Teaching Media-Text Connections

Teaching Media-Text Connections

Students today are exposed to an overwhelming amount of information from various sources. Whether reading a book, watching a movie, or listening to a podcast, students need to be able to make media-text connections between different forms of media to understand and analyze the content entirely.

Teaching RL.4.7

That’s where the teaching standard RL.4.7 comes in. This standard focuses on helping students make connections between the text of a story or drama and a visual or oral presentation of the text. Students can develop a deeper understanding of the content by identifying where each version reflects specific descriptions and directions in the text. This can help them become more effective readers and critical thinkers.

To help students develop critical thinking skills, teachers can use RL.4.7 in several ways. Here are some examples:

Media Analysis

Teachers can provide students with different forms of media related to a particular text, such as videos, images, or audio recordings. Students can then analyze these forms of media and make connections between them and the text.

Collaborative Projects

Teachers can assign collaborative projects requiring students to create visual or oral presentations related to a particular text. This project can help students develop their critical thinking skills by requiring them to make connections between the text and their creative work.

Class Discussions

Teachers can facilitate class discussions that focus on making connections between different forms of media related to a particular text. Class discussions help students develop their critical thinking skills by encouraging them to share their insights and perspectives.

Media-Text Connections Lesson Plan

Lesson on Media-Text Connections

In this blog post, I provide a step-by-step lesson plan with teaching resources to complete the activities. 

Start by downloading the handout. It includes printables and links to Google and YouTube resources you will need.

Media-Text Connections Hook Activity

Teaching RL.4.7

Have students complete this Google Forms survey. The survey asks students, “Have you read the text version of your favorite story?” “Have you watched the media version of your favorite story?” and “Which version did you like better?” The survey then lists five titles for students to tell which version of the story they liked best. Use the provided questions or edit the story titles to ones you have taught this school year.

The handout includes instructions for showing the results as a graph to the class. The PDF also provides discussion questions for students to consider the survey results.

Media-Text Connections

Video Lesson on Media-Text Connections

I created a video that “walks” students through the activities to make this lesson easy to teach. In this video, students will learn how to make connections between the text of a story or drama and a visual or oral presentation of the text. 

Activity #1: Students will complete a provided organizer while watching the video. The video covers the following:

  • definitions and examples for lesson vocabulary
  • steps to make connections between the text of a story or drama and a visual or oral presentation
  • questions to analyze a text and media
Media and Text Connections
Play Video about Media and Text Connections
Making Connections

Activity #2: The video also contains a practice exercise in which the text story “Humphrey the Bear and the Fishing Trip” is read. Next, Disney’s “Hooked Bear” is shown. Students pause the video to compare and contrast the two stories using the provided T-chart. 

The video then goes over the answers. To help you navigate through the video, I have included points and times for locating parts.

Activity #3: The video closes with a “Check for Understanding.” The video lesson includes ten questions for students to answer to make sure they understand the information taught in the lesson.

Humphrey the Bear Compare and Contrast

Extension Activity: The handout includes the drama version of “Humphrey the Bear and the Fishing Trip.” After reading the drama, students complete the included Venn diagram to compare and contrast “Humphrey the Bear and the Fishing Trip” with the drama.

If you missed the handout link above, here it is again.

Making Connections

Do you want additional teaching activities for making connections? Check out my blog post on Making Connections with Text Lessons. This post provides several activities to teach students to make connections between previous knowledge, experiences, and emotions and the text they are reading. 

Gay Miller

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