Virginia SOL 9.C.4.A
The Standard
Determine the purpose of the media message and its effect on the audience.
Virginia Standards of Learning for English · Examining Media Messages
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students examine words, images, sounds, and design choices to infer what a media creator wants from an audience. They explain how those choices may shape viewers' thoughts, feelings, or actions.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students clearly state what the creator wants the audience to think, feel, or do. They explain a likely audience response and support it with specific details from the message.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may name the topic instead of the creator's goal. They may assume every viewer reacts the same way or describe an effect without linking it to a specific word, image, sound, or design choice.
How to Assess It
- Display a public service ad and ask: "What does the creator want the audience to think, feel, or do? Name one choice that could cause that response."
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs three printed ads; students highlight design choices, label each creator's goal, and add sticky notes predicting audience reactions.
Ask, "How would this message affect a teenager differently from a parent?" Students cite one image or phrase in their response.
Play Purpose, Audience, Effect: teams draw a media card, make a claim for each category, and earn points for supporting evidence.
Students photograph or describe a message from school or social media, then explain its intended response and likely actual response.
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Printable 9.C.4.A Worksheet
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Related Standards
- 5.C.4.A
Deconstruct various types of media to identify the characteristics and determine the effectiveness of the intended messages.
- 5.C.4.B
Identify the purpose, intended audience, and credibility of information (e.g., auditory, visual, and written media messages) being presented.
- 12.C.4.B
Analyze and critique the effectiveness of media messages by evaluating the purpose, evidence, and clarity for specific purposes with targeted audiences.
- 6.C.4.C
Explain the characteristics and analyze the effectiveness of a variety of media messages by considering the results and/or impact on the intended audience.
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