Assessed Tasks Questions and Dates

A-Level Media Year 1 (Plan for submitting assessed work)

Number	Topic	Question	Submission Date
1.	Minecraft (Media Industries & Audiences)	Explain the impact of digitally convergent media platforms on video game production, distribution and consumption. Refer to Minecraft to support your answer.	April 24th 30-minute response
2.	Music Video (Media Language & Representation)	Analyse how the Million Reasons music video by Lady Gaga uses stereotypes to represent a variety of images of feminine identity.	May 1st 30-minute response
3.	BBC Radio One Breakfast show (Media Industries & Audience)	Explain how economic contexts influence radio production. Refer to The BBC Radio One Breakfast Show to support your points.	May 8th 30-minute response
4.	Long Form TV Drama (Stranger Things)	Multiple narrative strands are the key convention of long form television dramas’. Discuss how far you agree with this statement in relation to the set episode of the long form television drama you have studied. In your answer you must: consider the codes and conventions of long form television drama. Analyse how media language is used to establish the key codes and conventions in the set episode of the long form television drama you have studied. Refer to relevant academic ideas and arguments in your analysis. Make judgements and draw conclusions about how far you agree with the statement.	May 15th 45-minute response
5.	News & Online Media	To what extent do the elements of media language used in Sources A and B convey different values, attitudes and beliefs about the world? In your answer you must: Analyse the ways in which media language has been used in combination in sources A and B to convey values, attitudes and beliefs about the world. Refer to relevant contexts and academic ideas and arguments in your analysis and draw judgments and conclusions in relation to the question.	May 22nd 45-minute response
6.	News and online media	Changing social contexts, caused by technological advances, have created a long term decline in the circulation of national newspapers. Explain how newspapers have responded to these changes. Refer to The Telegraph to support your answer. In your answer you must: Consider relevant social contexts that influence newspaper circulation. Use your knowledge and understanding of relevant academic ideas and arguments. explain the relationship of recent technological change to the production, distribution and circulation of newspapers. Refer to The Telegraph as an example of how newspapers have responded.	May 29th 45-minute response

resources for news question

Here are the two images you need to analyse for question 5. The first question for News and Online Media

Assesed Work Question and Dates

A-Level Media Year 2 (Plan for submitting assessed work)

 

Number	Topic	Question	Submission Date
1.	Disney (Media Industries & Audiences)	Explain how changes in production and/or distribution methods have affected the film industry. Refer to Disney’s 1967 and 2016 versions of The Jungle Book to support your answer. In your answer you must consider how historical and economic contexts influence the production and/or distribution of mainstream films.	April 24th
2.	Radio (Media Industries & Audiences)	Explain how popular music radio programmes target, reach and maintain a variety of audiences. Refer to The BBC Radio One Breakfast Show to support your answer.	April 24th
3.	Music Video (Media Language & representation)	Explain how media language in music video incorporates viewpoints and ideologies. Refer to one of the music videos you have studied to support your answer. You should have studied two music videos: one from List A and one from List B below.	May 1st
4.	Magazines (Media Language & Representation)	Analyse how the Simon On The Streets advertisement (Source C) conveys values, attitudes and beliefs about homelessness. In your answer you must:  consider how media representations convey values, attitudes and beliefs in Source C  make judgements and reach conclusions on how audiences may respond to and interpret these media representations.	May 1st   Note. Remember to look closely at the advert and read the other information about the question. It is in the exam paper.
5 (A).                                                                               5(B)		The differences in the codes and conventions of long form television dramas reflect the different values, attitudes and beliefs of the audiences that consume them.’ How far do you agree with this statement? In your answer you must: consider the contexts in which long form television dramas are produced and consumed explain how media contexts may have influenced the codes and conventions in the set episodes of the two long form television dramas you have studied refer to relevant academic ideas and arguments make judgements and reach conclusions about the reasons for the differences in the codes and conventions between the two episodes.     Evaluate the usefulness of one of the following theories in understanding long form television drama: EITHER Hesmondhalgh’s theories about cultural industries OR Butler’s theories about gender performativity.	May 8th                                                                               May 8th
6.	News & Online Media   Question 1 & 2	1.Analyse the different social and cultural representations in Sources A and B. Apply Hall’s theory of representation in your answer   2 Sources A and B cover the same news event from two different tabloid newspapers. How far have media conventions been used to construct viewpoints in Sources A and B? In your answer you must: outline the conventions of the front pages of tabloid newspapers, including use and style of headlines and images analyse the contrasting use of symbolic, technical and written conventions in the sources  make judgements and reach conclusions on the way in which media conventions construct viewpoints and ideologies.	May 15th               May 15th
7.	News & Online Media   Questions 3 & 4	3.Explain how economic contexts, including commercial and not-for-profit funding, affect the distribution of newspapers. Refer to The Guardian and the Daily Mail to support your answer.   4 Evaluate the usefulness of one of the following theories in understanding audience use of online newspapers such as The Guardian and MailOnline: EITHER • Jenkins on participation OR • Bandura’s media effects theory.	May 22nd                       May 22nd

News & online media (lesson 9)

Here is a selection of front covers for you to analyse. Don't forget to cover all of the key aspects in your analysis.


Representation
Reading of the text
Media language
Media Theories (at least three theories for each analysis and remenber to try, where possible, to link them together.)

News & Online media (Lesson 8)

You now need to return to the exam paper and tackle both questions 3 & 4. For question 4, you should have a go at both theories but obviously in the exam, you will only choose one theory.


Question 3 is a bit trickier. The term 'non-profit' refers to ownership of the newspaper and producing it for politcal reasons rather than for business / proftable reasons.


However this is where you consider, through technology, other ways in which newspapers can generate income. YOU WILL NEED TO RESEARCH HERE!!


Consider things like 'paywalls' this is where you subscribe and pay for extra content online. also consider advertising on the website and on their social media sites.


Also consider membership schemes, sponsorship and other aspects such as The Guardian sells holidays and books through its travel magazine suppliment.


Again I can only say this so many times, look at these products and search for articles that will help you. Don't forget we have copies of the media studies book in the library, so take one out and use it.

news & online media (lesson 7)

A-Level Media Year 2                         News and On-Line Media

As you have all worked so hard this term, today will be a gentle stroll through the world of on-line newspaper websites, however there is a small but rather important task attached as outlined below.

TASK

You need to select three different stories from any newspaper web-site you like. However, the three different stories must fit into the following categories.

One International (world) story

One National (UK) Story

One Celebrity story

I want you find out as much information as you can about these stories today. Look at other news sites. Are they reporting the same story, are they reporting it in the same way, from the same angle?

How are we discussing the story, what comments are we leaving, what discussions are being created about the stories?

It is crucial that you find and complete an initial report on each story in the lesson today.

The reason being, I then want you to come back in two weeks’ time and see if you can follow the story. Is it still in the news, what has happened, any developments, can you find any trace of the story, how have we reacted to it, impacted upon it?

International Story

UK Story

Celebrity Story

News & Online media (Lesson 6)

I appreciate some of these theories would have been covered in lesson 5. You obviously only need to focus on the theories not yet covered.

A-Level Media:                  Theories for News & On-Line Media

Audience:

(Bandura) Media Effects

(Gerbner) Cultivation Theory

(Hall) Reception Theory

(Jenkins) Fandom

(Shirky) End of Audience

Industry:

(Curran & Seaton) Power without responsibility

(Livingston & Lunt) Regulation

(Hesmondhalgh) Cultural Industries

NOTE:  Remember that these can be just starting points and through discussion of these theories may well open the door and present opportunity to bring in and discus other theories, thus improving your 

News & Online media (Lesson 5)

A-Level Media:      News & Online Media

TASK:             Explain theory and explain how the theory can be used in relation to news and online media. Where possible find a story and give an example of the theory in relation to the story.

   Theory                                           Explanation                          Example

Semiology
Structuralism
Representation
Identity
Feminist Theory
Gender
Power in the Media
Media Effects
Cultivation Theory
Fandom
End of Audience
Narrative

News and online media (Lesson 3 &4)

As mentioned, this area does not change much from the first year, however your analysis and discussion for the topic does need to be at a higher level and all of the questions need to include and discuss theories, so you need to go over theories again and again. So to help you with this you need to analyse as much as possible.

Here is the exam paper questions and resources from last year. You will need to attempt questions 1 & 2 now.

Questions 3 & 4 need to be done after you have covered the next few lessons.

News and online media refresher work (lessons 1 & 2)

Lessons 1 & 2 are to simply visit the label for the first year work, 'Label J' and dig out all of your notes from last year. You need to look over your understanding of news values and of course media language what analyzing front covers or newspaper Facebook pages and twitter feeds.

Remember you will need to discuss technology and its impact upon news and the audience in this section of the exam as well as analysing front covers.

NOTE: Theory Time, you must in all of your discussion and analysis apply theories to your responses, so a part of these first two lessons is to brush up on all of your theories.

News and online media, Website & Social Media analysis (lesson 9)

A-Level Media: Analysis of newspaper websites and social media sites:

PAPER 1:              Daily Mirror

Website Analysis

Social Media analysis

Target Audience for both

PAPER 2:              Daily Mail

Website Analysis

Social Media Analysis

Target Audience for both

PAPER 3:              Daily Telegraph

Website Analysis

Social media analysis

Target Audience of both

Focus on social media sites. (Students examine three newspaper websites and three newspaper social media sites (Daily Mirror, Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph) Main emphasis to be on layout, style, conventions of websites, stories covered, images used. For social media sites, look at us as an audience and how we impact upon stories and ways of discussing, debating stories. Look at target audience and use of technology.

News and online media Other information (lesson 8)

Below is a brief lesson plan that attempts to cover as much as possible during the enforced closure.  Most of the content has been covered by previous posts. However you need to look at and attempt in more detail lessons three and seven. You will also need to attempt the question in lesson 8

News and Online News

Lesson Plan Outline

Lesson 1	Introduction to news. Analysis of news stories, news values. News selection tasks. Look at current news stories
Lesson 2	Look at three news stories, that can be followed over the course of a few lessons. Focus upon aspects that are covered in the exam (Media Language). Headlines, Images, how the story and people are being represented. Look at newspaper social media sites. How is the story being discussed on social media. Ask students to track the stories over the next few lessons.
Lesson 3	Focus on social media sites. Use sheet provided (Students examine three newspaper web-sites and three newspaper social media sites (Daily Mirror, Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph) Main emphasis to be on layout, style, conventions of web-sites, stories covered, images used. For social media sites, look at us as an audience and how we impact upon stories and ways of discussing, debating stories. Look at target audience and use of technology.
Lesson 4	Codes and conventions / analysis of newspaper front covers. Use practice exam paper front covers of Theresa May Brexit story. Discuss how to approach completing an analysis of the cover. Discuss media language, representation, identity, structuralism. Students attempt to write an analysis once discussion compete. (Remember to use some of the lesson to track and update stories)
Lesson 5	(Remember to use some of the lesson to track and update stories) Continue with analysis of front covers of newspapers. Give students three front covers to analyse, based on exam criteria and work completed in previous lesson. Look at three Facebook / Twitter pages. Use snippet tool to create three images. Same process as Front cover analysis.
Lesson 6	Students write an analysis of the stories they have tracked. Select one of the stories and answer a list of questions based on the story. Questions focus on media language, audience discussion / response and theories that can be applied to the story.
Lesson 7	Facts, figures and technology lesson (1). A historical view of news, start with newspaper history, radio news, TV news, internet and access to news constantly. How has technology changed the way news is constructed and presented. Has it impacted on what we now view as having news values, or have news values been diminished and devalued? Decline in newspaper sales, who accesses news online?
Lesson 8	(2). Continuation of previous lesson. However, students need to gather data and demonstrate they can use the information by answering an exam style question. ‘Changing social contexts, caused by technological advances, have created a long term decline in the circulation of national newspapers. Explain how newspapers have responded to these changes. Refer to a newspaper of your choice to support your answer’.