[Literacy-Based Instructional Strategies continued]
Media Response Groups
It is critically important to help students ask questions about what they watch, see, listen to and read as they respond to media around them. A media response group is a variation of a literature response group. Students will have opportunities to share and discuss their ideas and viewpoints based on viewing sections of the EekoWorld Web site. This type of group would work most effectively with the following parts of EekoWorld:
- Aquatic
- Tundra
- Grasslands
- Desert
- Forest
After the students have viewed the selection, divide them into small discussion groups. Initially you can model how the students will engage in discussion. As they grow more comfortable, your role should be minimal. In their discussions, students will reflect on the characters, the problems that are introduced, and the solutions that are proposed in the media segment, as well as their own responses to what they have viewed. Examples of questions and prompts in a Media Response discussion may include the following:
- Who was your favorite character in this episode? Why?
- How do you think the main character felt about this ecosystem?
- Describe the ecosystem.
- Have you had experiences similar to the characters in this media segment?
- What did you think of the solutions these characters suggested to help deal with environmental problems?
- How would you deal with some of the problems these characters encountered?
As students participate in small group discussions, they deepen their understanding of the characters and their responses to environmental issues and make connections between their own experiences and what they have viewed.
