Media - Day 2 grades 7+ learning activities

These activities will help youth build a positive view of themselves and recognize their strengths while thinking about media. They can be done alone or with friends over a video chat such as Skype, Zoom, Facetime, etc.

Mindfulness Activity

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Riddle: Which weighs more, a pound of feathers or a pound of bricks? See mindfulness activity answer at the end of the lesson plan.

Mindfulness Activity:

Think about if you had inside weather, what would it be right now? Would it be sunny? Cloudy? Rainy? Stormy?​

Make Your Own Magazine

Supplies:

  • pencil
  • paper
  • scissors
  • markers or pencil crayons
  • magazines
  • glue

Make your own magazine about any topics you want. Try these topics or come up with your own:

  • Top 6 things to do at home during quarantine
  • Write a short story/comic hero story
  • Sports/Entertainment theme
  • Things I miss most…
  • My favorite video games

To make your magazine:

  • Fold two sheets of paper in half and place one inside the other. Now you have eight pages to decorate (front and back).
  • Fill in your blank booklet and turn it into a fun and creative magazine.

Once you have completed your magazine, share it with your family or friends.

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Fake News!

This activity will test whether or not you have the detective skills to see whether news is real or fake.

Fake news is created to purposely mislead or deceive readers. Fake news is often created to influence social views or for political motives.

How to spot fake news:

  • Look for weird URLs - If the ending is something unfamiliar like .lo or .com.co, they are probably not authentic.
  • Look at the text - If there are grammatical errors, incorrect dates, or bold claims with no source, the source is probably not legitimate.
  • Dig deeper - Check the ‘about us’ section of the website and research the source online. If you can’t find that information, it’s probably not legitimate.
  • Cross check - Use fact checking sites to confirm information and see if other credible sites are sharing the same info.
  • Reverse image search - If the same image appears in unrelated stories, you may have reason to be suspicious.

Use the tips above to research this news article​ and answer these questions:

  • What is the source?
  • Who wrote it?
  • When was it written?
  • What’s the background?
  • Is it meant to be a joke?
  • Is it based on rumours?
  • Why are you interested in the story?
  • What other sources are reporting on this story?

Now read if the news was real or fake.

The Interview

Supplies:

  • pencil
  • paper
  • scissors
  • markers or pencil crayons
  • magazines
  • glue

Interview a friend or family member you want to get to know. You can Facetime or Zoom a friend to complete the interview.

  • Start by asking questions like “what is your favourite sport or TV show?” or “If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?”
  • Practice active listening and make sure the person you are interviewing knows you are interested in what they are saying.
  • Next, try asking a few more personal questions, like “what is something you’ve always wanted to try, but haven’t had the courage to do it yet?” or “if you had unlimited money, how would you spend your time?”

Use the answers and create a biography of each person (you can create a magazine for them like in the previous activity). Share it with your family or friend to see how correct your information is.

Review Questions

  • How does it feel to use media to share your interests?
  • When do you think sharing information from the internet, magazines or newspapers is helpful? When is it not helpful?
  • How can you use media to communicate positively?
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Trivia Answer

Answer: Neither. They both weigh one pound.

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