For Teachers

Bukidnon Association of Catholic Schools (BUACS), Inc.

SACRED HEART ACADEMY OF VALENCIA INC.

Media and Information Literacy 11/12

Quarter 1

Name of Learner: Grade Level:

Section: Date:
Address:
Date of Release: Date of Submission: Date of Received:

LEARNING ACTIVITY SHEET NO. 5

Media and Information Languages
A. Background Information for Learners
In media studies, codes are known as a system or collection of signs that create meaning when put together. Ex. As
boy scouts or girl scouts, you might be familiar with the use of the Morse code, the smoke signals, or the signal flags for
relating a message to another. All three codes are organized and intelligence because the other person who sees the code
also understands the code. The meaning is agreed upon by the communicators because the rules in understanding the
codes are shared by members of a community that use that particular code.
1. Differentiating Media Messages through Genres
Codes are better understood when you have a good grasp of what the genres in media are and how they are
classified and interpreted using codes and conventions. Genre is a French word for “type” or “kind”. Genre has been a
major component in understanding literature, theatre, film, television, and other art and media forms. The grouping into
recognizable categories of content of these forms is what characterizes genre. Each of these categories is furthered marked
by “particular set of conventions, features, and norms.”
2. Role of Genre in Understanding Media Messages
Genre helps audiences—readers and viewers—to understand the text by merely looking at hose signs that you can
recognize and interpret. Oftentimes, you may not understand the whole film you are watching but because there are clues
in context that these codes or signs provide, you are able to form interpretations. This is why those who construct the
message should “conform to certain standard practices within the boundaries of a particular genre.” The codes in the genre
guide the audience toward a particular understanding of the message. But genre is not fixed or static.
2.1. Factors that may influence how messages may be understood:
2.1.2 Your role in the society—a student’s interpretation may be different from that of the
working adult.
2.1.2. Group purposes—your reasons for consuming the message affect your understanding of it,
e.g. when you watch for entertainment, you may tend to be less critical of the hidden intention of the message.
2.1.3 Professional and organizational preferences and prerequisites—your biases toward the
message may also affect your interpretation of it. A teacher’s perspective on Anti-Terror Law is different from that of a
police.
2.1.4. Cultural constraint—the culture you belong to may have a different way of looking at
things compared to other cultures.

3. Codes in Media Messages

Social and cultural values and beliefs are reflected in media content. In order to effectively understand how media
and content messages produce desired effects by both authors and audience, there should first be a familiarity with genre
codes and conventions.
Codes consist of signs that have meanings are dictated by agreed rules of interpretation. Although code guide the
way of a message may be interpreted or understood, it is not guaranteed that all people will understand the message in the
same way that others would. The message is still open to miscommunication and misinterpretation because of certain
factors such as culture, personal biases, and level of knowledge. Culture affects the way codes are interpreted. Perhaps the
most common area on which codes are expected to be strictly manifested are in audio-visual media messages such as
films and television programs. Some of those codes may be also be seen in printed media messages.

Major Code
Verbal Languages
Social Codes Bodily Codes
Commodity Codes
 For Teachers
Behavioral Codes
Scientific Codes
Aesthetic Codes within the Various expressive
Textua Representational Codes Genre, Rhetorical, and Stylistic Codes
l Codes Mass Media Codes
Interpretative Codes Perceptual Codes
Ideological Codes
These categories of codes are not exhaustive and rigid. An overlap may exist among these codes so the “the most
widely mentioned in the context of media, communication and cultural studies” are considered in this topic.
The knowledge discussed in the table above are meant purely to introduce to you certain concepts that may
encounter in further study of the media. For you everyday consumption of media messages, the more common codes
which are characterized as technical, visual/symbolic, or written should be more practical at the moment.

Technical Codes -when equipment is used to tell the story in a media text which consequently
affects how you can interpret the meaning of that text. These are signs that are
produced when camera techniques, framing, depth of fields, lightning and
exposure, and juxtaposition are utilized.
Ex. In video editing technique, a flashback would normally be shown in black and
white.
Visual/Symbolic -Codes that are embedded in the technical codes such as objects, setting, body,
Codes language, clothing, and color. The understanding of the message may depend on
the receiver of the message.
Ex. In a soap opera, you may see a character dressed in black and crying while
seated on a rocking chair and caressing an object of importance to him or her.
Because of your familiarity with the cultural symbolism of wearing black, you will
begin to think that another character very dear to the one crying has passed away.
Written Codes The use of language style and textual layout also express meaning. For instance,
the layout speaks about the degree of importance of a news story with respect to
other news stories. Typically, newspaper editors follow the inverted “S” of news
layout because the mode by which people read would be from left to right and the
upper fold of the newspaper down to the lower fold. Captions, titles, slogans,
taglines, and some other language elements are also utilized in a way that may
suggest a particular meaning. This is more often dictated by editorial principles
and policies of a particular news agency/organization.

4. The Relationship of Codes and Textual Feature of Audio-visual Messages

Codes are signs and for you to interpret what they mean, you have to be familiar with how these signs operate. As
an example, audio-visual media, i.e. film and television may be categorized based on recognizable genres i.e.,
horror/thriller, fantasy, drama, science fiction, Western, and so on. In order to recognize the properties of a particular
genre of film that you watch, consider these textual features.
Textual Feature Distinctive Properties Attributed to a Film Genre
Narrative Similar plots and structures, predictable situations, sequences, episodes,
obstacles, conflicts, and resolutions
Characterization Similar types of characters, roles, personal qualities, motivations, goals,
behavior
Basic themes, topics, Social, cultural, psychological, professional, political, sexual, and
subject matter, and values moral
Setting Geographical and historical
Iconography (echoing the A familiar stock of images or motifs, the connotations of which have
narrative, become fixed; primarily but not necessarily visual, including décor,
characterization, theme, costume and objects, certain ‘typecast’ performers, familiar patterns of
and setting) dialogue, characteristic of music and sounds, and appropriate physical
topography.
Filmic techniques Stylistic or formal conventions of camerawork, lighting, sound
recording, use of color, editing, etc. (viewers are often less conscious of
such conventions that of those relating to content).

The features help you dissect the film and interpret it accordingly using these same features. You will find that in
your exposure to various films on the same genre, they share similar distinctive properties attributed to that genre. Thus,
when taken collectively, all these films define the genre where they belong to.
5. Conventions: Indicators of Content Familiarity
A convention refers to the generally accepted way of doing things that has formed into a habit because of repeated
exposure and experience of these messages. Sometimes a convention may prove to be a hindrance in critically assessing
 For Teachers
media content or messages because people may grow too accustomed to them and they do not see the values and biases
that are embedded in the content. On the other hand, recognizing a convention may be useful for keeping the audience’s
guard up. When you are able to spot the convention used, you may find it easier if there are any agenda or propaganda in
media messages.
As you watch television programs, you may encounter, without knowing it, the different tropes i.e. storytelling
devices as the figures of speech that audiences recognize to easily because of their occurrences in almost all programs
under a particular genre. In film language, these are called motifs or recurrent themes.
B. Learning Competency with Code
1. Present an issue in varied ways to disseminate information using the codes, convention, and language of media.
C. Objectives/Learning Targets
At the end of the lesson, the students must be able to:
1. Describe media and information languages such as codes, convention, and media messages
2. Present an issue in varied ways to disseminate information using the codes, convention, and language of media.
D. Detailed Directions/Instructions
Read carefully the following instructions in each activity
E. Exercise/Activity
Activity 1: Episode/Movie Review
F. Rubrics for Scoring (www.cusd80.com)

Focus Details Summary Grammar/Spelling

Excellent Your entire paper is You give a lot of Summary lists No spelling or
about the movie. You details about the all major grammar mistakes at
(20 pts.)
have one opinion and movie. You use a lot points in the all!
you STICK TO IT! of examples from the movie but does
Sentences are all
Everything is related movie to emphasize not give away
structured correctly.
to your opinion. your point. ending.

Good Your entire paper is You give some Summary lists 1-2 mistakes, tops!
about the movie. You details about the most of the Sentences are all
(19-16 pts.)
have one opinion and movie. You use major points in structured correctly.
you mostly stick to it! some examples to the movie,
emphasize your does not give
point. away ending.

So So Your opinion is You use some Summary lists More than 3 grammar
obvious but you might examples from the most of the or spelling mistakes
(15-11 pts.)
reference other stuff movie to emphasize major points in but less than 5.
(other movies, actors, your point. the movie, Sentences are all
etc…) may give away structured correctly.
ending

Not So Hot Your opinion might You don’t use a lot of Summary lists More than 5 grammar
not be obvious. You examples, but you do some of the or spelling mistakes
(10-5 pts.)
basically just tell me reference the movie major points in but less than 10.
what the movie is in your support. the movie, Sentences might not
about. You miss the may or may be structure correctly.
point of the not give away
assignment. ending.

Poor What was this You don’t use ANY Summary lists More than 10 spelling
assignment about? details to support a few of the mistakes, Sentences
(4-0 pts.)
You aren’t quite your point. (This major points in are not structured
sure…at least in your movie was good the movie, correctly.
writing. because I liked it.) gives away
ending.

Late/Missing Late/Missing Late/Missing Late/Missing Late/Missing

G. Values Integration
Discipline and Excellence
H. References for Learners
 For Teachers
Liquigan, Boots. DIWA Senior High School Series: Media and Information Literacy. Makati City: DIWA
Learning Systems, Inc., 2016.
I. Answer Key
Activity 1: Episode/Movie Review (20 pts)
Instructions: Select a particular episode of your favorite TV series or movie. Then make a movie review by identifying
its genre, code, and other media languages based on our discussion. Your review must have a title with the necessary
details (title of the movie/TV series and a short plot summary). It could be encoded (1 page; Short Size; 1.0 spacing; 12
font size; and Times New Roman Font style) or handwritten work (1 whole sheet of paper with no erasures). Submit your
work on the next meeting.