Media Studies: Level 2
Time Frame: 4-5 weeks
Achievement Criteria:
(from Standard / AOs from Curriculum/Learning Outcomes for the unit) Achievement criteria is broken down using standards based assessment criteria to introduce students to 90278 - representation 90277 – close reading.
Resources for this Unit: Ondisk Representation of Women DVD
Writer: Rachel Renner
Released November 2006
Context
Senior students can approach representation through a number of different types of mediums and texts. This module gives students the chance to interact with extracts from New Zealand film and television texts and study representation that is selected to focus and track the changing representations of women over a period of time. These representations are explored through advertisements, and extracts from drama and documentary. The disc also provides the historical context of newsreels and old footage from events in the past (actualities). These will serve to give a historical context to the mediated representations that we are familiar with.
This module will draw on student’s knowledge of close reading and through this teach the ability to recognize representations. Where certain extracts have been chosen teachers must acknowledge the deliberate selection that has gone into the choosing and the possible ramifications of this. Sections have been chosen because they show certain aspects of women’s representation. This selection in itself is of interest in terms of discussion.
Outline
Students begin the module learning about what representation is and why it is a key concept in Media Studies. This understanding is then used as a lens to discuss the representations of New Zealand women. The texts themselves become the platform to develop the necessary written responses for 2.3. The resource has been designed with particular extracts in mind but the approach can equally be transferred to any of the other extracts on the DVD.
Learning Intentions:
To explore representations of New Zealand women in film and television texts.
To teach students how to question these representations.
To develop an awareness about what is not being represented and why.
To be able to identify dominant messages and or values in the texts and to question the intention behind these messages / values.
Success Criteria
Identified in details in the teaching/learning sequence. Success criteria are to be used as indicators of understanding of the student with self, peer and teacher assessment.
Further Resource Links
Film Language: Learning Media Exploring Language: Visual Language pages 209-217 or http://english.unitecnology.ac.nz/resources/resources/exp_lang/moving_images.html
Media Literacy: http://www.medialit.org/reading_room/rr6.php
Achievement Standard 90278 - Representation
Achievement Standard 90277 – Close Reading
A report to help with understanding of representation of Maori in the Media to support Standing in the Sunshine.
The portrayal of women on Television – an article.
Timeline of significant events in New Zealand history. Ministry of Women’s Affairs.
American cultural history in decades. Helpful for general background.
Media teaching site with excellent information and links.
Vocab List (MS/Eng)
Representation, messages, values, audience, ideology, genre, documentary
The above concepts are defined on the TKI media studies website:
Prior knowledge established (Media Studies)
Think/Write/Pair/Share activities to gain prior knowledge of representations, messages and values
It is expected that students have a prior knowledge of film and television production techniques from earlier units: shots, angles, movement, sound, lighting, costume, dialogue, setting.
Learning intentions need to be established at the beginning of each teaching lesson so that the students know what they are expected to grasp and the teacher can keep on track with the overall desired outcomes. The success criteria are designed so the student can understand what they are working toward, and when they have achieved a learning intention. While writing effectively for 2.3 is the ultimate outcome of this unit, there are many opportunities for discussion that will help with growing understanding of the key concepts of media studies; audience, representation, genre, technology, media ownership and ideology.
When we are discussing representation that is essentially New Zealand by nature and has been produced in part through state broadcasting we must acknowledge the dominant ideologies that emerge from such representations. These are then extended in a very interesting manner when the representation comes through women.
The concepts above are defined on the TKI Media Studies website
