Grade by Grade
Strand A: Foundations of Language and Mathematics · Talking, Listening, Reading and Writing

Thinking About Shows, Ads and Screens

A3.3 A3.4About 20 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can tell what is real and what is pretend in a cartoon.
  • I can say how a show, video or picture makes me feel.
  • I can tell that an ad wants me to buy something.
  • I can share my ideas about media by talking, drawing or acting.

Words to know

media
Ways people share messages with lots of people: TV shows, movies, videos, apps, posters, ads, signs and magazines.
cartoon
A show or picture that is drawn or animated. Cartoons often have pretend things.
real
Something that can happen in real life.
pretend
Something made up that can't really happen, like a talking dog.
ad (advertisement)
A message that wants you to buy or do something.

Lights, camera, media!

(Grown-up: read aloud. Have a cereal box or a flyer nearby if you can.)

Do you watch shows? Have you seen a poster? Have you seen a cereal box with a cartoon on it? These are all media. Media are ways people send messages to lots of people at once.

MediaExample
📺 TV show or cartoona cartoon about a dog family
🎬 Moviea movie about animals at a school
📱 Video or appa video about how to brush your teeth
🪧 Poster or signa poster that says "Wash your hands"
📰 Ad or flyera flyer from the toy store
Media are all around us.

Real or pretend?

In cartoons and movies, people make things up to be funny or exciting.

  • In a cartoon, a dog talks and goes to school. Can a real dog talk? No! That's pretend.
  • In a cartoon, a character falls off a cliff and is fine. In real life, that would hurt! That's pretend.
  • A dog chasing a ball? A real dog can do that. That's real.

It's fun to enjoy pretend shows. Smart watchers know what is real and what is pretend.

A golden retriever runs across a green backyard lawn chasing a red ball.
A real dog can chase a ball. Can a real dog talk or go to school? No! That only happens in pretend shows. AI-generated image
REALPRETENDa dog chasing a ballTime to goto school!a dog that talks
A real dog can chase a ball. A dog that talks and goes to school is pretend: it only happens in cartoons.
Worked example

Let's think about a cartoon

In a cartoon, a bear family lives in a house. The bears talk, cook pancakes and go to work in a car. What is real and what is pretend?

  1. Ask: Can real bears talk? No. Pretend.
  2. Ask: Can real bears cook pancakes or drive cars? No. Pretend.
  3. Ask: Do real bears eat? Yes! Real bears eat lots of things, like berries and fish.
  4. Ask: Why did the people who made the cartoon make the bears talk? To make it fun and to tell a story.

Talking, cooking and driving are pretend. Eating is real. The cartoon makers used pretend to tell a fun story.

Ads want something

An ad is short for advertisement. Ads want you to buy something or do something.

Ads use tricks to grab your attention:

  • bright colours and fun music,
  • cartoon characters and happy kids,
  • words like NEW!, BEST! and FUN!

When you see an ad, you can ask: "What does this ad want me to do?"

Worked example

Let's look at a cereal box

Look at a cereal box (a real one, or picture one). It has a cartoon tiger, bright colours and the words "NEW! Super Crunchy!"

  1. What do we see? A cartoon tiger, bright colours, big letters.
  2. Who is it for? The cartoon and bright colours are there to catch kids' eyes.
  3. What does it want? It wants us to buy the cereal.
  4. Is the cereal really "super"? We can't tell from the box. We would have to taste it!

The box is a kind of ad. The cartoon and colours are there to make us want the cereal. Smart shoppers stop and think.

NEW!Super Crunchy!big wordscartoontigerbrightcoloursWhat does it want?It wants you toBUY the cereal!
The tricks on a cereal box: big words, a cartoon and bright colours. They are all there for one reason: to get you to want to buy it.

How does it make you feel?

Shows, songs, videos and posters can make us feel things. A sad movie can make us cry. A silly video can make us laugh. Scary music can make us feel nervous.

It is good to talk about how media makes you feel. You can also draw it, or act it out.

Three smart questions

When you watch, look or listen, ask:

  1. Is it real or pretend?
  2. What does it want me to know, feel or do?
  3. How does it make me feel?
Just for fun

What did the cartoon dog say on the first day of school?

“Woof! I mean... I’m here!” 🐶 (Silly, because real dogs can’t talk or go to school. That’s pretend!)

Hands-on activity

Media detectives

Flyer hunt: Look at a flyer or a cereal box together. Find: 1 bright colour, 1 cartoon or happy face, 1 big word like NEW or SALE. Ask: "What does it want us to do?"

Act out a poster: Pick a safety message, like "Wash your hands", "Wear your helmet when you ride your bike" or "Look both ways before you cross." Act it out like you are in a video.

Draw a feeling: After watching a show together, draw how it made you feel. Tell a grown-up why.

Your turn

1

Can a real dog talk like a person?

2

A cartoon shows a cat chasing a mouse. Real or pretend?

3

A toy ad says "NEW! The BEST toy ever!" What does the ad want you to do?

4

Name 2 kinds of media.

5

Think of a show you like. How does it make you feel?

6

Act out the message of a poster that says "Wash your hands."

More practice: warm-up

1

Can a real bear drive a car?

2

Can a real bird fly?

3

Is a TV show a kind of media?

4

A video makes you laugh. How do you feel?

5

What is an ad?

More practice: on your own

1

Find something pretend in this cartoon: a pig wears a backpack and walks to school with her friends.

2

Why do ads for kids often have cartoons and bright colours?

3

A poster shows a child wearing a bike helmet. What message does it give?

4

Draw how a scary or sad part of a show made you feel. Tell me about it.

5

A video says "Brush your teeth two times a day." Is this an ad for a toy, or a message to keep you healthy?

Challenge

1

A cereal box says "The yummiest cereal in the world!" Do we know that's true? How could we find out?

2

Why do cartoon makers make animals talk?

3

Make up a short ad for your favourite fruit. What would you say and show?

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

Which one is pretend?

2.

What does a toy ad want you to do?

3.

Which one is a kind of media?

4.

A poster shows kids washing their hands 🧼. What is its message?

For parents and teachers

What the curriculum asks: This lesson applies the Strand A expectations for understanding texts (A3.3) and sharing personal reactions to them (A3.4) to media such as cartoons, ads, videos and posters. Children think about what is real and pretend, what a message wants them to do, and share their ideas by talking, drawing or acting.

How to help at home:

  • Watch with your child sometimes, and pause to ask: "Could that really happen?" and "How did that part make you feel?"
  • Point out ads in flyers, on cereal boxes and before videos. Ask: "What do they want us to do?"
  • Notice helpful media too, like safety posters and signs.

Common difficulties:

  • Believing everything they see. Young children are still learning the line between real and pretend. Talk about it often and gently.
  • Strong feelings after a show. Name the feeling ("That part was scary") and remind them it was pretend.
  • Choose age-appropriate shows and keep screen time balanced with play, talk and books.