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Mirror Mirror

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Lesson Plan

Media Reflection Guide

Guide a 6th-grade student to critically analyze media images, reflect on their impact, compare edited features to real body traits, and craft a positive self-affirmation to boost body confidence and media literacy.

Many young students internalize unrealistic media portrayals, harming their self-esteem and body image. This lesson empowers them with critical thinking skills to deconstruct edited images, reflect on their feelings, and develop a positive self-view for healthier self-perception.

Audience

6th Grade Student

Time

20 minutes

Approach

Guided discussion, hands-on image analysis, journaling, and affirmation creation.

Materials

Unreal Images Breakdown Slide Deck, My Media Log Journal, Reality Check Comparison Worksheet, and Positive Self-Statement Card

Prep

Review Materials & Prepare Resources

5 minutes

Step 1

Warm-Up Discussion

3 minutes

  • Greet the student and explain the session’s goal: exploring media images and personal perceptions
  • Ask the student to recall a recent media image they saw and describe how it made them feel
  • Prompt: “Why do you think these images look the way they do?”

Step 2

Media Image Exploration

5 minutes

  • Present the Unreal Images Breakdown Slide Deck
  • Navigate through 2–3 slides showcasing common editing techniques (lighting, skin smoothing, body reshaping)
  • After each example, ask the student to name elements that feel unrealistic and discuss why they think so

Step 3

Image Analysis Reflection

5 minutes

  • Give the student the My Media Log Journal
  • Have them write or verbalize:
    • How the images made them feel about bodies
    • Which parts seem real versus altered
  • Ask: “How do these images influence how you see yourself?”

Step 4

Reality Check Comparison

4 minutes

  • Distribute the Reality Check Comparison Worksheet
  • Guide the student to select one image and list its edited features alongside real-life body traits
  • Discuss natural body diversity and how edits can distort perceptions

Step 5

Positive Self-Statement Creation

3 minutes

  • Hand out the Positive Self-Statement Card
  • Invite the student to write a short affirmation about their own body (e.g., “I appreciate my strong legs”)
  • Encourage them to decorate the card and read the statement aloud to reinforce positivity
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Slide Deck

Unreal Images Breakdown

Exploring 5 common photo-editing techniques and their effects on perception.

Welcome! Today we’ll explore how images are edited in the media to shape our perceptions. Introduce each editing technique and ask students how it might influence feelings about real bodies.

Lighting & Filters

• Excessive brightening to eliminate shadows
• Color filters to smooth skin tone
• Soft-focus glows for a dreamy effect

Explain how photographers and editors use lighting to hide shadows and create a flawless look, then discuss how this idealized lighting can make viewers doubt their own appearance under normal light.

Skin Smoothing & Blemish Removal

• Airbrushing removes texture (pores, scars)
• Automated blemish-removal tools
• Blending to erase natural skin details

Describe digital airbrushing: point out how pores, freckles, and wrinkles disappear. Ask: “If everyone saw only this flawless skin, how might that affect our self-esteem?”

Body Reshaping & Slimming

• Liquify tool alters body contours
• Waist-slimming and limb-lengthening
• Enlarged eyes and enhanced muscles

Show examples of the liquify tool and discuss body reshaping: slimming waists, extending limbs, enlarging eyes. Emphasize that these tools change real proportions.

Color Saturation & Contrast

• Increased color intensity for vibrancy
• High contrast for sharper features
• Tone curves to exaggerate highlights and shadows

Point out how boosting saturation and contrast makes features pop. Ask: “Does skin really glow that much, or is it just color enhancement?”

Background Alterations

• Cloning and object removal (people, items)
• Composite layering unrealistic environments
• Blurring or replacing original settings

Discuss how backgrounds are cleaned up or completely changed to set a mood. Ask: “How might removing real surroundings affect authenticity?”

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Journal

My Media Log Journal

Page 1: Log Your Media Exposure

  1. Date & Time of Exposure:


  2. Media Source (e.g., social platform, magazine, TV show):


  3. Describe the image or media content you saw:






  4. How did this image make you feel? (Emotions, thoughts):






Page 2: Analyze & Reflect

  1. Which parts of this image seemed realistic to you? Why?:






  2. Which parts felt unrealistic or edited? Explain your reasons:






  3. How might these edits influence how you see yourself or others?:










  4. Draw or sketch a media image (real or imagined) that makes you feel positive about your body. Label what you like about it:










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Worksheet

Reality Check Comparison Worksheet

Choose one image from the Unreal Images Breakdown Slide Deck or your My Media Log Journal. In the table below, list three edited features you observed and their corresponding real-life body traits.

Edited FeatureReal-Life Body Trait
1.

1.

2.

2.

3.

3.

Reflection Questions

  1. In what ways did the edited features differ from real-life traits?





  2. Why is it important to remember that bodies come in all shapes and sizes?





  3. How can recognizing these differences help you feel more confident about your own body?





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Cool Down

Positive Self-Statement Card

Use this card to write a positive affirmation about your body and add your own doodles around the edges. Keep it somewhere you can see it every day!

My Affirmation:
I appreciate my ______________________ because ______________________.





Draw or doodle something that makes you feel good about yourself:









Decorate this border with patterns, shapes, or colors of your choice!

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