Subscribe

4th grade · English Language Arts · Unit 11 of 13

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.

Alaska content standards learning standard: W.4.8; RI.4.7 · 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 Alaska

In the Alaska content standards, this is unit 11 of 13 in 4th grade English Language Arts, after Grammar Gears 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: Alaska Department of Education and Early Development

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

    What is the purpose of a documentary about ocean animals?

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

  2. Question 2

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

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

  3. Question 3

    Which sentence is a fact you could check?

    • The town pool is the coolest place.
    • The town pool is 25 meters long.
    • Everyone should swim every day.
    • The pool water feels the nicest.

  4. Question 4

    What is a target audience?

    • the price of the product
    • the people who made the message
    • the group a message is made for
    • the place an ad is shown

  5. Question 5

    An ad says “Hurry! Only three left!” What technique is this?

    • telling a funny story
    • showing a fair comparison
    • giving expert advice
    • making you feel you must act fast

  6. Question 6

    A photo in an ad has been edited to make a toy look bigger. Why is this a problem?

    • it is a fact
    • it makes the toy safer
    • it can trick buyers
    • it saves money

More 4th grade