MCREL Media
Language Arts
Writing
Standard
1
Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process
Level II Grade : 3-5
11.
Writes in response to literature (e.g., summarizes main ideas and significant details;
relates own ideas to supporting details; advances judgments; supports judgments with
references to the text, other works, other authors, nonprint media, and personal
knowledge)
Standard 4
Gathers and uses information for research purposes
Level II Grade : 3-5
4.
Uses electronic media to gather information (e.g., databases, Internet, CD-ROM, television
shows, cassette recordings, videos, pull-down menus, word searches)
8.
Uses strategies to compile information into written reports or summaries (e.g.,
incorporates notes into a finished product; includes simple facts, details, explanations,
and examples; draws conclusions from relationships and patterns that emerge from data from
different sources; uses appropriate visual aids and media)
Listening
and Speaking
Standard
8
Uses listening and speaking strategies for different purposes
Level I Grade : K-2
8.
Listens and responds to a variety of media (e.g., books, audiotapes, videos)
Level III Grade : 6-8
7.
Makes oral presentations to the class (e.g., uses notes and outlines; uses organizational
pattern that includes preview, introduction, body, transitions, conclusion; and point of
view; uses evidence and arguments to support opinions; uses visual media)
Level IV Grade : 9-12
5.
Makes formal presentations to the class (e.g., includes definitions for clarity; supports
main ideas using anecdotes, examples, statistics, analogies, and other evidence; uses
visual aids or technology, such as transparencies, slides, electronic media; cites
information sources)
6.
Makes multimedia presentations using text, images, and sound (e.g., selects the
appropriate medium, such as television broadcast, videos, web pages, films, newspapers,
magazines, CD-ROMS, Internet, computer-media-generated images; edits and monitors for
quality; organizes, writes, and designs media messages for specific purposes)
Viewing
Standard
9
Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret visual media
Level I Grade : K-2
1.
Understands the main idea or message in visual media (e.g., pictures, cartoons, weather
reports on television, newspaper photographs, visual narratives)
2.
Uses a variety of strategies to predict content and meaning in visual media (e.g., uses
knowledge of the structure of television programs: for cartoons, make predictions based on
program length, experience that a resolution will be reached and that main characters will
overcome difficulties to return to the next episode; uses knowledge of cause-and-effect
relationships to predict plot development)
3.
Knows how different elements help to establish plot, setting, and character in visual
narratives (e.g., action, dialogue, music, clothing, facial expressions)
4.
Knows different features (e.g., facial expressions, body language, gesture, clothing,
actions, relationships, dialogue) that affect a viewer's perceptions of characters in
visual media (e.g., qualities that identify a Ahero@ or a Avillain@)
5.
Knows different elements from films, videos, television, and other visual media that
appeal to him or her (e.g., scary parts, action segments, particular characters, color,
sound effects, animation, layout, music)
6.
Understands the similarities and differences between real life and life depicted in visual
media (e.g., compares own family to families represented in television cartoons or films;
knows that there is a difference between a character in a program and the actor)
Level II Grade : 3-5
1.
Understands different messages conveyed through visual media (e.g., main ideas and
supporting details; facts and opinions; main characters, setting, and sequence of events
in visual narratives)
2.
Understands techniques used to convey messages in visual media (e.g., animation; different
tones of voice in audio productions; adjusting messages for different audiences)
3.
Knows that film and television have features that identify different genres (e.g., style
of dress, setting in a western or a drama)
4.
Understands the different ways in which people are stereotyped in visual media (e.g.,
clever people wearing glasses, mothers working at home, scientists wearing white coats;
super heroes; people from different socio-cultural or minority groups) and understands
that people could have been represented differently
5.
Understands techniques used to establish mood in visual media (e.g., use of camera angles
and distances to create a specific feeling or point of view, tension heightened by
dramatic music, sound effects such as a heartbeat or squeaking chair, use of a deep voice,
somber lighting to imply mystery or fear)
6.
Understands the use and meaning of symbols and images in visual media (e.g., the use of
color, such as red to represent emotion, anger, or excitement; the use of expressions,
such as smiling to mean happiness; the dependence of symbols on shared social and cultural
understandings; symbolic links between product names or logos and products)
7.
Understands basic elements of advertising in visual media (e.g., sales approaches and
techniques aimed at children, appealing elements used in memorable commercials, possible
reasons for the choice of specific visual images)
Level III Grade : 6-8
1.
Understands a variety of messages conveyed by visual media (e.g., main concept, details,
themes or lessons, viewpoints)
2.
Uses a variety of criteria to evaluate and form viewpoints of visual media (e.g.,
evaluates the effectiveness of informational media, such as web sites, documentaries, news
programs; recognizes a range of viewpoints and arguments; establishes criteria for
selecting or avoiding specific programs)
3.
Knows typical genre of different visual media (e.g., in television: sitcoms, talk shows,
news broadcasts, interviews, children's programs; in film: westerns, musicals, horror,
gangster)
4.
Understands the use of stereotypes and biases in visual media (e.g., distorted
representations of society; imagery and stereotyping in advertising; elements of
stereotypes such as physical characteristics, manner of speech, beliefs and attitudes)
5.
Understands how language choice is used to enhance visual media (e.g., language of
particular television or film genres, the use of emotional or logical arguments in
commercials)
6.
Understands how symbols, images, sound, and other conventions are used in visual media
(e.g., time lapse in films; set elements that identify a particular time period or
culture; short cuts used to construct meaning, such as the scream of brakes and a thud to
imply a car crash; sound and image used together; the use of close-ups to convey drama or
intimacy; the use of long camera shots to establish setting; sequences or groups of images
that emphasize specific meaning)
7.
Understands reasons for varied interpretations of visual media (e.g., different purposes
or circumstances while viewing, influence of personal knowledge and experiences, focusing
on different stylistic features)
8.
Knows that people with special interests and expectations are the target audience for
particular messages or products in visual media; and knows that design, language, and
content reflect this (e.g., in advertising and sales techniques aimed specifically towards
teenagers; in products aimed towards different classes, races, ages, genders; in the
appeal of popular television shows and films for particular audiences)
9.
Understands techniques used in visual media to influence or appeal to a particular
audience (e.g., production techniques, such as designing a news program as entertainment;
persuasive techniques, such as exaggerated claims, portrayal of appealing lifestyles,
bandwagon, glittering generalities; subliminal messages; narrative style)
Level IV Grade : 9-12
1.
Uses a range of strategies to interpret visual media (e.g., draws conclusions, makes
generalizations, synthesizes materials viewed, refers to images or information in visual
media to support point of view, deconstructs media to determine the main idea)
2.
Uses a variety of criteria (e.g., clarity, accuracy, effectiveness, bias, relevance of
facts) to evaluate informational media (e.g., web sites, documentaries, news programs)
3.
Understands the conventions of visual media genres (e.g., a talk show contains an opening
monologue, humorous discussion between host and Asidekick,@ guest interview, interaction
with the audience, and special performances; news programs present the events of the day
as stories with setting, character, conflict, and resolution)
4.
Understands that the rules and expectations about genres can be manipulated for particular
effects or purposes (e.g., combining or altering conventions of different genres, such as
presenting news as entertainment; blurring of genres, such as drama-documentaries)
5.
Uses strategies to analyze stereotypes in visual media (e.g., recognizes stereotypes that
serve the interests of some groups in society at the expense of others; identifies
techniques used in visual media that perpetuate stereotypes)
6.
Understands the connection between context and values projected by visual media (e.g., the
implication in television science programs that science is progressive and helps solve
problems; influence of changing societal values on media products; political context, such
as conflicts between loyalty and betrayal in High Noon, made in American during the
McCarthy period; cultural values suggested by omissions from visual media, such as soap
operas featuring only well-off people)
7.
Understands how images and sound convey messages in visual media (e.g., special effects,
camera angles, symbols, color, line, texture, shape, headlines, photographs, reaction
shots, sequencing of images, sound effects, music, dialogue, narrative, lighting)
8.
Understands effects of style and language choice in visual media (e.g., use of long-shots
to signify both real and metaphoric isolation; rapid editing in a television commercial;
juxtaposition of text and color in a billboard; words in headlines intended to attract
attention)
9.
Understands how literary forms can be represented in visual narratives (e.g., allegory,
parable, analogy, satire, narrative style, characterization, irony)
10.
Understands a variety of techniques used in advertising (e.g., portrayals of happy
families and exotic places; celebrity endorsement; use of humor; emphasis on value and
reliability; sex appeal; science and statistics; appeal to fears and insecurities)
11.
Understands how editing shapes meaning in visual media (e.g., omission of alternative
perspectives; filtered or implied viewpoints; emphasis of specific ideas, images, or
information in order to serve particular interests; the careful construction of seemingly
straightforward texts)
12.
Understands the effects of visual media on audiences with different backgrounds (e.g.,
age, nationality, gender, class, belief system)
Media
Standard
10
Understands the characteristics and components of the media
Level I Grade : K-2
1.
Knows the various types of media (e.g., newspapers, radio, television, billboards)
2.
Knows that there are different types of media categories (e.g., news programs, sports
programs, commercials)
3.
Understands that there are common conventions used in media (e.g., the layout of a
newspaper, including headlines, photographs, and different sections; how theme music,
sound effects, titles, and graphics represent the beginning and ending of a television
program)
4.
Understands that media messages and products are created by people (e.g., individuals and
groups) and represent real and imaginary experience
Level II Grade : 3-5
1.
Knows the main formats and characteristics of familiar media (e.g., the format of quiz
shows on television: host/hostess, contestants, competition for prizes of commercial
value; types of advertising such as billboards, T-shirts, or commercials; characteristics
of films and magazines)
2.
Understands similarities and differences among a variety of media (e.g., ways in which
documentary films, the Internet, and the radio present similar information; similar
categories, such as news and feature stories in magazines, tabloid newspapers, and on
television; literary elements in film and written stories)
3.
Knows that a variety of people are involved in the creation of media messages and products
(e.g., actors, directors, cinematographers, producers, scriptwriters, graphic artists,
illustrators, news photographers)
4.
Understands that media messages and products are composed of a series of separate elements
(e.g., shots in movies, sections of a newspaper)
Level III Grade : 6-8
1.
Knows characteristics of a wide range of media (e.g., television news favors messages that
are immediate and visual, news photographs favor messages with an emotional component)
2.
Understands the different purposes of various media (e.g., to provide entertainment or
information, to persuade, to transmit culture, to focus attention on an issue)
3.
Understands how the type of media affects coverage of events or issues (e.g., how the same
event is covered by the radio, television, and newspapers; how each medium shapes facts
into a particular point of view; how limitations and advantages of various media affect
coverage of events)
4.
Understands various elements that recur across media (e.g., common features found in print
and broadcast advertising; the layout of magazines and newspapers, including headlines,
photographs, regular columns, feature articles, and editorials)
5.
Understands aspects of media production and distribution (e.g., different steps and
choices involved in planning and producing various media; various professionals who
produce media, such as news writers, photographers, camera operators, film directors,
graphic artists, political cartoonists)
6.
Understands the ways in which image-makers carefully construct meaning (e.g., idea and
word choice by authors, images created by photographers, television programs created by
groups of people, photos or cutlines chosen in newspapers)
7.
Understands influences on the construction of media messages and images (e.g., the
historical period or place in which they were made; laws that govern mass media, such as
truth in advertising; the socio-cultural background of the target audience; financial
factors such as sponsorship; cause-and-effect relationships between mass media coverage
and public opinion trends)
Level IV Grade : 9-12
1.
Understands that media messages have economic, political, social, and aesthetic purposes
(e.g., to make money, to gain power or authority over others, to present ideas about how
people should think or behave, to experiment with different kinds of symbolic forms or
ideas)
2.
Understands how different media (e.g., documentaries, current affairs programs, web pages)
are structured to present a particular subject or point of view
3.
Understands aspects of the construction of media messages and products (e.g., the
significance of all parts of a visual text, such as how a title might tie in with main
characters or themes)
4.
Understands production elements that contribute to the effectiveness of a specific medium
(e.g., the way black-and-white footage implies documented truth; the way set design
suggests aspects of a character's socio-cultural context; effectiveness of packaging for
similar products and their appeal to purchasers)
5.
Understands aspects of media ownership and control (e.g., concentration of power and
influence with a few companies; diversification of media corporations into other
industries; the commercial nature of media; influence of origins on a media message or
product)
6.
Understands the influence of different factors (e.g., media owners, sponsors of specific
programs, codes governing advertising aimed at children, copyright laws) on media
production, distribution, and advertising (e.g., whether a program is scheduled late at
night or at peak times, whether a film is released in theaters or only on video)
7.
Understand different aspects of advertising in media (e.g., advertising intertwined with
media content, such as advertising copy presented in the form of news stories or the close
association of feature articles with surrounding advertisements; the influence of
advertising on virtually every aspect of the media, such as the structure of newspapers;
advertisers as a pressure group; sponsorship as a form of advertising; ambience in media
that is sympathetic to advertising, such as lifestyles portrayed on television)
8.
Understands the extent to which audience influences media production (e.g., selection of
audiences on the basis of their importance to advertisers or media institutions;
production of programs with high audience ratings and low production costs, such as game
shows; how media producers determine or predict the nature of audiences)
9.
Understands the relationship between media and the production and marketing of related
products (e.g., how and why books are reissued in conjunction with film releases; how the
target audience for a film determines the range of products marketed and this marketing in
turn helps shape the film)
10.
Understands the influence of media on society as a whole (e.g., influence in shaping
various governmental, social, and cultural norms; influence on the democratic process;
influence on beliefs, lifestyles, and understanding of relationships and culture; how it
shapes viewer's perceptions of reality; the various consequences in society of ideas and
images in media)
11.
Understands legal and ethical responsibilities involved in media use (e.g., censorship;
copyright laws; FCC regulations; protection of the rights of authors and media owners;
standards for quality programming; regulations for broadcast repeats; forms of media
self-control; governmental, social, and cultural agencies that regulate media content and
products)
12.
Understands the role of the media in addressing social and cultural issues (e.g., creating
or promoting causes: U.N. military action, election of political parties; use of media to
achieve governmental, societal, and cultural goals)