LIBRARY MEDIA SKILLS OBJECTIVES

The student will use televisions guides to select one or more programs of interest.

CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES:

This activity may be included with reading/language arts or to reinforce a unit on graphs and charts.

MOTIVATIONAL OBJECTIVES:

The student will:
-become interested in the research process.
-understand the importance of information skills.
-experience increased confidence in research ability.
-achieve satisfaction in research accomplishments.

Resources:

1. Television
2. Television Guides in Newspapers or other publications
3. Internet:
4. Yahooligans TV guide: http://yahooligans.yahoo.com/content/tv/
5. Televsion Selection Guide (attached)

INSTRUCTIONAL ROLES:

-The teacher or library media specialist may complete this activity in approximately one session. This may also be shared with parents or the public librarian.

ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES FOR COMPLETION:

-Spread copies of television guides on tables for students to browse through before asking them how they decide what they want to watch. Discuss how we may form habits for watching television. Do children watch whatever is on or what they think will be interesting? Do children talk with their parents about what is viewed? Which guidelines are available to them in their homes? Are there scrolling guides on cable television?

-Explain that the summer may be a good time to work on decision making for viewing programs. In most areas, there will be many activities outdoors. Vacations can help us get away from old patterns. How can students use this time to think about how they watch television and decide on the programs they watch?

-One way to work on television viewing is to scan and read the television guide. Review the guides that are available in the local areas. Explain how to use the guides that are printed insequence by times with synopses as well as guides that are laid out on master grids. Take extra time to help students who are unfamiliar with grids which follow a timetable format. If Internet access is available to students, show them how to locate television sites to find out what is coming.

-Introduce a worksheet that may be used during the following week. Students will review a television guide and discuss program selections with the parents. Students will then watch, rate, and critique the selected programs.

-Discuss what kinds of reasons might be given in an assessment of a television program. Examples:

Ask student to develop a list that may be typed and shared with all.

-Students, teachers, and the library media specialist may make up a viewing sheet for the week. Meet one week later and discuss what happened with the viewing sheet. Talk about the selections, comments, codes, and reasons. Group students who watched the same programs together to compare their opinions of the programs.

FOLLOW-UP:

-The student might write synopses or reviews of programs that he or she considers terrific.