Understanding the Power of Media (Green Transportation #4)

This lesson promotes students' understanding of the power and influence of the media. Students will leverage this understanding to develop their own media campaigns for their reimagined metro systems.

Step 1 - Inquire: Students reflect on how their reimagined metro systems address the top ten concerns riders had with the metro.

Step 2 - Investigate: Students think critically about how different transportation advertisements get consumers to want to use their services or purchase their products.

Step 3 - Inspire: Students brainstorm an advertisement for their reimagined metro system.

Positives

• Students connect professional media practices to their own opinions, ideas, questions, and values.
• Students explore different types of media messages and critically think about their influence on consumers.
• This lesson supports collaboration amongst peers.

Additional Prerequisites

• This is lesson 4 of 6 in our 3rd-5th grade Green Transportation unit.
• Students should have an understanding of various platforms or settings people might view advertisements.

Differentiation

• Students can use personal devices and work in pairs or small groups to jigsaw the advertisement analysis for each example.
• Teacher can provide an extension activity for advanced students to look for alternative transportation advertisements that highlight sustainable options like public transportation or bikeshare.
• There are differentiated products for culminating projects that are attuned to diverse strengths from students. Students have the option to complete a poster, TikTok, billboard, video ad, or social media post to market their design.

This lesson enables students to reimagine and pitch ways to advertise public transportation as a key strategy for sustainable green transportation. All materials have been verified and are accurate. For that reason, the lesson is recommended for classroom use.

This resource addresses the listed standards. To fully meet standards, search for more related resources.

Supporting Standards

• English Language Arts
  • Speaking & Listening (K-12)
    • SL.3.3 Ask and answer questions about information from a speaker, offering appropriate elaboration and detail.
    • SL.4.3 Identify the reasons and evidence a speaker provides to support particular points.
    • SL.5.3 Summarize the points a speaker makes and explain how each claim is supported by reasons and evidence.

Note On Standards:

This lesson is aligned to SubjectToClimate standards. Review the aligned standards directly in the lesson plan document and teacher slideshow.