Virginia SOL 9.C.4.F
The Standard
Identify the possible cause and effect relationships between mass media coverage and public opinion trends in media messages.
Virginia Standards of Learning for English · Examining Media Messages
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students examine media coverage alongside evidence of public opinion over time. They identify possible links and explain why the evidence does or does not support causation.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students connect changes in coverage with changes in polling, comments, or audience reactions. They explain whether coverage may shape opinion, reflect opinion, or work in both directions.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may assume that coverage caused an opinion shift simply because it came first. They may overlook reverse causation, existing beliefs, major events, or differences among audiences.
How to Assess It
- Give students a headline timeline and a before-and-after opinion poll. Ask them to identify one possible relationship and one reason causation remains uncertain.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs a timeline of headlines and poll results, then have them mark where coverage may have influenced opinion.
Ask students to write: Did media coverage shape opinion, reflect it, or both, and what evidence supports your claim?
Run a card sort with scenarios labeled likely cause, possible cause, correlation, or opinion influencing coverage.
Compare local news coverage of a school policy with survey results collected before and after the reports.
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Related Standards
- 11.C.4.C
Analyze, compare, and contrast visual and verbal media messages for content (e.g., word choice and choice of information), intent (e.g., persuasive techniques),...
- 10.C.4.E
Describe possible cause-and- effect relationships between mass media coverage and public opinion trends.
- 12.C.4.E
Analyze media to determine the cause-and-effect relationship(s) between media coverage and public opinion trends.
- 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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