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8th grade · English Language Arts · Unit 11 of 12

Media Influence

Appeals, feeds and echo chambers

What your child practices

Children explain the purposes of media messages and the techniques behind them (appeals to emotion, logic and credibility, editing, subtext, sponsorship) and how feeds and echo chambers affect people's reactions.

Maine Learning Results learning standard: Speaking and Listening 2; Reading 11 · the motives behind media messages and the techniques they use

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Media appeal to emotion, logic and credibility. Editing and music shape how we feel.
  2. Look for what’s left out, like how many people gave a rating.
  3. Echo chambers show you only views like yours, which can make people less open.

Example: An app says “4 stars!” but only 10 people rated it. What is the problem? Ten ratings is a tiny number. A few people may not represent most users. Answer: the rating is based on very few people

Media Influence in Maine

In the Maine Learning Results, this is unit 11 of 12 in 8th grade English Language Arts, after Precise Words & Spelling and before Weigh the Evidence.

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: Maine 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

    Why do ads target teenagers on social media?

    • social media is only for ads
    • teens spend a lot of time there and influence trends
    • it is cheaper to print
    • teens cannot read

  2. Question 2

    How can editing a video change its meaning?

    • it makes videos shorter only
    • it only changes color
    • editing has no effect
    • cutting parts can remove context and change what a person seems to say

  3. Question 3

    What is an echo chamber?

    • a radio station
    • a space where people mostly hear views that match their own
    • a news studio
    • a quiet room

  4. Question 4

    Which reaction does a charity ad using hopeful music and smiling children aim for?

    • hope that inspires people to give
    • boredom
    • confusion
    • fear

  5. Question 5

    What is a misleading statistic?

    • a number used in a way that gives a false impression
    • a number with a source
    • any number
    • a percent

  6. Question 6

    A video seems real but the person's mouth does not match their words. What might it be?

    • a primary source
    • a manipulated or AI-made video
    • a live broadcast
    • a documentary

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