Ms.

Morcom’s Media Literacy Lesson Plan

“SMAC UP” the Media

Date: TBA

Age/Grade Level/Class Make-Up: 15-16 years old/10th Grade (Honors)/ Gender ratio is
2 females to 1 male with approximately 60% Caucasian, 25% African American, 15%
Latino and Asian.

Unit: Social Issues and Action

Objective/ Learning Goal: Students will be able to…

1) Understand what the acronym “SMAC UP” stands for.
2) Demonstrate their understanding by critically examining various media images
and videos.
3) Collaborate to brainstorm ways in which to edit and/or use these media images
and videos for social change.
4) Connect this newly acquired strategy to the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry
Finn.

Skills Taught: MI Standards: CE 2.2.3, CE 3.4.1, CE 3.4.2, CE 3.4.4

Context: Students are in the second week of the unit (day 7).

Materials: Journals, overhead, projector, laptop with the images and videos, computer
stations in class, handouts, and worksheets.

Activities:
1) First students will write in their journals for 10 minutes, reflecting on this
prompt: “What types of situations/ideas/people does Huck question or examine
so far?”
2) Then, I will give students the “SMAC UP” handout and explain what the
acronym means. As a class, we will “SMAC UP” an image. (10 minutes)
(S) Stop
• Q: What is the first thing we do?
• Q: How does this help us?
(M) Missing
• Q: What is left out of the ad?
• Q: Who is left out of the ad?
• Q: What kind of message is that telling us?
(A) Attention
• Q: How did it get our attention?
• Q: What are we paying attention to?
• Q: Why were we in interested in it (or not)?
(C) Created
• Q: Who made the clip?
• Q: Does that influence our interpretation of it?
• Q: Is the creator trying to influence us in a certain way?
(U) Understand it
• Q: How do you understand the message?
• Q: How might others understand the message?
• Q: What was the intended message?
(P) Point of View
• Q: Through whose eyes are we viewing this media text?
• Q: How is it represented?
• Q: Who can best relate to it?

3) Next, students will form groups of 3 to try the “SMAC UP” method on their
own. Once finished, the groups will report back to the larger group with their
findings. I will then ask the groups to return back to their images/videos and
either rework the text to make it suitable for social action or explain how/why the
text can be used for change. (20 minutes)
4) Lastly, students will return back to their journals to edit today’s entry, adding
how Huck “SMAC[s] UP” his context. (10 minutes)
5) Students will turn in their research proposals.

Assessment: I will assess the students formatively through their in-class participation in
discussions, group work, and journals.

Resources: Acronym, “SMAC UP,” taken from MSU’s T.E.A.M. (Tomorrow’s Educators
for the Advancement of Multiculturalism).