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Title PUTTING THE ME IN MEDIA
ED 3601 Unit Plan
Amy Hycha
GLO
General Outcome 1
Students will listen, speak, read, write,
view and represent to explore thoughts,
ideas, feelings and experiences.
General Outcome 2
Students will listen, speak, read, write,
view and represent to comprehend and
respond personally and critically to oral,
print and other media texts.
General Outcome 3
Students will listen, speak, read, write,
view and represent to manage ideas and
information.
General Outcome 5
Students will listen, speak, read, write,
view and represent to respect, support
and collaborate with others.
Subject Area ELA
Grade Level 9
Length of Unit 27 DAYS
Teacher Associate MERRY FRANZ
School WILLOW CREEK H.S.
SLO
1.2 Clarify and Extend
1.2.1. Consider the ideas of others: integrate
own perspectives and interpretations with new
understandings developed through discussing
and through experiencing a variety of oral, print
and other media texts
2.1 Use Strategies and Cues
2.1.2. Use comprehension strategies: identify
explicit and implicit ideas and information in
texts; listen and respond to various
interpretations of the same text
2.2 Respond to Texts
2.2.1. Experience various texts: experience
oral, print and other media texts from a variety
of cultural traditions and genres, such as essays,
broadcast advertisements, novels, poetry,
documentaries, films, electronic magazines and
realistic fiction
2.2.3. Appreciate the artistry of texts: identify
features that define particular oral, print and
other media texts; discuss differences in style
and their effects on content and audience
impression
2.3 Understand Forms, Elements and Techniques
2.3.3. Experiment with language: analyze
creative uses of language and visuals in popular
culture, such as advertisements, electronic
magazines and the Internet; recognize how
imagery and figurative language, such as
metaphor, create a dominant impression, mood
and tone
3.2 Select and Process
3.2.3. Evaluate sources: evaluate sources for
currency, reliability and possible bias of
information for a particular research project
5.2 Work within a Group
5.2.1. Cooperate with others: contribute to
group efforts to reach consensus or conclusions,
by engaging in dialogue to understand the ideas
and viewpoints of others
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OVERVIEW

I.D.E.A Intentions, Display, Evaluation, Activities

Intentions (Goals, Objectives)
Type of Unit
Media Unit (Song, advertisement, letter writing).

Focus of Learning for Students

Students will create a new appreciation for texts that are not novels, in the same appreciation
novels are acknowledged.
Students will create a song analysis on a song of their choice.
Students will create an analyzation of an advertisement through three elements of advertising
(visual, auditory, psychology)
Students will create a formal letter, with strong opinion, without being inflammatory.

Emphasis of Unit
Writing
Speaking/Listening
Representing

Essential Questions
How are different forms of text considered literature?
What elements are encompassed in advertisements with the intent to persuade viewers?
How do you communicate a strong opinion, without being inflammatory?

Major Projects
Song Analysis Performance Task.
Advertisement Analysis Performance Task.
Formal Business Letter

Inclusion of the Strands of Language Arts

Reading Writing Speaking/Listening Viewing Representing

Power points Song Analysis Listening to lyrics Viewing music videos, Response from class
Reading song lyrics, Advertisement Analysis Whole-class discussion You Tube videos, Ted discussions
article, power points, Formal letter Small-group discussion Talks, Ads, Letter review Memes, 3-2-1, posters,
Research for artist, Writing prompts Slogan creation videos, notes Graffiti wall
advertisement Logo, New Product +
(company), letter topic slogan
Inflammatory or not game

Display (Resources)

Ted Talk
4 Cs handout (x50)

Song Analysis
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Daily PowerPoint (Leth Google Drive)

Mama Said (song) Lyrics
Lyric work sheet x55
Assignment sheet (added to Google Classroom)
o 40 + 10 K&E

Ad Analysis
Sentence Hand out (x15)
Scenarios hand out (x15)
Verbal, Visual & Pysc. fill in notes
o 55 + 15 KEYs
Ad Analysis 1 & 2
o 40 + 10 K&E, 2 MOD

Formal Letter
Format Quiz
Letter Assignment
o K&E personal response
Graffiti wall paper (large roll)

Evaluation
Formative Assessments
Group discussion
o Partner chats
Individual discussion
o Student exemplars
Lyric work sheet
Thumb up/down
Observations in class
3-2-1
Logo creation, product + slogan
Graffiti wall + Gallery walk
Format Quiz

Summative Assessments
Song analysis
Ad analysis
Formal letter
o K&E personal response

Activities
Meme creation
Ted Talk
o 4 Cs worksheet
Writing prompts
Students asses Miss Hycha (half way point)

SONG:
Watch music video/listen to song
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3-2-1
Lyric analysis (as class)
Work sheet
Song analysis

AD:
Videos: info., shocking truths, Super bowl ads,
30s how many ways to advertise
Ad situations students discuss
Students (groups) choose ad Ad analysis #1
Create own logo, new product + slogan
Class delivered notes + students independently go through notes

LETTER:
Students write to Miss Hycha pursue to change seating plan
Inflammatory
o Trump tweets
o Students find internet examples
Inflamm. or Not game
Letter topic (Claresholm marijuana plant)
o Discussion
o Research
o Graffiti wall + gallery walk
Letter to Mayor about the plant

RATIONALE
I have attempted to include a variety of assignments within my unit plan to appeal to a wide
range of learners; visual, auditory, read-write, and kinaesthetic. I have also included roughly equally
the same amount of individual and group work (or the potential for assignments to be), to appease
to those who prefer one over the other. Since this is a media unit, I felt that I had the opportunity to
include a lot of relevant topics to the teens of today. From new music, to popular advertisements
and current issues, I hope that this will be able to grab my students attention and engage them in
my lessons. To accommodate the several students that I have in my class that are on the K&E
curriculum, a majority of the performance tasks are more of a personal response (that is what is
required from them on the PAT.) I am aware and willing to adapt any of tasks to accommodate the
needs of individual students. There is also one student, sometimes two, who require modified
assignments, and as a result, components of the assignment are taken and adapted to meet their
needs.

This unit is being conducted after a poetry unit, and as a result I thought an effective transition
could be a song analysis, because it is both media and poetry. The letter is in preparation for the
students PAT, but it is something that the students have been working on previously. The writing
that I am having the students conduct is with the attempts to improve them as writers by having
them experience writing as frequently as possible. In addition this unit could connect well to a
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health/leadership class when looking at advertisements and the way they effect how individuals
view themselves/other/the world around them. It could also connect to Social Studies through the
type of media that is chosen, and the topics for letter writing. Even the knowledge of
inflammatory/loaded language has the potential to aid the students in their every day lives and
conversations, as does the recognition of advertisements and the true meaning behind them. The
more I think, the more connections I see

I found it quite simple to address the program of studies, what I found difficult was narrowing it
down to a manageable amount! Outcome 1 was linked through the exploration of different forms of
media, and to acknowledge a variety of perspectives within media. Outcome 2 was linked greatly as
it had students comprehend/respond to a variety of mediums, media being one of them! Outcome 3
was addressed most prominently when the students were asked to evaluate sources in ads. Lastly,
outcome 5 was addressed when the students were asked to share/present their work/finding on
several occasions.

ACTIVITY DETAIL
BEGIN/END CLASS + ETC.:
On Monday mornings - begin the class by asking the students a Peak/Pit of their weekend.
This gives an opportunity for the students to get their chatters outs, and to hear what one
another were up too on the weekend.
o Give different prompts for pairing up students: same height, same color shirt, born
in same month, etc.
If there was a few minutes left over I would
o Show visual puns/idioms and encourage the students to guess what it was
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1JLCM-j1LuF7VSPh3dpcNmFci-
kAvyq8jNkrM7TClbgQ/edit#slide=id.p
o Google Feud, or Quick Draw
Ted Talk Tuesday: Do a quick intro about what Ted Talks are, then encourage the students
to relax, and listen/watch the talk.
o Distribute a 4 Cs handout, w/ questions for the students to think about during the
talk, and allocate time after to answers
After, lead a discussion afterword to gauge their feelings.
o The Talk featuring Sir Ken Robinson really evoked some feelings about the purpose
of education!
https://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity
o Why a good book is a secret door
http://www.ted.com/talks/mac_barnett_why_a_good_book_is_a_secret_door

INTRODUCTION
INTRO: the first day is dedicated to getting to know one another. I plan to do this with a
Kahoot Quiz that I have created with questions about myself. Then to help me put a name to
a face, I am asking the kids to create a post for a Padlet that I have created, that will ask for
their best selfie & a question like what do you want to do after high school/when you grow
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up? Finally I have a Facebook template questionnaire for the students to fill out to provide
me some info about them.
MEME: since several students will be gone on a ski trip, I wanted to provide a fun activity.
Because it was a small class, and I wanted to reward the students who actually showed up,
some felt that it was an optional day. As a result, we created memes! We learned about the
history of memes, filled in a blank one as a class, then created our own. We viewed them all
in class the following day.

SONG ANALYSIS
Begin by introducing the students to the song Mama Said by Lukas Graham. Listen to the
song, while following along with the lyrics (watch the music video later on)
3-2-1 about the artist. Give the students time to research him them share what they have
found (3 interesting facts, 2 things you didnt know, & 1- song/photo)
Discuss the importance of lyrics (what are they, who for, why), go through the lyrics line by
line and discuss the deeper meaning.
o Go over the lyrics line by line and ask the students for deeper meaning
o Have the students independently work through the lyrics worksheet to get them to
think deeper about lyric meaning
Song Analysis assignment:
o Give students time to find a song, then provide them with adequate time to work out
their song analysis assignment

ADVERTISEMENT
Ad intro:
o Sentence about ads + scenarios
Pass out sentence (Google Drive) have the students In pairs, have the
students discuss the meaning of the words in bold. Tell them to try to
understand from the context if they are not sure.
In small groups, have the students discuss the scenarios and answer the
prompted questions
o Ads in home effectiveness of ads
Have the students chat w/ a small group about where they find ads, ask
them to come write their findings on the board, conduct a group discussion
from there
o Main message of ads
Discuss what the students view as the main purpose, gauge and lead a group
discussion on the matter
o View examples of visual ads
In small groups, have the students view an assortment of ads (up loaded to
Google Classroom) and discuss their effectiveness
Videos:
o Effects of advertising
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOeuHJhj-gc
o Shocking truths about ads
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nte2Yt71ZQs&t=9s
o Best Super bowl ads 2017
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF3wOrWBKjc&t=24s
o What if there was no advertising (sponge)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01PUSrLCvcM
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Product creation give the students the prompt to create a new product or a twist on a old
product
o Create a logo for it
o Create & share a slogan

Elements of ads (students will fill in notes from a power point)

o Visual, verbal/auditory, and psychological
o Periodically (queues in power point) have the students pick out the different
elements in the ad they found for Ad Analysis 1
Ad Analysis 1
o In small groups, have the students pick an advertisement and answer an array of
questions about the ad & the company (assignment on Google Classroom)
Ad Analysis 2
o Independently, have the students use the notes they have gathered about the
elements of ads, and examples from their ads, and conduct an ad analysis
(assignment on Google Drive)

FORMAL LETTER
Formal Letter: the students already have some knowledge about the proper formatting of a
formal letter and envelope, have them view the review videos that MF has put on her
Weebly page (about 30mins worth of videos).
o Sponge: kahoot game on letter format
o Quiz: letter format, inflammatory language for K&E students
o Assignment: the students will be asked to write a formal letter, that contains a
strong opinion, without being inflammatory. To prepare the students for their PAT
they will be given a 60 minute time period to write this letter, they will be provided
with the necessary assignment sheet.
Possible topics could be something that surrounds current politics
WCCHS topic: Marijuana plan opening in Claresholm letter to the Mayor
Discussion around this topic through class discussion, news videos,
students conducted research + graffiti wall of pro/con on topic.

Inflammatory: to introduce this, the students will partake in a game in which a few
teammates will need to decide if a quote is inflammatory or not. This game is created on an
interactive PowerPoint, that provides reasoning to each answer, with the purpose to
scaffold into the letter they will be writing (as noted above).
o Examples of inflammatory language via Trump tweets. Choose inflammatory words,
rewrite w/o inflammatory
o Students find own examples of inflammatory tweets, headline, news stories, then
share w/ the class
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REFLECTION

Yahoo, yes, yay, yipee I made it through PS11, and I loved every minute of it! I had the
most wonderful classes of grade nines, and to top it off I had the most wonderful teacher associate
(who I refer to as MF in my unit/lesson plan) and most wonderful university consultant (who I
refer to as BS). I really could not have asked for a better placement or experience. I learned a lot,
taught a lot, and had a lot of fun along the way. I am sad to leave, but Claresholm will always have a
special place in my heart.
HOW UNIT WENT: I was so excited for this unit, the media unit, and it did not disappoint. I
planned a lot more than I was actually able to get through, and as a result, a few things needed to be
adjusted (view draft unit plan that is full of pink pen). I was not able to get to do a film analysis like I
had planned, but we did do a few Ted Talk Tuesdays which allowed the students to view short
videos and extract meaning from them. I periodically gave the students writing prompts, and I
really enjoyed the outcome! I loved reading what they had to say, and they seemed to enjoy writing
them. Prompts would include; write a letter to a friend thanking them for an onion-garlic flavored
gum, what charity would you donate 1 million dollars to and why, what they gained from guest
presentations, and etc. One prompt that I particularly enjoyed was during our letter unit, and it was
persuasive letter to me, convincing me to change the seating plan or keep it the same. This was after
I had put the students desks in rows as opposed to the groups they were in previously (they were
being crazy chatty and we needed a change!) The letters were so well done! And resulted in me
arranging the desks into pairs, with a few rows of single desks (compromise), and no seating plan!
Which was revolutionary for them. The other teacher, including my TA, thought that I was nuts. But
it worked for me, and it worked for them!
WHAT WE DID/LEARNED: The song analysis was a big hit, and a great way to begin this
unit as the class had just finished up a poetry unit so we had some good discussion about the
similarities and difference while acknowledging individual components of lyrics. The unit was
finished off with the students choosing their own, school appropriate, song that they then analyzed.
Next was the advertising component, which was also a lot of fun! We looked at many examples of
popular ads, the effectiveness of ads, creating own products/logos/slogans, and more. I shocked the
students when I actually had to give them some notes, but we worked through it (ad elements:
visual, auditory, psychological) and then used those notes to analyze an advertisement of their
choice. Last was the letter unit, this wasnt actually really media but it is a component of the PAT
exam, so we had a review. We learned about components of inflammatory language, to prepare the
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students to write a letter with a strong opinion, which refrains from using inflammatory language.
We reviewed letter format, examples of inflammatory language, and finished off with a mock letter
to the Mayor of Claresholm to address a current issue that the town is facing.
CHANGE/CONTINUE: Overall, there are few things that I would change about this unit. I
really enjoyed teaching it! Next time I may be more conscious about the amount I plan, but it may
vary from class to class. I think that it will depend how the classes learn, and if there is any
things/events/days that play a factor in the conduction of the unit. I suppose that it is better to plan
too much, than too little. A lot of time was spent on the advertising unit, but I do not think anything
could necessary be dropped to keep the quality. If I was to teach this from year to year, I could
alternate what units that I taught, film one year and ads the next or something of that nature. One
aspect that I really enjoyed was the fact that I taught two classes, of ELA, back to back. To make it
easier for myself, I taught the exact same unit (for the most part, sometimes things needed to be
adjusted). I now have a whole new appreciation for teachers when they made comments about
being behind/ahead of another class. I get it now! The first class was almost like my guinea pigs... I
would teach their lesson, then make quick adjustments for the next class. I had the thought that that
may be the reason that my second class did better on several assignments. An alternative may be to
do some adjustments and have the second class be the first class I teach the lesson too. This would
involve some differentiation and planning on my part, but it would be something to consider if I
was teaching long term. One other thing that I did during my practicum, that I really enjoyed and
will definitely continue, (give myself a little pat on the back) was having the students give me an
assessment of my teaching at the half way mark. I really appreciated what they had to say, and they
all had such wonderful things to say, it made my heart smile. I would 110% continue the writing
prompts, as noted above, because I simply loved reading them! A more formal way to go about it
could be to have the students start a designated writing journal, folder, etc. That way all of their
writing could be in one place, and it would not be a worry to keep all of the loose sheets of paper
organized.
FINAL COMMENTS: