CBC Archives

Write the word “Media” on the board and ask the class to provide you with as many related words as possible. List their responses to create a word web. Once words have been provided (for example, television, radio, newspapers, reporters) explain to students that they will be learning about Marshall McLuhan, a Canadian who was the first person in the world to study all of these various forms of media.

Write McLuhan’s name on the board. Ask if any of the students have heard of him and what they know about him.

Divide the students into 10 groups of two or three. Assign each group one of the media clips on the Marshall McLuhan topic of the CBC Radio and Television Archives Web site. Have them view the clip and make notes about the important facts and points in the clip. Students should pay particular attention to the “Did You Know?” sections of each clip, which include additional useful information.

Each group should use its findings to prepare a short presentation outlining for the rest of the class the highlights of the clip viewed. Students may wish to use chart paper or the chalk board to aid in their presentations.

Create new groups, this time of four or five students each. Write the following question on the board: “Why is it important to study and understand the different types of media?”

Have each group brainstorm answers to this question, record these on a sheet of chart paper, and present its response to the class.

Have students keep a log of all the different types of media they encounter in one day. Have students then log the amount of time they spend in a one-week period watching television, surfing the Internet, and listening to the radio. At the end of the week, have students share these with the class and have a class discussion around your findings.