Download Media Literacy—An Overview - Ms. Ulrich's Language Arts


9th

Ms. Ulrich
Grade Honors
A
medium is a means of communication
A
mass medium is a means of mass
communication
 Culture:
Socially influenced ways of living,
transmitted from one generation to another.
 Learning
how to use media wisely and effectively
 Engaging in critical thinking when evaluating media
messages
 Being able to evaluate the credibility of information
from different sources
 Recognizing media’s influence on beliefs, attitudes,
values, and behaviors
 Achieving greater understanding and appreciating
multiple perspectives
 Learning to produce communication and express
oneself using different forms of media
1. All media messages are “constructed.”
2. Each medium has different characteristics,
strengths, and a unique “language” of
construction.
3. Media messages are produced for particular
purposes.
4. All media messages contain embedded values and
points of view.
5. People use their individual skills, beliefs, and
experiences to construct their own meanings from
media messages.
6. Media and media messages can influence beliefs,
attitudes, values, and behaviors.
 Print
media can include logos, signage, text,
and any printed advertising (such as in
magazines and newspapers).
 Today,
the old definition of print media also
encompasses online sources of advertising
and publishing.
When viewing an ad, you
must ask yourself:
- What is being sold?
- Who is the audience?
- How is the product being
presented? (What is the
tone?)
- In what way does the ad
attempt to appeal to the
viewer/reader (pathos,
ethos, logos)?
Does the font look fun? Scary?
Professional?
 COLOR: Are the colors vivid/bright? Dark?
Subdued?
 PRODUCT: Is the product being sold the central
image in the ad? Are other images larger than the
image of the product? If so, what images take
precedence?
 TEXT: Are there any memorable phrases in the text
of the ad?
 FONT:

Colors in advertising and media are not ALWAYS symbolic,
but they can be used to set the mood.
o RED: Passion, desire, power, aggression, danger.
o PINK: Love, romance, femininity.
o YELLOW: Joy, happiness, optimism.
o BLUE: Peace, tranquility, stability.
o PURPLE: Royalty, nobility, spirituality.
o ORANGE: Energy, warmth, enthusiasm.
o GREEN: Jealousy, nature, fertility, generosity.
o BROWN: Stability, earth, outdoors.
o WHITE: Purity, marriage, innocence.
o BLACK: Evil, death, sophistication.

The shade of a color can affect its meaning. Examples:
royal blue/teal/sky blue.