When I think of types of short non-fiction texts, newspaper and magazine articles are usually one of the first mediums that come to my mind. The question often arises in discussions concerning teaching media studies: "Do current events and media have a place in Language Arts classrooms?" I believe that the answer is an unquestionable YES! One of the primary aims of the ELA curriculum is to help students become critical thinkers and to use language to make sense of their world, as well as communicate in meaningful ways within that world. By getting students to watch, read, listen and respond to various media sources, teachers encourage students to use and understand language in a real world context. Using media is an effective way to draw students into the curriculum and also get them to analyze different texts and think deeply about world issues. Media can also be very beneficial for teachers that use a thematic approach. For example. if a teacher was doing a unit based on the theme of race and racism, he or she could use current media stories about racism, and discuss how different media presents race, and could also use a book such as Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird to compare and contrast current views and perceptions on race. By analyzing current media events, students can draw parallels and contrasts to novels and short stories and can better apply them to their own lives and world.
How to Use Media in the ELA Classroom?
The advances in technology make it very simple and easy to bring in current forms of media into the classroom. Teachers can utilize on-line news websites and podcasts, and choose a variety of media from around the world. TEachers can also bring in more traditional forms of media, such as newspapers and magazines, and can encourage their students to do the same.
Below is a list of media resources that could be useful in an ELA classroom.
-www.cbc.ca. This is the CBC webpage that contains a vast amount of news articles, video clips and podcasts. It is an invaluable resource for reputable Canadian news.
-Magazines such as McLeans, TIME, Newsweek, The New Yorker, and National and Canadian Geographic contain a lot of useful articles about current events and issues.
-Media Literacy for Global Citizenship: An educational resource for Grades 6-8, supporting Language Arts, Media Studies and Social Studies curricula. A booklet published by World Vision Canada 2003. This is a useful teacher resource with ideas and sample lesson plans for teaching media studies.
-Digital Expressions: Media Literacy and English Language Arts. Book by Roberta F. Hammett and Barrie R.C. Barrell. This is another great resource book that explains how teachers can use media and new technology in the Language Arts classroom.
