Green Transportation Lesson: Media Literacy
Lesson Plan
1 hourGrades3, 4, 5English Language Arts
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Written by Lindsey Pockl, Amber Medina
About this lesson
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.
Inquire: Students reflect on how their reimagined metro systems address the top ten concerns riders had with the metro.
Investigate: Students think critically about how different transportation advertisements get consumers to want to use their services or purchase their products.
Inspire: Students brainstorm an advertisement for their reimagined metro system.
Preview the lesson plan
Better on a bigger screen? Open it in its own tab.View Lesson Plan
Everything you need to teach it
How to edit these materials (video)Teaching tips
Suggestions
- 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.
- Students can share other transportation advertisements they’ve seen and discuss the same analytical questions. Alternatively, teachers can share current transportation advertisements and guide the discussion on effectiveness.
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 where people might view advertisements.
- Teachers should preview listed transportation advertisements or prepare current ones for use in the lesson’s activities and analyses.
Differentiation
- Students can use personal devices and work in pairs or small groups to jigsaw the advertisement analysis, or teacher can lead students in unpacking the advertisement analysis for each example.
- Students can discuss the differences in advertisements and advertising goals on social media versus traditional forms of print or television.
- Teacher can provide an extension activity for advanced students to look for alternative transportation advertisements that highlight sustainable options like public transportation or bikeshare.
- Students can choose one form of public transportation and find advertisements from different regions, U.S. cities, or global cities to compare and contrast messaging and effectiveness.
- There are differentiated products for culminating projects that are attuned to the diverse strengths of students. Students have the option to complete a poster, TikTok, billboard, video ad, or social media post to market their design.
From the scientist review
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.
Want this to fit your class?
Add your location for local examples, questions, and action ideas.
About the teacher writers
Lindsey Pockl
Lindsey worked with SubjectToClimate to develop accompanying materials for lesson plans for grades 3-12.
Amber Medina
Elementary School Teacher
Amber is a third grade elementary school teacher who has taught ELA, Environmental Education, and SEL. With a degree in Environmental Policy and Planning, her passion for environmental justice and action integrated curriculum led her to her commitment to climate education.
