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Created  by  Lodge-­Zaparnick  (2019)  

Title  of  Lesson:  The  impact  of  social  media  on  children  and  youth.  
Brief  Description  of  Lesson:    
Lesson  begins  with  a  video  to  engage  students.  Students  will  then  begin  a  small  group  discussion  about  
the  video  they  watched  (with  the  use  of  guiding  questions)  Afterwards,  students  will  independently  
complete  an  EdPuzzle  and  will  read  an  article.  The  rest  of  the  lesson  will  be  used  to  write  a  reflection  
based  on  today’s  lesson,  which  will  be  due  at  the  beginning  of  the  following  lesson.  
At  the  end  of  this  lesson,  students  will  be  able  to:    
Students  will  have  an  understanding  of  the  impact  social  media  has  on  children  and  youth,  on  their  own  
personal  well-­being,  and  on  society.  The  lesson  will  aid  in  helping  students  make  conscious  decisions  
regarding  their  relationship  and  interactions  with  social  media.  
General  Learning  Outcomes:  
C4:  demonstrate  appropriate  critical  thinking  and  decision-­making  skills  when  choosing  a  course  of  
action  based  on  scientific  and  technological  information

C5:  demonstrate  curiosity,  skepticism,  creativity,  openmindedness,  accuracy,  precision,  honesty,  and  
persistence,  and  appreciate  their  importance  as  scientific  and  technological  habits  of  mind

C7:  work  cooperatively  and  value  the  ideas  and  contributions  of  others  while  carrying  out  scientific  and  
technological  activities
 
Materials  &  Resources  needed:  
•   Classroom  computer  and  projector  
•   All  students  will  need  access  to  a  device  such  as  a  smartphone,  ipad,  laptop,  or  computer.  

What  the  teacher  must  do  prior  to  class:    

•   Prepare  “House  Hippo  1999  Canadian  commercial”  video  
•   Have  links  posted  in  classroom  for  the  EdPuzzle  and  the  article  students  will  read  

Timeframe:   Detailed  Description  of  Teacher’s  and  Students’  Activities  During  Lesson:  

3  minutes   •   First  3  minutes  of  class  allows  for  students  to  settle  in,  and  teacher  can  
take  attendance.  Late  students  use  late  slips,  and  the  teacher  can  update  
  the  attendance  throughout  class.  
17  minutes   Activate    
•   Show  YouTube  video,  “House  Hippo  1999  Canadian  commercial.”  (1min  
  4secs).  (Larry,  2015)    
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dz1hXTZreBw  
This  video  is  to  activate  students  thinking  in  regard  to  the  influence  media  
  has  on  children.  Let  students  watch  this  video  and  then  in  small  groups  (2-­
  3  students)  have  a  discussion,  using  the  following  guiding  questions:  
“Who  is  the  target  audience  of  this  commercial?”  
  “Do  you  think  some  children  would  believe  that  a  house  hippo  is  real?”  
  “This  commercial  was  made  by  adults  for  children,  how  does  that  influence  
its  effectiveness/impact?”  
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  “What  impact  can  media  have  on  children/youth?”  

(12  mins)  
 
•   After  small  group  discussion,  we  will  take  up  the  discussion  as  a  class    
  (5  mins)  
  •   This  discussion  leads  into  the  topic  of  “the  impact  of  social  media  on  youth  
and  society”.  
  •   Social  media  impacts  child  development  and  influences  social  and  
  cognitive  skills.  Affects  mental  health  in  youth  due  to  cyber  bullying  etc.    
•   Assessment  for  learning.  Teacher  is  able  to  assess  the  current  
  understanding  students  have  regarding  media  (social  media)  and  its  
  impact  on  children/youth.  (Ehmke,  n.d.)  
Acquire    
30  minutes  
•   Independently,  students  will  watch  the  YouTube  video  on  EdPuzzle  
  (https://edpuzzle.com/media/5c8188686ed57c41112f24de  )and  will  
answer  the  questions  throughout  it.  The  video  itself  2:41  in  length.  
 
(10  mins)  
  •   Once,  they  have  watched  the  video,  they  will  read  the  article,  
  https://newsela.com/read/lib-­procon-­social-­networking/id/23704/.    
(20  mins)  
  •   Teacher  will  be  circulating  during  this  time,  to  answer  questions,  using  
  guiding  questions,  and  make  sure  students  remain  on  task.  
•   Assessment  as  learning.  Teacher  circulates  and  can  assess  how  well  
  students  are  understanding  the  information  in  the  video  and  article.    
10  minutes   Apply  
•   At  the  end  of  class,  students  will  be  writing  a  reflection  about  the  effects  of  
 
social  media  on  society,  and  on  their  personal  health  and  well-­being.  
  Discuss  with  the  class  that  students  want  to  use  the  discussions  and  
information  learnt  today  as  a  way  to  guide  their  reflection.  Students  want  to  
 
reflect  on  how  social  media  as  either  positively  or  negatively  affected  
  society.  As  well,  students  need  to  reflect  on  the  influence  social  media  has  
on  children  and  youth  (in  regard  to  their  safety,  health  and  well-­being).  
 
This  reflection  will  get  students  to  synthesize  the  topics  from  today’s  
  lesson  and  create  personal  connections  to  the  information.  It  ensures  that  
  students  have  been  watching  and  reading  for  meaning,  by  allowing  them  
to  develop  a  personal  perspective  and  use  this  as  a  resource  to  
  understand  the  text  (Silver  et  al.,  2007).  These  reflections  will  be  handed  in    
  at  the  beginning  of  the  following  class,  allowing  for  the  teacher  to  assess    
student  learning  (Assessment  of  learning).    
  (10  mins)  
Total  Class  time:  
63  minutes  

Description  of  Forms  of  Assessment  applicable  in  this  lesson:  

•   Assessment  for  learning  when  students  access  prior  knowledge  during  the  first  activity.  
•   Assessment  as  learning  when  teacher  is  walking  around  classroom  to  get  an  idea  of  their  
understanding  and  participation.  Want  to  actively  circulate  through  the  class,  and  engage  with  
students,  even  if  it’s  asking  simple  questions  about  the  activity  and  their  understanding.  
•   Assessment  of  learning  when  students  hand  in  their  reflection.  
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NOTES:  
•   There  is  group  work  at  the  beginning  of  class  and  individual  work  at  the  end  of  class,  so  the  
teacher  will  need  to  circulate  to  ensure  all  are  participating  and  are  on  task.  
•   While  circulating,  ask  students  if  they  need  any  further  assistance  grasping  concepts.  
•   Use  guiding  questions  with  any  struggling  groups/individuals.  
•   Should  ensure  to  ask  EAL  students  (1  on  1)  throughout  class  if  they  have  any  questions,  
specifically  about  any  of  the  new  vocabulary.  As  well,  the  first  activity  allows  for  any  EAL  
students  to  interact  with  their  peers.  Social  interaction  is  important  when  learning,  and  
collaboration  between  EAL  students  and  English-­proficient  peers  will  help  with  vocabulary  
attainment  and  understanding.  Active  participation  in  social  interaction  fosters  the  development  
of  conversational  and  academic  English.  
Rationale  for  Teaching  Strategies  Included  in  this  lesson:  
•   The  YouTube  video  is  a  fun  way  to  introduce  the  lesson’s  topic.  Engages  students  and  allows  teacher  to  
assess  current  understanding  of  the  impacts/power  of  social  media.  
•   Reading  for  meaning  allows  students  to  read  and  interpret  visuals,  reflect,  and  summarize  their  learning  
(Silver  et  al.,  2007).  
•    
References:  
 
ASAP  Science.  5  Crazy  Ways  Social  Media  Is  Changing  Your  Brain  Right  Now.  YouTube,  Youtube,    
7  Sept.  2014.  
 
Ehmke,  R.  (n.d.)  How  Using  Social  Media  Affects  Teenagers.  Retrieved  from  
https://childmind.org/article/how-­using-­social-­media-­affects-­teenagers/    
 
Larry,  C.  House  Hippo  1999  Canadian  commercial.  YouTube,  YouTube,  2  Jul.  2015,    
                   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dz1hXTZreBw  
   
Newsela.  (2016).  Issue  Overview:  Are  social  networking  sites  good  for  our  society?  Retrieved  from                    
https://newsela.com/read/lib-­procon-­social-­networking/id/23704/  

Silver,  H.  F.,  Strong,  R.  W.,  &  Perini,  M.  J.  (2007).  The  strategic  teacher:  Selecting  the  right  research-­
based  strategy  for  every  lesson.  ASCD.