MEDIA STUDIES:

Subject Information Overview

Below is a visual overview of the content available on this page.  Click the appropriate title to view the relevant section

Curriculum
Area Staff Curriculum
InformationCurriculum
OverviewExam information for GCSE
qualifications in this Subject AreaKnowledge
Organisers

Curriculum Area Staff

Should you require more information about this subject area please contact:

Name: Mr B Patchesa
Position: Curriculum Area Leader
Email: bp@selbyhigh.co.uk

Curriculum Information

‘Media’ is Latin for ‘middle’ and pretty much every piece of important information we get is mediated – that is, shaped and altered - by the media industry before it reaches our eyes and ears. The Media Curriculum aims to develop a deep understanding of this process, allowing learners to become a producer of Media through an exciting and dynamic programme of study. To truly and effectively understand the world in which we live, we need to be alert and tooled-up interpreters of the messages we receive – and that’s exactly what we learn in Media Studies.

The information we receive and the entertainment we enjoy form a huge part of the curriculum: we study sitcoms, music videos, radio dramas, magazines, newspaper and websites. But the media has spread to other parts of our life – social media now plays a huge part in our social relationships, and our tastes in films, music, games and TV shows forms a huge part of our personal identities. In media studies we learn how to accurately and alertly decode the messages the media sends us, whether through the consumption of texts we choose to enjoy, or through advertising and news which try to force their views upon us.

Being media aware is a critical skill for thriving in the 21st century so you can make informed choices about the way you learn, vote and live your life. In the Eduqas Media Studies GCSE you’ll study at Selby High you’ll learn all about the Media, and how to decode its messages to understand what it’s really saying, but more importantly you’ll learn all about the world we live in. And, using the great IT and media production tools available to you, you’ll also get creative and make a range of media texts by yourself and by working in groups, leading up to your non-exam assessment practical production coursework in Year 10 and 11.

Media studies aims to capture student’s minds and imagination, linking to their existing experience of media texts, but developing this far beyond their base level by encouraging students to look at a broad variety of media and think three dimensionally, examining their own perspectives but also adopting and understanding a range of other perspectives. Students need to develop their specialist terminology to be able to examine the full range of media texts, and also develop cultural capital by learning and understanding contextual information relating to the topic areas in the specification. Over time, their ability to both express ideas critically and analytically and also through their own creative media production work will develop in sophistication, preparing them thoroughly for the Non-exam assessment coursework unit and exams in year 11.

In the Media Studies GCSE, students study 8 different topics across online, print and broadcast platforms. The topics are film promotion, adverts, music promotion, video games, newspapers, sitcoms, radio drama and magazines. Independent learning, creative thinking, co-operation and understanding of citizenship through the study of wider social issues...all of these are important skills and learning that are key elements of the media course.

Any job you can think of can be done inside the media industry, but Media Studies can set you on a dynamic path to an exciting and creative career via further A level, BTEC or University courses. At Selby High we give you plenty of opportunity to explore the possibilities by having links with professionals working within the media, such as university lecturers and advertising professionals, and, as you’ll see below, there are lots of exciting opportunities for you to extend your learning and love of the subject beyond the classroom.

CURRICULUM OVERVIEW

Below is a summary overview of the topics and their content that will be studied in each term by each year group. For more information about each topic, get your child to visit learning journeys and resources on the school online learning platform - Ready Steady Learn.

KNOWLEDGE ORGANISERS

A Knowledge Rich Curriculum at Selby High School

Research around memory suggests that if knowledge is studied once and not revisited or revised, it is not stored in the long-term memory.  This means that after one lesson, or revising for one test, the knowledge will not be retained unless it is studied again.  It won’t be recalled unless it is revisited frequently, which will embed it in the long term memory.  In the long term this makes recall far easier.  As part of home learning, students should be revising what they have been taught recently but also content they were taught previously.  Therefore as part of our strategy to embed learning over time we have started to develop knowledge organisers across all year groups and curriculum areas. These will provide key content and knowledge  allowing students to pre-learn and re-learn, a vital part of processing all the information required to be successful in the new style GCSE’s.

Instructions for using your knowledge organisers

KS3 = Years 7, 8 & 9
KS4 = Years 10 & 11

Below are the knowledge organisers for each topic in this subject.  These knowledge organisers will become embedded in the Learning Journeys for each topic as they are created on Ready Steady Learn.

Exam information for GSCE qualifications in this subject area

Click each link below to view the full specification:

Eduqas GCSE Media Studies