Rich Task:

Up in Smoke

Course:

English, Media Studies, Grade 11, Open, EMS3O
(2 credit Cooperative Education)

Evaluation:

Part of 70%

Part of 30%

* Both

Context:

·          Smoking continues to be a problem in society; it is the highest cause of preventable death in Canada. Millions of dollars are spent each year on anti-smoking campaigns.

·          Your Media Studies course (EMS3O) has taught you how to critically analyse media.

·          You will use the knowledge and skills acquired in your Media Studies course and your Cooperative Education placement to:

-         identify and describe the reaction of the student population to anti-smoking campaigns;

-         critically analyse the technical aspects of a variety of media representations to elicit a desired effect/response;

-         evaluate the efficacy of anti-smoking campaigns on high school youth;

-         produce a news report for broadcast detailing your findings.

 

Related Course Expectations

 

 

Strand: Media Texts

MTV.01 · analyse, interpret, and assess the techniques, forms, style, and language of media works to describe and explain how different media communicate;

MT1.01 – identify the characteristics of a variety of media, including television, newspapers, and the Internet, and explain how these characteristics influence;

MT1.03 – analyse how the language used in media works influences the interpretation of messages, with a focus on tone, level of language, and point of view;

MT1.04 – explain how aesthetic qualities in media works contribute to audience enjoyment and understanding

MTV.02 · analyse media representations to describe their content, identify bias, and explain their impact on audiences;

MT2.03 – analyse media representations of social, political, and cultural issues and explain how the representations influence people’s interpretation of the issues and their level of concern;

MT2.04 – analyse and explain the representations of behaviours and attitudes in media works.

 

Strand: Media Audiences

MAV.01 · demonstrate an understanding of the ways in which media businesses, sponsors, and advertisers target and attract audiences, and of how audiences use and respond to media works;

MA1.01 – compare their own and others’ responses to a variety of media works and explain how the characteristics of audiences influence how the audiences interpret and enjoy particular works;

MA1.02 – explain how and why media businesses, sponsors, and advertisers identify and target audiences based on social and economic.

 

Strand: Media Production

MPV.01 · demonstrate an understanding of the interrelationship of form, content, and audience by creating media works for different audiences;

MP1.04 – use appropriate production techniques to create a media work about an important social or cultural issue for a particular audience.

 

Evaluation Strategies and Scoring Tools

 

Evaluation Strategies

Scoring Tools

Expectations

Achievement Chart

70%

Report: Profile of Secondary School Smoker

Rubric

MAV.01, MA1.01, MA1.02, MPV.01, MP1.04

K/U, T, C, A

Report: Analysis of Anti-smoking Campaigns

Rubric

MTV.01, MT1.01, MT1.03, MTV.02, MT2.03, MT2.04, MAV.01, MA1.01, MA1.02

K/U, T, C, A

Report: Efficacy of Campaigns

Rubric

MTV.01, MT1.01, MT1.03, MT1.04, MTV.02, MT2.03, MT2.04

K/U, T, C, A

Storyboard: Photo Essay

Rubric

MA1.01, MTV.01, MT1.01, MT1.03, MTV.02, MT2.03, MT2.04, MPV.01, MP1.04

K/U, T, C, A

30%

News Story

Rubric

MA1.01, MTV.01, MT1.01, MT1.03, MTV.02, MT2.03, MT2.04, MPV.01, MP1.04

K/U, T, C, A

 

Teacher Notes

·          The news broadcast can cover any issue – obesity, racism, sexism, etc.

·          With each task, set specific deadlines rather than assigning the task as a whole.

·          Review resources that are available to the students for bias and accuracy of information.

 

 

Task

 

Student Notes

·          Prepare a questionnaire that provides information about:

-         age/grade

-         gender

-         length of smoking habit

-         frequency of smoking

-         why the person does or doesn’t smoke

-         parents’/guardians’/siblings’ smoking habits

-         plans after secondary school

-         extra-curricular activities

-         employment (part-time, full-time)

 

Part A: Survey

·          Conduct a random sample survey of secondary school students (minimum 30).

·          Submit the following:

-         the completed surveys;

-         graphical representation to show age/grade, gender, and future plans (postsecondary education or workplace);

-         a chart that compares your findings (e.g., percent of population that smokes) with provincial and national findings;

-         a summary of your findings from the survey responses;

-         a profile of the secondary school student smoker.

·          Which factors do you feel, based upon your findings, are the greatest contributors to a student smoking? Explain.

·          Choose a variety of media to present your response, e.g., video, written report, oral presentation.

 

Health Canada, Heart and Lung Association, and Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada, Canadian Council for Tobacco Control, Airspace, and Canadian Tobacco Control Research Initiative are useful resources for up-to-date lists of the anti-smoking campaigns aimed at youth.

 

 

 

 

 

Note: Some people may decline to resond to parts of the survey.  Respect their decision.

Part B: Campaign Analysis

·          Collect current anti-smoking campaigns (minimum 4). You must select at least three different media. 

·          Make an analysis of each campaign.

·          In point form identify:

-         the medium (print advertisement, television commercial, radio, etc.),

-         location (where campaign appears),

-         use of language,

-         choice of models,

-         aesthetic qualities (use of colour, use of music, setting, etc.),

-         representation of smokers.

·          Present a synopsis of each anti-smoking advertisement either written or using media. Which elements within the campaign lead to your conclusions about who the target audience is?

 

 

Part C: Efficacy Report

·          To identify the efficacy of anti-smoking campaigns on the student population, have 20 students complete a questionnaire.

·          Include questions such as:

-         Which anti-smoking campaigns are you familiar with?

-         Which of these campaigns has the greatest impact on you? Why?

-         Which of these campaigns has the least impact on you? Why?

-         What impact do anti-smoking campaigns have on your decision to smoke? Why?

 

·          Submit a report that indicates:

-         whether the number of students (provincially and nationally) that smoke has increased or decreased since the advent of smoking campaigns;

-         which campaigns students are most familiar with;

-         what impact (if any) these campaigns have on students’ decision to smoke;

-         whether anti-smoking campaigns a worthwhile expenditure of taxpayers’ money.

Explain your conclusions.

 

·          When determining how cost effective anti-smoking campaigns are consider the cost of the campaign vs. anticipated health care costs for smokers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

·          Reference all resources you use in producing your report.

Part D: Broadcast Report

·          Create a news story for broadcast which incorporates your findings in Parts A–C. The focus of the broadcast is an evaluation of the efficacy of anti-smoking campaigns on youth with reasons for your findings.

·          Submit your news story as a 3–5 minute video.

·          Submit a photo essay of the various stages and responsibilities in the production of your news story.

 

·          Consider how language and the constructs of each medium are manipulated to produce a desired response.

 

 

 

·          Work with your placement supervisor to complete the photo essay.