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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.

Arizona Academic Standards learning standard: 4.W.8; 4.RI.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 Arizona

In the Arizona Academic 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: Arizona Department of Education

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

  2. Question 2

    Which sentence is a fact you could check?

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

  3. Question 3

    An ad shows a slow-motion close-up of melting cheese. How does this persuade?

    • it makes the food look delicious
    • it explains how cheese is made
    • it lists healthy facts
    • it gives the price

  4. Question 4

    Why should you write the title and author of the sources you use?

    • because it looks nice
    • to show off
    • to give credit and let others check
    • to make the report longer

  5. Question 5

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

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

  6. Question 6

    Which choice tells you the most about who made a website?

    • the font size
    • the number of pictures
    • an “About us” page
    • the background color

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