Teaching Media Literacy

HOW DOES THE MEDIA REPRESENT GENDER? High School activity

Grade 10+: Men & Women in the media
Group 3: Gender in the media
Evelyn Nahla Kanshanna Hala - Dr. Hill
Students will construct a collage or prepare a presentation to show they have understood how
media depicts men and women in various forms.
As you go through the resources ask yourselves the 5 main questions including:
What products are being sold to men and women?
What kinds of models are used?
What messages are being sent?
How does the media convince you of these messages?
Do you agree with some/all of the messages?
What motives do you see and how are media producers achieving those motives?
Who is in charge of most of the media that we see on men and women?
How does all this make you feel?
Materials: Use magazines, websites, newspaper articles, movie posters, poster-boards &
stationary.
Think back to cartoons or movies you have seen.
Take a look at billboards in the street and movie posters.
After you have completed your collages or presentations, you will present your findings
and discuss with the rest of the class.
Extension: Do you think there has been a change in this depiction of time? How so? How
about across different cultures?