Communication:  Viewing

C3 The student will comprehend and analyze information he or she receives from nonprint sources.

In 2002, the South Carolina State Department of Education approved the revised curriculum standards for English language arts (ELA), which, for the first time, include “viewing.” Viewing joins listening, speaking, reading, writing, and research as another important element in the ELA classroom. The viewing strand refers to nonprint texts, which are defined as sources of information such as television, radio, films, movies, videotapes, live performances, the Internet, and other multi-media technologies.  Every day, students come in contact with media
and technology. The challenge is to help them make sense of it all and respond personally, critically, and creatively. The inclusion of viewing recognizes the powerful force of visual media in the 21st century. Students are exposed to and, for the most part, are conversant in the world of movies, television, video, video games, the Internet, and other emerging technologies.

These emerging technologies include, but are not limited to, the many multi-media devices and programs which depend on the appropriate application of technology and literacy skills. Technology includes digital photography, Digital Video Discs (DVDs), CD-ROMs, HDTV (digital TV), Internet streaming, MP3 players, non-linear (computer/video) editing, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), PowerPoint presentations, Web logs (blogs), and more. Teachers must be comfortable with integrating viewing into instruction. This can be achieved by teaching, for example, how to read a photograph, the techniques of persuasion in advertising, the language of film, critical television viewing skills, information/technology literacy, and more.

The skills needed by students to navigate their visual culture are similar to those of traditional print literacy and just as important as reading and writing.  One key element is “critical inquiry” or the ability to analyze and question visual messages. Another key element is student production of visual media, thus demonstrating their understanding of advertising, aesthetic techniques, audience, bias, propaganda, purpose, and storyboarding to name a few. Beginning to integrate
viewing strategies with students can be a challenging, yet rewarding endeavor. Media can be used to extend students’ vocabulary and experiences and can help them develop lifelong critical thinking and viewing skills.  For example, teachers can begin to integrate viewing by using brief clips of films and videos instead of showing complete motion pictures or programs.
Though viewing standards are not tested on state assessments, these standards are crucial to the quality of life in a society permeated by media and technology. Teachers will notice a great deal of reciprocity between the viewing standards and the other topics of the communication strand as well as standards included in the other strands of reading, writing, and
research in this standards document.

Prekindergarten—Grade Two
Recognizes nonprint sources.

Nonprint sources may include materials such as pictures, DVDs, CD-Roms, digital photography, and advertisements.

Makes connections between material from nonprint sources and prior knowledge, other sources, and the world.

Other sources may include picture books, songs, audio tapes, television programs, etc.

Grades Three—Five
Makes connections between nonprint sources and prior knowledge, other sources, and the world.

Other sources may include books, literature, real-life experiences, etc.

Compares and contrasts the treatment of a given situation or event in print and nonprint sources.

This standard focuses on how to determine what is actual/factual (fact/opinion). An example might be how the same story is handled differently by two different news organizations.

Evaluates the ways that different nonprint sources influence and inform.

This standard focuses on how a particular medium uses bias to gain different perspectives (e.g., radio, newspaper, television).
Students should notice how the unique nature of each medium changes both the message and the impact of the message
on the audience.

Grades Six—Eight
Compares and contrasts the treatment of a given situation or event in nonprint sources.

Students should be able to determine what is factual and what is someone’s opinion, as well as determining if facts
and/or opinions are supported adequately. They should also be able to determine bias, intent, and purpose in nonprint sources.

Evaluates the ways that the use of language contributes to the medium, presentation, and impact of a message.

For example, when viewing “To Kill A Mockingbird,” students notice how lighting, sets, music, wardrobe, music videos, use of camera angles, camera moves, sound, and editing convey meaning and mood in motion pictures.

Evaluates how different nonprint sources influence and inform.

Compares and contrasts attributes of radio, television, and the Internet.

Examines how language and images are used in television news magazines such as “20/20,” “Dateline,” and “60 Minutes.”

English 1—4
Analyzes historically significant speeches to identify the rhetorical devices and features that make them memorable.

Speeches contain dozens of rhetorical devices and features such as antithesis, syllepsis, repetition, and parallelism.
Memorizing the names and definitions of rhetorical devices is not to be the emphasis of this standard. Instead, students should be able to isolate, examine, and analyze these structures and features and how they affect the speech.

Identifies the aesthetic effects that appear in nonprint sources and evaluates the techniques used to create them.

Camera position, camera angles, camera lens, lighting and color, special digital effects, music, and sound effects are techniques that both attract and increase the belief of a particular message and should be taken into consideration when evaluating techniques used with nonprint sources.