Media texts might also be read in terms of dominant, intended, negotiated, variant or oppositional interpretations.
Learning intentions Students are learning to…
- Understand that different audiences approach texts from different perspectives
- Identify those different perspectives
Success criteria (How do students know they have achieved success?)
I can…
- I can explain how Niki Caro’s Breast Cancer Association ad might be read in terms of dominant, intended, negotiated, variant or oppositional interpretations.
- I can identity what those perspectives are
Activities
Definitions
Teacher discusses homework asking individual students to read out their definition of the listed categories and discussing their answers. Correct interpretations are written in the second column if necessary.
Teacher adds new categories to this list: dominant, intended, negotiated, variant or oppositional and gives definitions. Students repeat process above.
Students watch Breast Cancer Association ad
Think/Pair/Share
Students think about following questions: Dominant - how would most people interpret this ad? Intended - Is this how the film maker intended it to be interpreted? Why do you think this? Oppositional - How else could it possibly be read?
In pairs students discuss their responses. Responses are discussed with class. For example most people would read this as a positive message encouraging woman to get a mammogram through a humorous pun on the word ‘screen test’ (as the director intended), others however might be offended by the suggestion that she was willing to take off her clothes for her career.
Individual analysis
Students re-watch one of the films they have studied taking notes on two different readings as they watch. The teacher might like to suggest which readings the students focus on depending on the film.
Homework
Students write a page analysing two different readings of that text and support your comments with examples. Hand in as formative assessment.
