Level: Grades 6 - 8

Overview

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This lesson helps students become more aware of the stereotypes associated with portrayals of students and teachers on TV. (It is also a good follow-up to the elementary lesson TV Stereotypes.) Images of Learning begins with a class discussion about common television stereotypes that are found in the school-based television shows and films that students enjoy. Students respond to questions about television stereotypes and then write a short opinion piece about whether the teachers and students on TV influence their own attitudes about learning. In groups, students create a series outline for their own school-based television show and perform a scene from an episode.

Outcomes

Students will:

• recognize that the media construct reality
• examine how teachers and students are portrayed in school-based television shows
• understand the conventions and stereotypes that are commonly used in school-based television shows
• examine their own perceptions of various stereotypes

Preparation and Materials

• Check copyright laws in your area and, if possible, tape excerpts from two or three programs that feature students and teachers, such as "Malcolm in the Middle," "The Simpsons," "Clueless," "Student Bodies," "Breaker High," and "Degrassi - The Next Generation."
  
  
• If taping excerpts is not possible, assign your students home viewing of these programs during the week before this lesson.
  
  
• Photocopy the worksheet Images of Learning

Background Information for teachers

For background information on the portrayal of teachers and students on television, review:

• Teacher/Student TV Stereotypes Chart
  
  
• "Tinsel Town Teachers"
  
  
• For more information about the portrayal of children on television, read the Children Now Report: "The Reflection on the Screen: Television's Image of Children." (On right sidebar.)

Procedure

Guided Discussion

• Ask students to brainstorm television shows that feature teachers and students and list the shows on the board.
  
  
• Beside this list, create four columns with the headings Female Teacher, Male Teacher, Female Student and Male Student and a fifth column entitled Common Themes.
  
  
• Keeping the shows that were suggested in mind, ask students for words to describe the TV portrayal of these characters and list them in the appropriate column.
  
  
• In addition, ask students to brainstorm common themes in these TV programs (i.e. idealistic teacher vs. incorrigible students or students vs. evil teacher/principal).
  
  
• Ask students to think of movies that they have seen that focus on kids or teens in school (a partial list is contained in "Tinsel town teachers: How to wag the dog in class"). Are film portrayals of teachers and students different from television portrayals?
  
  
• Examine the words associated with each character - ask students whether they think the characters they have described are realistic or stereotypical figures.
  
  
• Do your students mind the use of stereotypes in programs such as these? What are the advantages/disadvantages of using these stock characters?
  
  
• Look at the list of television shows. Which of these shows use stereotypes, and which, if any, are more realistic?
  
  
• For the programs that students consider more realistic, ask them to list the elements that make it more real to them.
  
  
• Show excerpts from the television shows that you have taped (or have students recall the television programs they watched at home).
  
  
• Distribute the Images of Learning worksheet to students and ask them to answer the questions. Discuss answers.

Activities

Activity One

In a short opinion piece, ask students to respond to the following question:

• Do the teachers and students on TV influence your own attitude about learning? In what ways?

Activity Two

In groups, have students create a series outline for their own school-based television program. This could be a realistic drama, or a humorous sitcom. Their outline would include:

• target audience
  
  
• a plot summary and overview
  
  
• a list of characters, including physical descriptions, personality traits and backgrounds
  
  
• episode guide of first five episodes
  
  
• Once the series outlines have been completed, have students create a script for a scene from one of their episodes, and present the scene to the class. 

Evaluation

• Opinion piece

• Completed worksheets

• Group series outline and performance

Related Lesson

TV Stereotypes