Level: Grades 2 to 5

Overview

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In this lesson, students learn how the media construct reality by studying the families portrayed on television, and comparing them to the real-life families they know: their own, and those of their peers. The lesson begins with a survey of student's favourite TV shows about families, and what they enjoy most about them. In groups, students select a family-based television show to monitor and report on. As each group reports, students will discuss whether or not the program accurately represents real families and family relationships.

Learning Outcomes

Students will:

• recognize that the media construct reality
• understand that the representations made by the media are not always accurate
• enjoy investigating family shows on TV

Materials and Preparation 

• Distribute Letter to Parents
• Photocopy handouts of My TV Survey and My TV Family Log
• Create a list of television shows about families. Include times, days and the channels on which they appear. The list might include programs like: Malcolm in the Middle, Everybody Loves Raymond, Full House, The Simpsons, Rug Rats, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Hey Arnold, Home Improvement, The Cosby Show.

The Lesson

Explain to your class that in the next week they are going to be looking at TV families. Ask them to think about the television programs that they enjoy watching. Distribute the My TV Survey and let students answer the questions. Discuss their answers or tally the results as a class over the next week.

Preparation for Group Activity

Divide students into groups and let each group decide which television show they would like to watch. Distribute My TV Family Log, get students to fill in the name of their assigned program, and discuss the elements they will be looking for as they fill out the rest at home with their parents.

Activity - approximately one week later

Once group members have gathered their information individually, they should create a group report on their program, which they will present to the class. (When describing the individual TV family members, students might like to present them "in character.") When each group has finished presenting, the class will discuss the following questions.  

• Do you know anyone who is like a character from this TV family?
  
  
• What do you think of the kids in this TV family? Are they like you, or different from you? What do you like about these kids? What don't you like about them?
  
  
• What are the relationships like between the members of this TV family? Does everyone get along? Are they always arguing, or putting each other down, or do they support one another?
  
  
• Is this how real families act?
  
  
• How are problems resolved in your TV family?
  
  
• Do you think that the actors who play the roles of the members of this family act this way in real life?
  
  
• Does this family live like your family does? (i.e. their house, their neighborhood, their clothes?)
  
  
• Do the members of this TV family participate in activities that your family participates in? What are the differences?
  
  
• Who is missing in this TV family?
  
  
• For those of you who watched this show, how do you feel when you watch it? Does it make you happy? Relaxed? Upset? Angry? Amused?
  
  
• How would we rate this TV family? (Have class vote and record the results on the blackboard under categories like Real or Not Real)

Once the groups have presented and the class has voted, ask the following questions: 

• Is it okay to have TV shows about families that are not very realistic? Think back to your feelings when you were watching some of these shows. What are some good things about looking at these TV families, especially those whose members don't act like real people? (They are funny to watch, you can escape from your own world.)
  
  
• Why might it be a problem for some kids to watch these shows? (They may think that this is how other families behave, it might make them feel that something is missing or wrong in their own families.)

Tell students to think about their own families and the activities that they enjoy. Write "We Are Real" on the blackboard and tell the class that you would like them to draw, create a collage, or paint a picture of themselves and their families doing an activity that they enjoy doing together. (Alternately, you could ask students to bring in photographs of themselves and their families and create a larger collage on a classroom bulletin board.)

Evaluation 

• Group presentations and log.
• Pictures