Make a Mockery of Magazines
Module 1, Activity 8.6 - Magazine Satire
Teacher Page
(student page for this lesson)

Introduction:

In previous lessons, students have been introduced to the different types of magazine articles, the purpose of advertising and the skills necessary for targeting a specific audience. Over the course of the next week, they will apply this information by creating a satire of a tabloid magazine.

Resources:

- examples of tabloids and satirical magazines
- access to computers
- sales package template
- evaluation sheet (.doc) or (.rtf)
- Microsoft Publisher template for newsletters/magazines
- list of useful links
- peer evaluation (.doc) or (.rtf)

Activities:

Task One - Where to Begin
The students' purpose is to create a tabloid satire. To begin, you may want to have students look at a few tabloid examples and review the concept of satire. Be aware that appropriate content may be an issue.

The most recognizable tabloids are:
The National Enquirer
Star Magazine

You have the option to take students to the online versions of these tabloids or to bring a few copies of tabloid magazines to class. As these web sites depend a great deal on pop-up advertising, the print copies may be the simpler option.

Have students review the definition of satire as printed on the student version of this page and view examples of satirical magazines. You may choose to have students look at Canadian satire on-line such as The Daily Bull or The Toque, or bring in a print satire such as MAD magazine.

Task Two - Selling the idea
Students should be begin by making all of the important decisions about their magazine. They will present this information to you in the form of a sales package. Give students a list of decisions they need to make (such as the ones on the student version of this page) and a template for their sales package (this should include a sample of how they will be graded.

During the decision making process, you may need to help students come to consensus as a group by circulating and asking guiding questions. You should also encourage students to choose a target audience with which they are familiar. In many cases, making themselves the target audience may help students to focus on what would attract someone to their product.

Task Three - Getting Organized
For this assignment, students will be working in groups of 3-5 people. Give the students a list of steps they need to take to get organized, such as the list provided on the student version of this page.

Task Four - The Daily Grind
While the students are working on a day to day basis, the teacher will act as a facilitator for each of the groups. If the students are having any difficulties, you may need to review concepts taught in previous lessons.

Task Five - Teamwork
Remember that group work can sometimes be difficult on students. By monitoring each group's deadlines and progress, you may be able to facilitate problem solving.

Task Six - The Finished Product
At the end of their work time, students will hand-in their finished magazine, rough copies and an evaluation sheet. At this time, they will take part in the evaluation of the group

See the links page for this lesson, for additional information on previously taught concepts.

Assessment and Evaluation:
You will have the chance to help students focus through the evaluation of their sales package. Having the students hand this in at the beginning of the process, will allow you to monitor their decisions and make suggestions in areas they may not be meeting project requirements.

As this is a project which expects students to apply previous knowledge, a formal evaluation is required. Based on previous lessons, you will determine categories for which the students should be evaluated in and weight those categories accordingly. By giving the students their evaluation in advance, you allow them to recall previous concepts as well as understand how they will be evaluated. A sample evaluation is provided for your use.

Because this project relies heavily on the group's ability to work together, there must be evaluation of this skill. As a teacher, you will keep anecdotal records on how the group used their class time. Perhaps for each time the group is off-topic, they lose a mark out of 10. This allows each group to start with a perfect score and then face consequences for not using class time wisely. This is also an appropriate time to have students participate in assessment through peer evaluation. By providing the members of the group a chance to evaluate each of the other members, you will be able to see how the group worked when you were not able to watch the interaction. Hve students mark each other out of 15, then take the average of the marks for each individual.