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6th grade · English Language Arts · Unit 11 of 17

Media Techniques

How messages persuade and why we react

What your child practices

Children name persuasion techniques such as bandwagon, testimonials, fear and scarcity, notice camera angles, music and what is left out, and think about why people react to the same message differently.

New York State Learning Standards learning standard: 6R7; 6SL2 · an author's purpose and the techniques media messages use

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Bandwagon: everyone is doing it. Testimonial: a famous person says so. Scarcity: only a few left.
  2. Music, camera angles and what is left out all shape the message.
  3. People react differently to the same message because of their own experiences.

Example: A video plays slow, sad music while showing a lost puppy. What reaction does it aim for? Sad music sets a feeling. A lost puppy makes people feel sorry for it. Answer: sympathy

Media Techniques in New York

In the New York State Learning Standards, this is unit 11 of 17 in 6th grade English Language Arts, after Check the Source and before Spelling: Endings and Sound-Alikes.

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: New York State Education Department (NYSED)

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 does a toy commercial's fast cutting between shots aim to do?

    • create excitement and energy
    • explain the price
    • make it calm
    • show the rules

  2. Question 2

    What is a target audience?

    • the advertisers' friends
    • the people who made it
    • everyone in the world
    • the specific group a message is aimed at

  3. Question 3

    What is clickbait?

    • a news summary
    • a headline or picture made to get clicks, often misleading
    • a kind of citation
    • a fishing tool

  4. Question 4

    A sports drink ad shows athletes sweating and winning. What is the message?

    • the drink is cheap
    • the drink helps you win
    • sports are dangerous
    • water is better

  5. Question 5

    A video uses slow, sad music while showing a lost puppy. What reaction does it aim for?

    • laughter
    • anger at puppies
    • sympathy
    • boredom

  6. Question 6

    How can a person's past experiences affect how they read a news story?

    • they read the same as everyone
    • they may notice different details or feel more strongly
    • they forget it instantly
    • they cannot understand it

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