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3rd grade · English Language Arts · Unit 14 of 15

Media Messages

Inform, persuade or entertain?

What your child practices

Children sort media by purpose (to inform, persuade or entertain), notice how ads use music, famous people and strong words, tell facts from opinions, and choose good sources for research questions.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) teks student expectation: 3.9(E); 3.13(C) · facts and opinions, what a message is for and choosing sources

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Media can inform (teach), persuade (convince) or entertain (amuse).
  2. Ads use music, famous people and strong words to make you want things.
  3. A good research question asks something you can find out, like how or why.

Example: A poster says “Vote for Kenji for class helper!” What is its purpose? It asks people to do something. Trying to change what people do is persuading. Answer: to persuade

Media Messages in Texas

In the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), this is unit 14 of 15 in 3rd grade English Language Arts, after Wonder & Find Out and before Tales, Poems & Hyperbole.

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: Texas Education Agency (TEA)

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 part of a video helps viewers feel excited?

    • fast, loud music
    • the page number
    • the date it was made
    • a quiet pause

  2. Question 2

    A brochure about a zoo shows happy animals and big smiles. What is its purpose?

    • to tell a fairy tale
    • to warn about storms
    • to teach spelling
    • to get people to visit the zoo

  3. Question 3

    A comic strip about a silly dog is mostly made to…

    • entertain
    • persuade
    • warn
    • sell a dog

  4. Question 4

    Why is the headline bigger than the rest of the article?

    • to save paper
    • to hide the story
    • because it is the least important
    • to catch the reader's attention

  5. Question 5

    Which sentence is a fact?

    • Reading is the most fun thing.
    • The library opens at 9:00.
    • The library is the best place in town.
    • Everyone loves the library.

  6. Question 6

    Which source is most likely to be reliable for a report on frogs?

    • a cartoon about frogs
    • a joke about frogs
    • a post from someone selling frog toys
    • a science website from a museum

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