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Citizenship at key stages 1 and 2 (Year 3-6)
Unit 11: In the media - what's the news?
Section 3: How do the media present social issues?
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Objectives |
| Children should learn: |
- to discuss, write about and explain their views on issues that affect themselves and society
- that the actions people choose affect themselves and others
- to try to see things from others' points of view
- to use their imagination to understand other people's experiences
- to create and sustain roles in a dramatic activity
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Activities |
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Outcomes |
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Children: |
- Explore a relationship issue, eg friendship, bullying, risk-taking. Ask the children which soap operas they watch, and ask them to identify themselves with a character, eg If you could be someone in a soap, who would you be? Why? The children explore differing values and attitudes by thinking about the actions of some of the characters they have chosen or by watching a recent video clip from the programme. Why does character X behave in that way (what is their motive)? What are the consequences? Could the character have chosen a better course of action? What might the consequences have been? Why is this a better outcome? Where appropriate, discuss why honesty, loyalty and respect are important in relationships.
- Ask the children to consider the different viewpoints that people (and cultures) might have on a particular issue raised in the soap opera, and make a list of those they identify. Drama techniques such as 'hot seating' and 'conscience alley' may be useful here.
- Ask the children to write a letter, using persuasive language, to encourage a soap character to take a particular course of action. The children could use a range of resources for ideas on what advice to include in the letter.
- Extension activity: The children could research how other media (eg magazines, newspapers, factsheets, school resources) address relationship issues. They consider which of these media give them accurate information, realistic scenarios, help and advice. They could go on to produce a magazine article/storyboard/video/audio recording/puppet show/short play on a specific issue that concerns them.
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- use different ways to communicate personal and group views on social issues
- recognise their own and other people's feelings, and use their imagination to understand other people's actions and experiences
- know what we do that makes others happy, sad or cross, and what helps and what hinders friendships
- know that people live their lives in different ways, and that different cultures may have different ways of dealing with issues
- recognise that honesty, loyalty, understanding and respect are important in relationships
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Points to note |
- It is thought that popular TV soaps can contribute to the development of children's knowledge and understanding about society. Open discussion using characters from a soap allows them to monitor their understanding and can help them to distinguish fiction from reality.
- Liaison with parents is essential, as some parents may not let their children watch certain programmes. Notify parents if extracts are to be shown. If no extract is shown, give a brief summary of the programme at the beginning of the lesson to avoid excluding children who have not seen it. The summary should include details of the plot, characters and action.
- Be sensitive to children who may be experiencing traumas similar to those of a popular soap character.
- 'Hot seating' is where a child sits on a chair and pretends to be a character from a soap opera, story, etc. The other children in the class ask questions, and the child in the hot seat answers from the point of view of 'their' character. 'Conscience alley' is used to explore issues from different standpoints. The class is split into two groups. One group prepares arguments for one side of the issue and the other group prepares arguments for the other side. A child is then asked to sit or walk between the two groups, listen to the arguments and decide which group to side with.
- Link with English: En S&L, 4c in the key stage 2 programme of study.
- For younger children, stories can be a useful way to deal with issues. The Citizenship Foundation's Introducing Citizenship materials include 'The scary video', which illustrates choices that young children can make about what they watch.
- This section could be linked to aspects of geography and history that explore the diversity of ideas, beliefs and attitudes of people in the past and present, from different cultures and communities.
- Link with geography: 3f, 3g in the key stage 2 programme of study.
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This unit is divided into sections. Each section contains a sequence of
activities with related objectives and outcomes. You can view this unit by
moving through the sections or print/download the whole unit.
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