Gender in Modern Media Lesson Plan(First Draft)

Tim Dobson(0662778)

Level: Grade 11 Language Arts

Overall Objectives: Encourage students to perceive stereotypes and negative representations of women when viewing media images. Have students understand how women in particular are objectified in media and how this is harmful.

Encourage students to perceive stereotypes and negative representations of men when viewing media images. Have students understand how men and violence are often grouped together in media and how this is harmful.

Required Materials:Killing Us Softly 4 (women in media documentary).Tough Guise 2 (men and violence in media documentary).Women in Media Powerpoint.Men In Media Powerpoint.Reflection Questions Handouts

SCO’s and GCO’s:See individual components.

Timeframe for Completion: 4 or more classes.

Women in Media

Procedures:1. Go though gender issues PowerPoint. 2. Have students view Killing Us Softly 43. Have students answer questions sheet.(as an adaptation allow students to choose 4 of the 8 questions provided)

GCO’s: 1. speak and listen to explore, extend, clarify, and reflect on their thoughts, ideas, feelings, and experiences2. communicate information and ideas effectively and clearly, and to respond personally and critically3. interact with sensitivity and respect, considering the situation, audience, and purpose

SCO’s: 1.1 follow-up on and extend others’ ideas in order to reflect upon their own interpretation of experiences1.3 address complex issues, present points of view backed by evidence, and modify, defend, or argue for their positions in response to opposing points of view4.4 demonstrate an understanding of and apply the strategies required to gain information from complex print texts and multimedia texts

Closure:Have the students complete four (4) of the questions from the handout and gauge their grasp or understanding of the issues accordingly.

Learner Assessment:Based responses to handout questions.

Killing Us Softly 4 Response Questions

1. How does Canadian culture define “femininity” and “masculinity?” Are these definitions universal, or do masculine and feminine ideals vary from place to place and over time?

2. Do you feel that our ideals of femininity and masculinity are learned or natural? Why?

3. What sorts of products are sold using images of women and femininity? What kinds of products are sold using images of men and masculinity? Are these ever switched around? If so, when?

4. What are some differences between ads that feature white people and ads that feature people of colour?

5. What kinds of products are sold using sexuality? Why do you think advertisers would use sex to sell their goods? How does this work, anyway? What does it mean when people say sex sells?

6. What is responsible advertising? Do advertisers have a responsibility to society? Do they have a responsibility to children? Why or why not?

7. What is the relationship between dehumanization, objectification, and violence?

8. What role can girls and women play in diversifying the image of what it means to be a woman in our culture? What role can boys and men play?

Men in Media

Procedures:1. Go though gender issues PowerPoint. 2. Have students view Tough Guise 2.3. Have students answer questions sheet.(as an adaptation allow students to choose 4 of the 8 questions provided)

GCO’s: 1. speak and listen to explore, extend, clarify, and reflect on their thoughts, ideas, feelings, and experiences2. communicate information and ideas effectively and clearly, and to respond personally and critically3. interact with sensitivity and respect, considering the situation, audience, and purpose4. select, read, and view with understanding a range of literature, information, media, and visual texts

SCO’s: 1.1 follow-up on and extend others’ ideas in order to reflect upon their own interpretation of experiences1.3 address complex issues, present points of view backed by evidence, and modify, defend, or argue for their positions in response to opposing points of view1.4 listen critically to evaluate others’ ideas in terms of their own understanding and experiences, and identify ambiguities, and unsubstantiated statements4.2 view a wide variety of media and visual texts, comparing and analyzing the structure, genre, style, and cultural diversity of the different texts4.4 demonstrate an understanding of and apply the strategies required to gain information from complex print texts and multimedia texts6.5 justify points of view on various print and media texts

Closure:Have the students complete four (4) of the questions from the handout and gauge their grasp or understanding of the issues accordingly.

Learner Assessment:Based responses to handout questions.

Tough Guise 2 Response Questions

1. Where do you think our ideas about what is masculine and what is feminine come from? 2. What are the primary sources boys use to learn what it is to be male (or to seem male) in the world?

3. What are some of the potential affects on boys and men as they try to live up to our culture’s ideal of physical size and strength? Could this also have health effects? If so, what might they be?

4. What are some of the potential emotional affects on boys and men as they try to live up to our culture’s ideal of emotional strength and invulnerability? Could this also have health effects? If so, what might they be? 5. The film spent some time examining the recent school shootings that have been in the news. The narrator correctly points out that very few of the perpetrators of school violence are female. Why do you think that is the case? 6. The narrator describes violence and crime data that indicate that men commit an overwhelming majority of the violence in our society, yet violence is typically not framed as a gender issue—particularly in the media. Why does the media tend not to focus on the gender issue when boys, or men, are the perpetrators of violence? 7. Do you have any critiques of the arguments/views presented in the film? What did you agree or disagree with (and why)?

8. What can men do to diversify the image of masculinity and what it means to be a man in our culture?