Core Content, and Essential Skills for a
Healthy Democracy (Humanities Focus),
http://www.projectlooksharp.org/Articles/Search_for_Truth_Threshold.pdf
Center for Media Literacy, Literacy for the 21st Century: An Overview and Orientation Guide to Media
Literacy Education, http://www.medialit.org/sites/default/files/mlk/01_MLKorientation.pdf (English),
http://www.medialit.org/sites/default/files/03_MLKorient_spanish.pdf (Spanish)
MindShift Teacher’s Guide to Using Videos,
http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/files/2013/03/MindShift-Guide-to-Videos.pdf
Submission Guidelines & Evaluation Criteria
Following are the items you must submit to earn this micro-credential and the criteria by which they will be
evaluated. To earn the micro-credential, you must receive a passing evaluation for Parts 1, 3, and 4 and a “Yes”
for Part 2.
Part 1. Overview questions
(200-word limit for each response)
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Activity Description: What project or activity did you engage in with your students to develop
competency in analyzing media messages? What media artifacts did you use for the activity? (Provide
URLs for all online artifacts and bibliographic citation for offline materials.) Explain the processes you
used and any special considerations you made based on the subject area you teach.
- Passing: Activity description is clear with sufficient detail to know what the students did to gain
competencies in analyzing media messages.
Activity Evaluation: How did you evaluate your students’ skill and proficiency in analyzing media
messages? What evidence did you collect to demonstrate these learning gains?
- Passing: Activity evaluation process and evidence are clear, appropriate, and sufficient to evaluate
student competency in analyzing issues related to the role audience plays in the analyzing media
messages.
Part 2. Evidence/artifacts
Submit two examples of student work (writing, images, video, audio, etc.) that demonstrate the students’
ability to effectively analyze media messages. Your student work submission will be assessed based on the
following rubric. You must earn a “Yes” score on this portion of the total submission in order to earn the
micro-credential.
“Yes”
Student work clearly demonstrates
effective analysis of the factors
that contribute to the
understanding of media messages,
including message, authorship,
purpose, and people, places, and
culture.
“Almost”
Student work demonstrates an
incomplete and emerging
analysis of the factors that
contribute to the understanding
of media messages.
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“Not Yet”
Student work fails to demonstrate
effective analysis of the factors that
contribute to the understanding of
media messages.
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Part 3. Student reflections
For each of the student artifacts listed above, submit a student reflection on his or her experience. Use the
following questions as guidance (200-word limit):
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How did this learning activity impact your ability to understand and evaluate media messages?
In what ways is this improved ability important in your day-to-day life?
What decisions and actions of yours might be different due to this new understanding?
- Passing: Reflections clearly indicated how the Analyzing Messages activity affected the student’s
ability to understand, interpret, and evaluate media messages, and the reflections are specific and
convincing.
Part 4. Teacher reflection
Provide a reflection on what you learned, using the following questions as guidance (200-word limit):
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What was the impact of engaging your students in the media analysis process?
How will this project shape your daily practice in the future?
- Passing: Reflections clearly indicate how the activity affected both the students and the teacher
and the reflections are specific and convincing. Reflections clearly state how the activity will affect
the teacher’s future practice.
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