1995 - 96 Curriculum

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Have students watch the same TV news program each day for a week. Discuss.
Watch local news and compare national news coverage on the same story.
Watch TV commercials in class and discuss how people are portrayed.
Watch a sitcom about a family and discuss how realistic the relationships seem.
Role play your own talk show (including guests, host, audience reaction) on some social issue.
Have students work in small groups to create a 30-second advertisement to convince others to buy their newly created product.
Have students work in small groups to create a 30-second advertisement to convince others to buy their newly created product.
Create a video with short segments taken from TV sitcoms, news, ads, etc. for classroom discussion and analysis.
Create a bulletin board with articles or political cartoons regarding TV or advertising.
.Create a jingle quiz or a product logo quiz. Some examples are:

Jingle	Advertiser
Just Do IT	Nike
I Love What You Do For Me	Toyota
A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Waste	UNCF
Make A Run For The Border	Taco Bell
You've Got The Right One, Baby	Diet Pepsi

DISCUSSION STARTERS

Have you ever turned off the TV because of the content?
What is the role of advertising on TV?
How do you feel about the way teens are portrayed on TV?
Do you select TV programming for the purpose of entertainment or information?
Which provides you the most information regarding the world's news: TV? Radio? Newspapers? News Magazines? Internet? Other?
What would our world be like without TV?
Does cartoon violence affect viewers?
Does TV coverage affect the political process?
What is your favorite TV commercial? What is your least favorite TV commercial? Why?
.Describe your life as if it were a sitcom. soap opera or news feature.

QUESTIONNAIRE

How many TVs are in your home?

Does your family subscribe to cable?

Does your family own a VCR?

Do you have a TV in your bedroom? Do you have a VCR in your bedroom?

Who determines what you are able to watch on TV?

Does your family watch TV together?

Does your family discuss what you watch together on TV?

What is your favorite category of TV programming? (sports, news, game shows, talk shows, etc.)

.Does advertising influence your buying habits? Circle one answer.

Never

Sometimes

Often

Always

FAST FACTS

	98% OF AMERICAN HOMES HAVE TV SETS.
	THE LATEST NIELSEN RESEARCH SAYS THAT THE AVERAGE AMERICAN HOME HAS THE TELEVISION ON FOR 7½ HOURS PER DAY.
	THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR BETTER BROADCASTING ESTIMATES THAT THE AVERAGE CHILD SEES 13,000 VIOLENT DEATHS ON TV DURING HIS FORMATIVE YEARS.
	THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME AN AMERICAN SPENDS WATCHING TV IN AN AVERAGE LIFETIME OF 70 YEARS IS EQUAL TO 7 YEARS.
	THE PERCENTAGE OF CHILDREN AGES 6 TO 17 WHO HAVE TVs IN THEIR OWN BEDROOMS IS 47%.
	CHILDREN BY THE AGE OF 18 HAVE WATCHED 15,000 HOURS OF TELEVISION.
	IN 1991 CHILDREN AGES 4 - 12 SPENT NEARLY $10 BILLION DOLLARS OF THEIR OWN MONEY,M PLUS INFLUENCED THEIR FAMILIES' SPENDING OF BILLIONS MORE.
	AN AVERAGE OF 5 VIOLENT ACTS OCCUR DURING AN HOUR OF PRIME TIME TV AND 18 ACTS DURING AN HOUR OF CHILDREN'S PROGRAMMING.
	OVER 60% OF THE MOVIES RELEASED EACH YEAR ARE RATED "R".
	65% OF AMERICAN FAMILIES EAT DINNER WITH THE TV ON.
	PRESCHOOLERS WATCH AN AVERAGE OF 25 HOURS OF TV EACH WEEK.

RESOURCES

"Citizenship in a Media Age". (middle school through adults)
THE CENTER FOR MEDIA LITERACY 1-800-226-9494
http://www.earthlink.net/-cml

"Elections in the TV Age", Better Viewing, March/April 1996

"Candidates, start your engines!", Cable in the Classroom, March 1996

Newspaper in Education (NIE) election and media materials
Contact your local newspaper's NIE department

Democratic National Committee: http://www.democrats.org

Republican National Committee: http://www.rnc.org

View Smart to Vote Smart: http://www.vote-smart.org