48 Improving Viewing Skills

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Improving Viewing Skills Opening Page

Start-Up Activity

Share this statistic with your students: The average student spends 1,000 hours a year in school and about 2,000 hours per year looking at screens. Ask for reactions to these figures.

Note that even if students don't realize it, they receive a ton of information from viewing television, movies, and online videos. Visual information shapes the way they think about the world and how they interact with the people in it.

Have students log their screen time for one week, charting time in front of computers, TVs, and phones (see download). When the week is over, have students write a journal entry or blog post reflecting on the results.

Think About It

“There are plenty of skills playing video games. It’s more interactive than watching TV, because there are problems to solve.”

—Shaun White

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Watching the News

Review the three steps for viewing news with a critical eye. To enrich the information on this page, consider showing an online video of a news story for students to view and practice the tips below.

For step 1, have students create a 5 W's an H chart to see if the news gives a complete picture of the event.

For step 2, have students listen for language that makes the story seem less than certain. Additionally, students can fact check any ideas that don't seem correct.

For step 3, have students ask if different views of the news are represented in the story. If not, what view is missing?

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Watching Documentaries

To help students get the most from documentaries, lead them through the viewing tips on this page. Consider showing a documentary in class so that your students can practice the viewing process.

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Watching for Fun

Review the questions for analyzing television shows, movies, and online videos. As an activity, have students answer the three questions about their favorite television show. Then have them write a paragraph that shares their analysis.

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Be Aware: Watching Commercials

Discuss the importance of not taking ideas from commercials at face value. Warn that failing to view commercials closely can mislead viewers into buying something they don't need or believing in something that is not entirely true.

Next, introduce the five common selling methods commercials use to attempt to persuade viewers.

  • Slice of Life
  • Famous Faces
  • Just the Facts
  • Problem-Solution
  • Infomercials

As an activity, challenge students to identify the selling tactic used in a sample commercial.

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Viewing Online Sites

Review the important considerations students should take when evaluating online content. Asking the evaluation questions can help students determine if the information from specific Web sites or videos is reliable.

This type of close analysis will help students improve their research and media literacy—important skills for college and career.

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