Virginia SOL 4.C.4
SOL Standard (Knowledge and Skills Cluster)
Examining Media Messages
Virginia Standards of Learning for English
Cluster contents
Knowledge and Skills in This Standard
4.C.4 is a Standards of Learning standard. These are the knowledge and skills expectations under it.
- 4.C.4.A
Differentiate between auditory, visual, and written media messages (e.g., videos, podcasts, print advertisements) and their purposes (to explain, to inform, to ...
- 4.C.4.B
Compare and contrast how ideas and topics are depicted (e.g., animation, famous images and words, music and sound, photo-editing) in a variety of media and form...
Teacher's field guide
What This Cluster Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students identify whether a message relies mainly on sound, images, text, or a combination. They explain the creator’s goal and compare how different media choices present the same idea.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students can classify a podcast clip, advertisement, or video by its main format and purpose. They can compare two versions of a topic and cite specific words, images, sounds, or editing choices.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may confuse the format with the creator’s purpose. They may treat a video as only visual, ignoring narration, music, and text. They may list differences without explaining how those choices affect the message.
How to Assess It
- Show a print advertisement and a 30-second video about the same product. Ask students to name each purpose and explain how one media choice shapes the message.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Set up stations with a magazine ad, muted video, and podcast clip, then have students sort each by format and purpose.
Ask students to write: How do music, images, and word choice change the way an audience understands the same topic?
Play Media Detective by giving pairs message cards to match with purpose cards, then requiring one piece of evidence for each match.
Compare a weather report from radio, television, and an app, then discuss which details each format makes easiest to understand.
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Printable 4.C.4 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 4.C.4, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.
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