A Day in the Life

A Day in the Life
Author(s):
National Institute on Media and the Family,
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/lessons/elementary/ethics/day_in_the_life.cfm Found By: Jeff Muncy, Amanda Canary, Gabby Villamil
Grade Level: Grades 5 to 8
Timeframe: 1+ hour
Lesson Description or Explanation
This lesson examines how technology and media have changed over the past fifty years, and how this has influenced everyday life. In small groups, students will read a pair of case studies that review a day in the life of two high school students, one living in 1949 and the other in 1999. In each case study, students will look at the role played by the media in the lives of the individual. After discussing the case studies, students are asked to predict what the role of media might be fifty years from now.

Indiana Curricular Standards

English
5.1.2 Use word origins to determine the meaning of unknown words.
5.1.6 Understand unknown words by using word, sentence, and paragraph clues to determine meaning.
Math
5.6.1 Explain which types of displays are appropriate for various sets of data.
5.6.4 Express outcomes of experimental probability situations verbally and numerically
Science
5.1.2 Begin to evaluate the validity of claims based on the amount and quality of the evidence cited.
5.1.5 Explain that technology extends the ability of people to make positive and/or negative changes in the world.

ISTE Standards
5. Technology research tools
• Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources.
6. Technology problem-solving and decision-making tools
• Students use technology resources for solving problems and making informed decisions.
Assessments
Formative/Summative
Formative:
During the work process, teachers will be moving around and checking on groups by asking questions that probe student’s thinking. Teachers will have mini conferences with groups and discuss progress while guiding student thoughts. Also, these conferences will be used to make sure students are on task and completing the assignment to the best of their ability and beyond (prior knowledge will help students understand the high expectations we have for them).
Summative:
For the following, students will be given a rubric stating the information we will be looking for during presentations. On the rubric will be points for creativity (how they present their information), clarity of voice, cooperation (everyone speaks) and depth of information.
Discuss the following:
• What changes took place in family lifestyles during the 50 year time period of the two case studies?
• Are these changes perceived as positive or negative?
• Which of these changes are related to changes in technology or media and how?
• In what ways were the behavior and attitudes of the two students different?
• Similar?
• In the students' opinion, how accurate of a picture do these stories present?
• Do they apply to people in all areas of the country in these two time periods?
• Do they apply to people in all areas of the world during these two time periods?
Give each group 10 minutes to write about what they think a day in the life of a high school student in the year 2049 would be like. Have each group share their scenarios with the class.
Prior Knowledge
Curricular Knowledge or Skills:
• How to write clear and concise thoughts
• How to work in groups
• Work to the best of your ability
Technology Knowledge: Students will need to know:
• How to research using internet
• How to format a presentation
Pre-assessment Activity:
Ask students to create a KWL by themselves using a table in Word. Students will then put their ideas with group mates.

Technology

Internet Resources: (please list URLs)
We would try to find Bobby approved websites for students who need assistance.

http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/handouts/ethics/day_life_case_study.cfm
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/handouts/ethics/day_life_retrieval_chart.cfm
Google.com
Hardware:
Computer with internet access
iPhone
Pencil and Paper

Software:
Microsoft Word
PowerPoint
Microsoft Publisher

Procedure
1. Divide the class into groups of three to five students. Explain that they will be reading two case studies that review a day in the life of two high school students, one living in 1949 and one living in 1999. Explain that they attend the same high school in the same community.
2. Distribute the A Day in the Life - A Case Study handout to the students and ask them to read it.
3. Define "media" for the group. Media is something that someone creates to carry a message from one person or group to another. This message can take many forms.
4. Brainstorm a list of forms of media. The list may include, but is not limited to:

television
radio
movies
magazines
videos
CD-ROMs
video games
computer games
telephone
Internet
billboards
signs
posters
mail
flyers record players
e-mail
voice mail
pagers
cell phones
cassette tapes
graffiti
stickers (on fruits and vegetables)
catalogs
clothing (with logos, picture, and slogans)
books
newspapers
comic books
VCRs
packaging
answering machines
5. Distribute a Retrieval Chart to each student group. Instruct the students to use the retrieval chart to systematically gather information from the case studies.

Differentiated Instruction

ESL
For our students whose first language is not English and who are having trouble understanding vocabulary from their research, we would offer them the use of http://translation.paralink.com/ website or Google translator. We feel this could significantly improve their understanding.

Challenge/Extend
1. To verify the accuracy of the case studies, have students design an interview tool with a specific list of questions relating to technology, media, and lifestyle.
2. Have students use the list of questions to interview community residents who were in high school in 1949 and local businesspeople who have been in operation since 1949 or before.
3. Ask students to present their findings to the class.

Special Needs
We could enable ShowSounds feature in Microsoft, which can display text captions for websites or programs that otherwise only use sound to tell information. This option would be incredibly useful for students who have hearing difficulties.
The SerialKeys feature, which can allow for a different input device to be connected to your computer rather than a keyboard or a mouse, would be enabled. This option would be necessary for children who for whatever reasons do not possess the fine motor skills required to operate a keyboard or a mouse.