Media Literacy in Fourth Grade Enrichment Library Classes

Fourth graders at RES are beginning a unit on media literacy in their Enrichment Library classes. They are learning to think critically about the messages they see and hear in print, on television, on radio, and online. Their first activity today was to see how many products they could identify from just a single letter from brand logos. Here's the chart they used:

Their second activity was to look critically at magazine ads using the AD IT UP method:

A uthor: Who created this message?
D irected toward: Who is the audience for the ad?
I deas: What ideas or emotions does this image connect to the product?
T echniques: What techniques are used to attract your attention?
U nspoken: What is not said in this ad?
P roduction: If you were the advertiser for this product, how would you advertise it?

The students will be continuing their learning by making their own print advertisements. They'll be using some of the strategies they identified today: humor, appeal to emotions, celebrity endorsements, and more.

-Darcie Rankin, Enrichment Teacher and Beth Redford, Teacher Librarian

Brand chart was created by Susanne DeBrosse, Media Literacy Educator

AD IT UP method established by Brian Primack, MD, Ed, from the Center on Media and Child Health