Teaching Global Awareness Using the Media. Grades 6-12, Global Awareness Series.

This teaching guide on global awareness contains 15 media-related activities for students in grades 6-12. The objective is to help students see how the media affect their opinions and the roles the media plays in world affairs. The activities are divided into five sections. The first section contains a general survey of the students' knowledge of and attitudes toward the media and a guessing game. Activities in section two deal with print journalism, teaching students to be aware of world news and decisions reporters and editors make as well as to question stereotypic perceptions. Activities in section three cover broadcast journalism. Students analyze TV coverage and the effect of popular radio on social attitudes and political unrest. For example, "Top 40 Political Protests" shows how music played on pop radio affects political and social thinking. In this activity, students fill out questionnaires giving their feelings about what qualities a president of the United States should have. Then they listen to or read the lyrics to "Dear Mr. President" to see how the song affects what they first wrote on the questionnaire. Activities in the fourth section demonstrate the way print and broadcast advertising mold our lives. Each activity contains an introduction; a list of objectives; information on grade level, time required, and materials needed for the activity; suggested teaching procedures; and a list of follow-up activities. The last section contains class handout materials. (Author/NE)