Home›Lesson Plans›English Language Arts›Media Literacy · Grade 7

Who Owns the Media?

Seventh graders learn that who FUNDS a media source shapes what it makes. Public and nonprofit media (funded by donations or grants) aim to inform; commercial media (funded by ads or sales) aims to profit. Sorting examples reveals the motives behind messages.

Grade 7Media Ownership50 minutes1 class periodMedia Literacy · CCSSExplicit teaching4 StandardsCCSS / NAMLE
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Explain media funding.
  • ✓Tell public from commercial.
  • ✓Sort the examples.
  • ✓See the motive.
Essential Question

Who pays for the media you see — and how does that shape the message? Public/nonprofit or commercial?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Sort It · Interactive

Public/Nonprofit or Commercial?

Project this and sort each into Public/Nonprofit or Commercial media.

💰 Sort each — public/nonprofit or commercial?Try it
🤝 Public / Nonprofit
📢 Commercial (for-profit)
Tap an example, then tap a box.
The Lesson · Literacy Flow (Hook · Explore · Practice · Apply · Reflect)

50 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Hook — Who Pays?

6 min

Who pays for media, and how does that shape it? Public/nonprofit or commercial?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show PBS vs a product blog.
  • Ask who funds each.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Look.
  • Think.
  • Get ready.
2

Explore — Media Ownership

13 min

Students explore.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to the sorter.
  • Sort each one.
  • Note the motive.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Sort.
  • Say.
  • Note it.
3

Practice — Practice

13 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a public source.
  • Name a commercial source.
  • Explain the motive.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name it.
  • Name it.
  • Explain.
4

Apply — Apply

12 min

Students apply.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Investigate a real outlet.
  • Find how it’s funded.
  • Share your finding.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Investigate.
  • Find it.
  • Share.
5

Reflect — Reflect

6 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a public source.
  • Name a commercial one.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name one.
  • Name one.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the Common Core ELA Standards (informational literacy) & NAMLE media-literacy competencies.

CCSS
RI.7.6

Analyze author’s purpose.

CCSS
SL.7.2

Analyze media motives.

NAMLE
Analyze

Understand media ownership.

CCSS
RI.7.8

Evaluate purpose & claims.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Ownership cards.
  • Sentence frame: “___ is funded by ___.”
  • Use examples.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with PBS vs an ad-funded site.
  • Sort one at a time.
  • Use examples.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Research who owns a channel.
  • Explain how funding shapes content.
  • Compare two outlets.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 💰Ownership cards
  • 💻Public/Nonprofit or Commercial?
  • 📊Outlet examples
  • ✏️Notebooks
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

media ownershipwho owns/funds a sourcepublic mediafunded by public/donationsnonprofitnot run for profitcommercialrun for profitfor-profitaims to earn moneyadvertisingpaid promotionfundingwhere money comes frommotivethe reason behind it
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
How is public or nonprofit media usually funded?
By donations, grants, or public support — aiming to inform.
QUESTION 2
How is commercial media usually funded?
By advertising or sales — aiming to profit.
QUESTION 3
Why does funding matter?
It shapes the motive behind what the media makes.

Reflect: media ownership.

Have students name one public and one commercial media source and how each is funded. A printable ownership sheet is in the ELA library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Who Owns the Media?Flip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Who Owns the Media?Quiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
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Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Who Owns the Media?Print
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: advertising, commercial, for-profit, funding, media ownership, motive, nonprofit, public media
  1. run for profit
  2. who owns/funds a source
  3. where money comes from
  4. aims to earn money
  5. funded by public/donations
  6. not run for profit
  7. paid promotion
  8. the reason behind it

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. How is public or nonprofit media usually funded?
  2. How is commercial media usually funded?
  3. Why does funding matter?
Answer key — Part A: 1) commercial · 2) media ownership · 3) funding · 4) for-profit · 5) public media · 6) nonprofit · 7) advertising · 8) motive
Part B: 1) By donations, grants, or public support — aiming to inform. 2) By advertising or sales — aiming to profit. 3) It shapes the motive behind what the media makes.