The Powerful Voices for Kids (PVK) program is a university-school partnership program designed to strengthen children’s ability to think for themselves, communicate effectively, and use their powerful voices to contribute to the quality of life in their families, their schools, their communities and the world.

 

In the summer of 2009, I worked as a PVK media educator for a class of Kindergarten and First Grade students in Philadelphia. Using media literacy models, I developed lesson plans and facilitated our class sessions to help bridge the gap between in-school and out-of-school learning and to provide students with the critical thinking skills needed to navigate both worlds.

 

My class spent a great deal of our time analyzing commercials and advertisements, understanding the intention behind logos, branding, packaging and the ways the media tries to grab our attention. Students created new water bottle brands and produced a commercial for our sneaker brand called Minjos.

 

We also discussed the difference between reality and fiction in the media, particularly around superheros, wrestling and cartoons. Addressing different target audiences, we also distinguished between media made for kids and adults, and discussed the issues that arise when the lines are blurred.