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4th grade · English Language Arts · Unit 13 of 14

Media and Sources

Target audiences, techniques and good sources

What your child practices

Children practice naming the target audience and purpose of a message, spotting techniques like close-ups and “hurry” words, telling facts from opinions, searching with keywords and judging whether a source is reliable.

Alabama Course of Study content standard: 4.33; 4.R3 · searching, judging sources and reading the purpose of media messages

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Ask who a message is for (the audience) and why it was made (the purpose).
  2. Ads use tricks like close-ups and “hurry” words to make you act fast.
  3. Check that a source is reliable and up to date, and compare it with another source.

Example: An ad says “Hurry! Only three left!” What technique is this? “Hurry” and “only three” push you to act now. It makes you feel you must act fast. Answer: making you feel you must act fast

Media and Sources in Alabama

In the Alabama Course of Study, this is unit 13 of 14 in 4th grade English Language Arts, after Poems and Plays and before Spelling Rules.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Which source is most likely accurate for facts about the planet Mars?

    • a space agency website
    • a post by a stranger
    • a science-fiction movie
    • an ad for a space toy

  2. Question 2

    What is the purpose of a documentary about ocean animals?

    • to advertise a game
    • to inform viewers about ocean life
    • to sell boats
    • to tell made-up jokes

  3. Question 3

    What is the purpose of a public service poster that says “Wear a helmet”?

    • to entertain with a story
    • to persuade people to stay safe
    • to report sports scores
    • to sell helmets

  4. Question 4

    You are researching wolves. You have one book. What should you do next?

    • find another source to compare facts
    • stop researching
    • make up the rest
    • copy the whole book

  5. Question 5

    A video game ad shows only the best graphics. What could it be leaving out?

    • the pictures
    • how long the game takes to load
    • that it is a game
    • the name of the game

  6. Question 6

    Kenji reads a post that says “Dogs can't see any colors.” How can he find out if it is accurate?

    • ask the person who posted it
    • share it
    • count the likes
    • check a science book or animal expert site

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