Noting that daytime television serials have been used to teach a variety of subjects, including writing and language skills, this paper reviews literature on the nature of soap operas so that instructors can use them more effectively. Following an introduction citing studies on the educational uses of soap operas, the paper explores the following…

Television programming has a huge impact on the lives of children. This lesson focuses on the stereotypical and racial messages that are portrayed through television programming with a focus on situational comedies. During the four 45-minute lessons, grade 6-8 students will: analyze portrayals of different groups of people in the media;…

Designed for media specialists and educators, this issue contains four articles focusing on children and television. The lead article outlines major Australian views on television, analyzing how these concepts determine that country's use of the medium. The second article reviews international developments in children's television highlighted at…

Designed for media specialists and educators, the four articles in this issue focus on television's effects on children. Following a brief editorial reviewing current directions of research in this area, the first article compares the American pre-school educational television program "Sesame Street" with its Australian counterpart.…

Designed to teach students to become selective and discriminating users of television who will be better able to affect changes in programming, this bulletin offers a series of suggested activities and lesson plans for teachers to use in planning instructional programs around television for students in kindergarten through grade 9. This course of…

This booklet provides a toolbox of practical resources to help in developing media literacy skills to reduce the amount of media violence people are exposed to in their homes and communities. This overview accompanies a series designed for different age groups and grade levels. The leader's guide provides strategies for increasing contact with the…

Provides background information and learning activities for six areas of inquiry concerning media literacy and violence. These are (1) "Monitoring 'Action' in TV Cartoons"; (2) "To Market, To Market (Share)"; (3) "What's 'Educational' Anyway"; (4) "Rating the TV Rating System"; (5) "Nine Risks of TV Violence"; and (6) "Teenagers in the News." (MJP)

Suitable for classroom use, the handbook promotes public awareness of the need to provide more positive role models and fewer negative stereotypes on children's television. Each section contains photographic examples and quotations by members representing organizations such as Black Endowment Television, the National Association for the…

This teacher's guide provides an approach for teachers of grades 6-8 to teach media literacy and promote an informed public conversation about the impact of violent imagery in the culture today. Five key goals govern the program: (1) to reduce exposure to media violence; (2) to change the impact of violent images that are seen; (3) to locate and…