Media Education/Literacy

Thanks for your help, Ryan, lets see if this works better.

I teach community college level Intro to Mass Communication--five sections, and last fall I had a pretty nice time with my groups. I showed them Michael Wesch's "A Vision of Students Today" and had them create "research questions" for their own topics of interest. One group explored "What is it like living in post 9-11 America today" another group explored dating in the age of social media (see link below)

http://vimeo.com/30475261

I am seeking ways to formulate research questions, ideas from others that have used Facebook for collecting data. We had about a week's worth of research using the library's databases before using Facebook.

Anyone interested in discussing, I'd welcome the input. I may need to add, this was designed as an introduction to research, and recognize that the validity of my student's findings is lacking, but it is a new way to approach research and give them some ownership of the topic by getting original data.

Linda Cuellar, San Antonio

Hi Linda - Great stuff you're sharing! Better yet if you can post your question up above in the discussion forum it will have a URL and we can share it with the whole membership for a CS question.  Do consider copying and pasting above as things on the wall tend to get lost over time!  RRG:)

I just received a $500 grant for media literacy materials for my middle school.  Does anyone have any suggestions of some must-have resources?  Media Circles is high on my list!!

Kelly, I think what you teach should drive your purchases. For example, are you teaching advertising? If so, you might want to consider some resources in that arena. FYI, I maintain a website that contains a large list of books, videos, lesson plans and more related to topics that I consider to be quintessential to media literacy: bias, propaganda, critical viewing, language of film and much more. I urge you to look at my site and send me any questions you might have.  fbaker1346@aol.com 

I am a middle school Literacy Coach, so I do a little bit of everything.  I really want to look toward "reading" media, propaganda, etc. Teaching students to become critical consumers of the messages that surround them each day in ads, movies, music, etc.

Wow, Frank!  Thanks for the link.  I know how I'll be spending my evening!

Kelly, I just authored a new book " Media Literacy in the K-12 Classroom" (ISTE) which would be a perfect starter for you. It covers the main concepts, critical thinking questions, but more importantly, it offers many concrete ideas on how to teach media literacy. I hope you'll consider acquiring it. Frank

Kelly - Your query is difficult to answer without knowing what you already have, but if it were me I would purchase equipment (like digital cameras) because there is so much inquiry-based media literacy stuff now available for free.  Cyndy Scheibe's and my new book, THE TEACHER'S GUIDE TO MEDIA LITERACY, includes hundreds of activity/lesson ideas, and purchasers of the book can access the companion website to download the clips, images, and handouts you need to do many of them.  Renee Hobbs' new book, DIGITAL AND MEDIA LITERACY shares the lesson ideas of many middle and high school teachers.  Project Look Sharp (Ithaca College) has developed a wide range of curriculum-driven media literacy kits, covering science, social studies, and more, and all downloadable for free.  And there are lots of websites offering free materials on specific topics like gender and body image, pseudoscience, Internet credibility and cyberbullying, and more.  Let us know what you can get for $500 these days, and congratulations on the grant!

Kelly, I recently subscribed to Rethinking Schools and have really been enjoying it. It's got lots of media literacy-type ideas, lessons, and resources.

The Rethinking Schools article on teaching Gods Must Be Crazy was brilliant!

I was unfortunately disappointed with the Project Look Sharp material-- I purchased 3 sets of curriculum-- it was way to surface for where I take ML.

Maybe good for younger grades than HS? The Media Education Foundation, in my humble opinion, is the motherlode. The videos are pricey, yet the study guides are  free and outstanding. Besides teaching the deconstrucion analysis of ads-- it is essential to teach that ALL MEDIA has embedded values. And the economic/polical systems that this media is created.  Good luck with the endeavor, Kelly

I meant "too" surface.

My husband and I rented The Gods Must be Crazy in response to reading that article. We enjoyed seeing it from that point of view. Neither of us had ever seen it before, either. Interesting!!

Hi Everyone - The Gods Must Be Crazy is really priceless (as was the article in RS).   As you all know I've been a bit off the grid (update coming soon) here at MC POP but I'm trying to catch up on moderation.  Great discussion below in the future do consider posting questions above in the discussion forum - unfortunately, when these type of questions are asked on the wall they get buried over time AND because they have no URL (like the forum above us) they can't be broadcast or archived.  

Education or sales? I am confused here. Renee Hobbs' work is not contextual media literacy. ML must be contextual to be meaningful/effective. My humble thinking.  

Dianna - What do you mean by "contextual"?

Hi Faith--

If those in charge of our society -- politicians, corporate executives, and owners of press and television -- can dominate our ideas, they will be secure in their power. They will not need soldiers patrolling the streets. We will control ourselves.  -- Howard Zinn

Presently, there is a debate that exists regarding what Media Literacy Education involves. There are two schools of thought. In their essay “The Struggle for Media Literacy”, Sut Jhally and Justin Lewis (2006) clearly state their position:

The mass media should be understood as more than a collection of texts to be        deconstructed and analyzed so that we can distinguish—or choose—between them.     They should be analyzed as a set of institutions with particular economic and social    structure—structures that are neither inevitable nor   irreversible. (Jhally, 2006,p. 225)

On the other side of the argument is Renee Hobbs, who, according to The Media Education Lab (an affiliate of Temple University in Philadelphia) website, is “one of the nation's leading authorities on media literacy education.” Hobbs’ work has been embraced by school systems nationally, whereas this is not the case for the work of Jhally and Lewis. This is not surprising as Hobbs’ idea of media literacy involves deconstructing and creating media, or a text-centered approach. Hobbs does not delve into the depths of the economic and social structure of the media institution.  In her view, “it is inappropriate to lump media activism together with media literacy” (as in Jhally, 2006, p. 226).  Jhally and Lewis make a case that it is essential that Media Education must be contextual--it must examine culture hegemony in order for the work to be useful and meaningful. This would include how it (media) can be manipulated and how education can provide a prophylactic to this hegemonic manipulation, while simultaneously stimulating the consideration of holistic and analytical thinking.  In their argument, the authors cite Len Masterman, for whom:

The democratization of institutions, and the long march toward a truly participatory          democracy, will be highly dependent upon the ability of majorities of citizens to take    control, become effective change agents, make rational decisions, and to communicate          effectively perhaps through an active involvement with the media. (as in Jhally, 2006, p.        226)

Although Masterman resides in Britain, where much of media is a public service oriented government sponsored system, Jhally and Lewis state that this (understanding the media system) is particularly important in “ a media system in which messages are either explicitly or implicitly commercial” (Jhally, 2006, p. 226).In Media and Society: Industries, Images, and Audiences, Croteau and Hoynes explained that the process of domination through hegemony is extremely subtle as it operates “on the level of common sense in the assumptions we make about social life  and on the terrain of things we accept as “natural” or the way things are”  (Croteau and Hoynes, 2000, p. 164). As a result, this idea of common sense encourages a dismissal of alternative and creative thinking.  Yet, as we understand that hegemony is not permanent, but a process, there is true hope for a more compassionate and humane culture.

Much of all debate that takes place in our country seems to follow the Hobbs model for Media Literacy Education. An analogy of a “textual” rather than “contextual” approach to a heated issue is the abortion/right to life debate. It appears, within the current hegemony, as if one must choose an option or a side. This negates all unexplored options. It would be difficult to conceive that any one is actually for abortion. Yet, what are the cultural alternatives? A textual response subdues a creative response—a change in the culture. It shuts down further questioning, such as why do women choose to have abortions and what could the society do to eliminate the factors that encourage women to make this “choice”? Factors would certainly include poverty, lack of access to birth control, the non-existence of affordable childcare, and sexual violence against women. To examine and question the system that sustains the conditions that foster these problems does not enter the debate; the result is “the status quo” or what appears “safe”, yet feeds the ceaseless polarization of citizens, physical and emotional suffering, and no change. According to Stewart Hall (1994), a textual analysis, both the encoding and the decoding of media serves the essential issues of how representation are played out (as in Jhally, 2006, p. 227), yet it remains a narrow analysis.

In a contextual study of media literacy, the essential questions move from how messages are produced to why messages are produced. In addition, “under what constraints and conditions they are produced, and by whom they are produced” (Jhally, 2006, p. 228). An example of how this changes the discussion is having high school students critique an advertisement by The Campaign for a Drug Free America. A textual approach would most likely identify the propaganda techniques as “fear” based, and adolescents would most likely receive the message with cynicism.  In a contextual model of media literacy education, students would delve into the question of who constructed these messages, and discover that “The Campaign for a Drug Free America is a consortium funded by America’s leading alcohol, tobacco, and pharmaceutical companies” (as in Jhally, 2006, p.229).  The political reality is then opened up with the “why” question. This then leads to an examination of the political and economic power structures that are the driving force of the propaganda.  In Derailing Democracy, David McGowan (2000) stated:
            Selling fear to the American people has become a mainstay of the press and of both           political parties in this country. Taking a "tough on crime" stance, particularly in a        climate of perpetual fear created by the "war on drugs" and the "war on terrorism," is always a politically safe posture... By focusing on crime, attention is effectively directed           away from more divisive issues on which a politician might have to take a stand that         would cost them votes. Meanwhile, a fearful populace continues to surrender their civil            rights and constitutional protections at an alarming rate, so that their government may           protect them from the rampant criminality of the masses. (McGowan, 2000)

This analysis would provoke further questioning into the root causes of drug use and abuse in the society; they may discover a society that does not address the ills of poverty and the economically (therefore socially) disenfranchised. If they were to question why alcohol, tobacco, and pharmaceutical companies are sending out anti-drug messages, they may conclude that the situation is akin to the territorial drug dealer—and in this case, the drug dealer is supported by the political and economic power structures. If media literacy is not taught contextually, the learning is primarily superficial—bereft of social change.

            In Rich Media, Poor Democracy, Robert McChesney (1999) stated,

“... if we are serious about democracy, we will need to reform the media system structurally ... this reform will have to be part of a broader movement to democratize all the core institutions of society” (McChesney, p.ix, 1999). A difficulty that often arises, that is once again very much a part of the “system thinking”, is that the only alternative to commercial media is “the dull propagandist fare of totalitarian regimes (Jhally, 2006, p.230). A “this” or “that” system think holds fast to keeping the status quo by muting the questions. Media literacy education must explore the capitalist economic institution into which our commercial media emerged to serve the purpose of the system: profit making.

Hi Dianna - you should post your writing above as a blog and I can share it on a Blog and Cog monday!  Ry:)

Dianna, thanks for sharing your article and link. I think it's an important perspective.

Dianna – I echo Antonio’s appreciation for sharing your article.  I’m intrigued by how deeply I both agree and disagree with it. 

I wholeheartedly agree that helping students to develop critical autonomy, confront social and economic inequities, and pursue social justice are important functions of media literacy education - and learning to recognize media structures is a vital part of that process.  I won’t repeat everything we wrote in The Teacher’s Guide to Media Literacy (TGML), but suffice it to say that much of it exactly matches your description of “contextual” media literacy. We include “taking action” as a key element of media literacy and recommend NAMLE’s Key Questions because they always call for examination of media structures, purposes, and effects. 

But like Hobbs, I think it is vital to distinguish between “activism” and “education.”  In thinking about that disconnect with your work, I wonder if we agree on goals, but not on teaching methods.  Or maybe we just define “activism” differently.

For example, I know from experience that the practice of showing and discussing a  Media Education Foundation video can be wonderfully effective in getting students to consider important perspectives that they will rarely encounter in mainstream media.  My activist self loves that. But without a great deal of teaching finesse, the screening can be like assigning students to read a persuasive “essay” without ever requiring them to learn to write a persuasive essay.  And because so many of the MEF videos are so good, I am likely to end up with students who can repeat what I believe to be true, but who can’t necessarily think for themselves.  At its worst, the screening can amount to indoctrination, i.e., asking students to adopt the conclusions of a cultural critic without ever really learning how to analyze media or society for themselves.  If the goal is to develop independent critical thinkers, that’s a problem.

To take a cue from the work of Robyn Jackson (Never Work Harder Than Your Students), we know that students learn more when they grapple with material and figure out things for themselves than when they are told what media mean. Because MEF videos always present media examples in the context of a particular interpretation, its tough to use them in a way that gives students practice in coming to their own, independent conclusions.  So even though I often agree with the perspectives in MEF videos, I tend to prefer the materials in Project Look Sharp’s Kits.  Their media documents are purposefully not surrounded by commentary and are therefore easier to use to help students develop critical autonomy. 

For me, psychologist M.L.J. Abercrombie summarized the greatest challenge of doing inquiry-based media literacy when she observed that the dilemma of teaching is “How to tell students what to look for without telling them what to see.”  When I critique “activism” in the context of teaching, I am not speaking out against activism.  (I am an activist.  That would be self-defeating.)  Instead, I am critiquing a style of teaching that too often slips into “telling students what to see.” 

As we say in TGML, critical autonomy is not just helping students think independently of media, but also independently of us!  I often see well-intentioned educators who share my politics but who substitute activism for education by presenting pre-determined conclusions about media and society.  From an educational standpoint, that’s problematic because:

• it leaves no room for student voices who might disagree, and is therefore, ultimately disrespectful to students.
• it is incompatible with a literacy approach to media lit ed because it reserves the application of skills to texts that are objectionable instead of presenting a skill set that is applied to everything (i.e., we analyze Fox News, but not Democracy Now).
• it can easily produce cynicism instead of skepticism because students hear it as “don’t believe them, just believe me.”  That doesn’t give students skills, and without having a way to assess the strength and credibility of evidence, they conclude that “everyone is trying to manipulate me, including my teacher”.  

So, for me, the distinctions in the field of media literacy education aren’t about choosing between critical inquiry or not, contextual analysis or not (especially since nearly everyone - except for maybe theorists like James Potter - does at least come contextual analysis), being political or not, or even acknowledging media and societal structures or not.  They are about which teaching methods actually work best to help students become critical thinkers.

I’d love to hear how others “tell students what to look for” without telling them “what to see.”  How have you used MEF videos (or the work of other cultural critics) specifically to teach critical thinking?  If so, what prep for viewing and follow-up did you do, and how did you measure critical thinking skills?

Thanks for letting me ramble on a bit!

Hi Faith-- short quick response is that I do not show MEF films as "the truth" but as another perspective. Students recognize these films very quickly as bias-- which makes sense; I think it is easy for them to do so because many students interpret many of these films as an attack on the cultural values that they feel very "comfortable" with. In other words, bias is sometimes difficult to recognize when one agrees with the bias perspective. Most students do not recognize bias in corporately constructed media as it has influenced (indoctrinated)  their thinking from the youngest of ages.

If showing an MEF is akin to indoctrination, we could quickly have a radically different world!

Isn't the excerpt below  WHY ML is so essential? If students do not understand the systems that the messages are created in, how will they know why they are created?

Contextual ML  moves beyond empowering students to think for themselves-- it empowers students to act on their thinking-- if they so choose. It empowers them to create their future environments individually and collectively.

The mass media should be understood as more than a collection of texts to be        deconstructed and analyzed so that we can distinguish—or choose—between them.     They should be analyzed as a set of institutions with particular economic and social    structure—structures that are neither inevitable nor  irreversible. (Jhally, 2006,p. 225)

Also-- yes! I do teach from the bias perspective of social and economic justice.

I incorporate curriculum from Teaching Tolerance into ML courses.

I guess you can call it indoctrination: The life culture vs the death

culture.

Faith, I agree with the point that students need to learn how to learn. When ever possible I think we need to encourage that. From an environmental perspective, how does one get students (and educators for that matter) to see that education also teaches ecological worldviews (whether exploitative or sustainable)? If any of you are scratching your head about what I mean, then you can see how difficult it is to think about how crucial the relationship between ecology and media really is. Gregory Bateson was one of the few scholars who saw beyond the separation of ecology from all the other disciplines, and he pointed out that people who don't see themselves as ecological animals cannot be expected to spontaneously come to this awareness. It requires an intervention, and considering the scale of our global ecological crisis, this intervention will need to be massive. Now, I do believe there are ways to teach students how to see how environmental worldviews are embedded into media, but to learn how to see that is no simple trick, and at points requires some explanation, because ecological awareness is pretty much outside the paradigm of most education, and in particular media literacy. Just to give a quick example before I go. I gave a presentation at a major media education conference in London last year, but only four people went to it. Next door there was a presentation about Facebook, which had a full house of over a hundred people.

Antonio, 

I agree that an ecological perspective is one not often taught to our students. Indeed, it is not even a consideration outside of the Earth Day reduce/reuse/recycle mantra. Sadly, we do not do enough to help students understand how our society is largely fabricated on instant-gratification and progress is good. Couple these values with forced obsolescence and you have the trifecta for a society that is ecologically unsustainable. Unless students understand where the messages come from (these values that if it's broke, I throw it away, if it's old, I throw it away, if it's not current, I throw it away), they cannot truly begin to make an impact! For this reason, I like a little bit of Burke's Mindful Conservatism thrown in the blender with a healthy dose of critical media literacy ... We need to help students see the structures that have created the society that we live in. Only by understanding how we have created a disposable society can we see how very important it is to talk back to that value and find ways to make a real impact. It has to go deeper than reduce, reuse, recycle. I hope I'm on the same page as you; I feel I am, but in this way I think it's really important that media literacy be a part of the ecology conversation. I wish I had resources to share, but truthfully, it's the first I've really thought about the connections between Burke and media literacy. Perhaps a very small place to start is by simply talking about packaging ... vast amounts of waste as the cost of "effective" marketing.

Mary,,thanks for your comment. There are basically no resources for incorporating ecology into media literacy (Project Looksharp has a few environmentally themed curricula, but I don't find them radically ecological in the sense of rethinking how we map and engage the world). It is for this reason I am developing a curriculum and will soon be testing it. If you are interested in being a "beta tester" please email me and I will put you on the list for when I announce the training: antonio@worldbridgermedia.com. Also, thanks for the Burkes recommendation. I will check it out.

Mary, are you referring to Chet Bowers' Mindful Conservatism?

Oh yes, wow. Burke .... Bowers. Oops! So sorry, Mr. Bowers! Am I even close to what you were thinking? I feel like his arguments embody the argument of bringing an ecological perspective to education.

Mary, yes, I know Chet very well. He was on my PhD committee. He has been a great inspiration.

Oh, goodness! Please don't tell him I misquoted him. Yikes! I'm in my capstone, and I'm having a hard time keeping all the greats I've read straight. When I think of helping students see media through an ecological perspective, I think Bowers' work is a good start; but it sounds as though I am preaching to the choir. Before I get moderated, I'll cut this here. Next? ;-)

Mary, no worries. Our secrete remains on the open internet!

Hello Everyone! I am a Millersville University student finishing my Secondary English Cert.  I am currently researching teaching students to think critically when viewing media.  Any suggestions on how to incorporate this in the classroom?  Thanks!

Shannon:  There are two ways I can think to advise you on teaching students to think/view critically.  First, I would introduce students to the "languages of the moving images." I have created a page which should be of value. Please go to www.frankwbaker.com/language_of_film  here you will find categories (like audio, lighting, set design, etc) which include timely readings as well as lesson plans and activity suggestions.

Second, I would introduce your students to the media literacy list of critical questions. NAMLE has produced a list as a handout. You can download it here.
A fuller explanation of the questions can be found in the Center for Media Literacy's MediaLit Kit, found here.  

Good luck,  Frank Baker, Media Literacy Clearinghouse

Hi Shannon - this is a great question. Unfortunately, big questions on the comment wall are not easy for folks to respond to and get buried over time.

Would you consider moving this question above us to the discussion forum? When you post your ? above your "affinity group" peeps can give you feedback. Because forum ?s have URLs it will be in there for the next person with a similar ? AND I can broadcast the question to the whole Ning on crowdsource Tuesday.

Thanks for getting in the mix - as always - please share more cool ?'s and ideas!

RRG:)

Examining Media Use in 48 Hrs.

It's been a great start to a new semester at our community college, and particularly in my five sections of Introduction to Mass Communication.

I don't use a textbook. Most of the class is project-based.

Students have explored the Media Literacy concepts and questions by examining various media messages.

They examined the results of the Gen M 2009 report on media use among 8-18 year olds in the U.S., and particularly the results on grades and media use. They also read numerous articles about media deprivation projects among college students around the world.

Next they began an exploration of their use of media by taking either a 48 hour media vacation or a 48 hour monitoring of their media use, with the first group preparing questions which they would answer after the 48 hours of their media vacation and the second group carefully charting their use of media in 8 media types in an Excel spreadsheet prepared for the assignment as well as a journal.

Groups in class discussed their individual results then their group experiences on which technology was easiest or hardest to give up and other observations. They then created a news story about their group experiences and totals for media use among various media types.

One group's keen perspective was memorable. The class was busy in five or six separate groups discussing their results. The students in one group had found most of them found it easier to give up TV and the Internet and harder to give up cell phones and social media. I piped in too fast and offered a McLuhan-based reason using senses. I offered the explanation TV and the Internet were more visual. Another explanation was put forward by another student: portability! That would account for students' preferences. Another student then offered his idea, that preferences were due to connection to people! TV and Internet were one way devices, while social media and cell phones give us what we crave the most connection to people.

I have stair-stepped this assignment into drafts and final drafts and given them the experience of reading the work of their pair-share partner. The assignments total 20% of the student's grade this semester. We have spent about 3-4 weeks on related topics and assignments connected to 48 hrs.

Their writing of a news story incorporates basics of news writing, writing in the 3rd person, 5 w's and h, 7 news values, quoting, paraphrasing and examining their work by applying the media literacy questions to their own writing about the experience. It also satisfies the necessary reflection over the project that helps to "connect the dots" or cement the experience in class with the experience of living real life.

Hi Linda! Sounds like you're doing very interesting work. Unfortunately, things like this - when posted on the wall - tend to get buried / lost. For that reason do consider re-posting the info about your work up above us in the discussion forum as then it is archived and you have a dedicated URL and I can share during a week in review or - if you develop the post a bit more - a blog and cog Monday!

Hello!  I teach media literacy to undergrads but have a bunch of 8th graders coming to campus in a couple of weeks.  Any suggestions for good fun grade appropriate media literacy exercises?  Thanks!

Natasha

1. Download the "Branding Alphabet" located here and see how many of your students can name the brand based on just one letter from its name.
2. Ask students: what is the purpose of advertising.  The answer--to see you something is too obvious. Ask them what ELSE is advertising designed to do.
3.  Have them research how much it costs to place a 30 second ad in local and national TV shows. Then ask them how much it cost to place the same ad during the annual Super Bowl game. Why the difference in cost?

Frank  you should post that branding Alphabet up above so it doesn't get buried on the wall - plus then I have a URL for it to share on the WIR! 

Oh, wait, I didn't see that progression. Soooo Natasha maybe you could post up above in the discussion forum as a crowdsoure question!  That way you have a dedicated URL that won't get buried on the wall, I can share it with the whole group AND we have it archived. In that case, I really would be asking Frank to respond to that post above... Ahhh, isn't moderation fun:)

Hello educators! I’ve just heard of this community and I’m little known in the international media literacy field, so let me introduce myself briefly… I’m a communication analyst and sociologist (not-academic) from Italy, currently committed to media education practices and recently experienced in working on American contents, as you can see through my internet spaces and mentions. My English is not yet very good, but I hope my posts and replies will be clear and useful, when we will share opinions, topics (Frank already suggested I post a mention about my last work) and resources. My best regards to all!

Enzo, that is great that you're sharing your resources. Do consider posting (copying and pasting) info about your sites above in the discussion forum - that way your materials can be found over time. Things on the wall tend to get buried.

Great to have more Italians in the mix and wonderful to have you here!

Ryan:)

Thanks, Ryan! I've already posted my first info in the discussion forum, while here I found it appropriate to introduce myself at least. See you soon :)

A really fun article about the interconnectedness of the Pixar universe. Might be good for a convergence culture discussion.

http://jonnegroni.com/2013/07/11/the-pixar-theory/

A grant opportunity for your favorite librarian to add graphic novels to their collection:

http://www.willeisner.com/the_eisnershpritz/WEFF_ALA_Grant_Press_Re...

Suite Success: From A-Plus to A-Sharp

By Mike Gange

This year I did something in my classroom I have never done before. And it turned out so well, I am wondering why I never grabbed onto this idea in the 30 years I have been teaching.

I love music. The very first song I can remember is Sam Cooke’s “You send me,” a 1957-release. I was a year old when it was on the radio.

This year, my media studies class was scheduled for Period One, 8:30 a.m.  Second semester is particularly deadly with Grade-12-itis. The kids are cocky but lethargic, sometimes sullen and many thinking they are closer to graduating than they really are. These grade 12s would straggle in, half-awake, blinking in the light as if they had just crawled out of a cave. Part way through the term I decided to do something about this lethargy, which was spreading through the class like a sleeping sickness.

I went back to the personal inventory index cards they had completed on the first day of class. I picked their favorite music and musicians from the cards. Then I started to play the music they said they liked, finding a way to tie the song into the lesson of the day. I always write the agenda for the class on the chalkboard at the front of the room. This time, I wrote the Song of the Day first, then the agenda.

you can find the rest of the article here:

http://swimminginmedia.wordpress.com/2014/07/23/suite-success/