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Year 11
AQA

Exploring attitudes to teenagers across time

I can explore attitudes towards teenagers over time and write my own article title that reflects current day teenagers.

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New
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Year 11
AQA

Exploring attitudes to teenagers across time

I can explore attitudes towards teenagers over time and write my own article title that reflects current day teenagers.

Download all resources
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Share activities with pupils
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These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The role of the teenager was first established around the 1940s and the term has gradually evolved over time.
  2. Media can give us insight into issues and topics concerning teenagers across different decades.
  3. Article titles give us a snapshot of an issue and insight into the stance of a writer.
  4. Article titles should be crafted in an engaging way to hook the reader.

Keywords

  • Consumer - someone who buys goods or services

  • Stance - a way of thinking about something, expressed publicly as an opinion

  • Epidemic - a particular problem that seriously affects many people at the same time

Common misconception

Discourse around teenagers in the 1950s and 60s would be entirely different to discourse around teenagers nowadays.

There are some strong similarities between the media portrayal of teenagers from decades ago and now e.g. their ability to shape trends.


To help you plan your year 11 english lesson on: Exploring attitudes to teenagers across time, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

If you know anyone that was a teenager in the 1950s or 60s, you could use their story to bring more life to the lesson.
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Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What topic is most stereotypically relevant for modern teenagers?
getting a job at thirteen
Correct answer: a surge in social media use
being required to join the military
Q2.
How long is a decade?
twenty years
Correct answer: ten years
a hundred years
Q3.
What is an epidemic?
Correct answer: a particular problem that seriously affects many people at the same time
a problem that affects the whole world
a small problem
Q4.
What is the purpose of a colon in a sentence?
to create a pause
Correct answer: to introduce an explanation
to join two independent clauses together
Q5.
What is alliteration?
when two adjacent words end with the same letter
Correct answer: when two nearby words begin with the same sound
a line in poetry with a pause in the middle of the line
Q6.
What is an idiom?
Correct answer: a phrase, often figurative, commonly used in a particular population
a phrase comparing two things using the words 'like' or 'as'
an unintelligent comment

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
In which decade did the term 'teenager' come to use?
1960s
1980s
1990s
Correct answer: 1940s
Q2.
The earliest references to teenagers focused on them as ...
rebels.
Correct answer: consumers.
employees.
Q3.
Which idea regarding teenagers has remained relatively stable over time?
that they must enter employment after their thirteenth birthday
Correct answer: that they shape trends
that they like rock music
Q4.
What is a stance?
Correct answer: a way of thinking about something, expressed publicly as an opinion
a way of criticising something
the extent to which you get along with someone
Q5.
Match each part of this article title to its purpose: 'Flawless filter: how social media is fuelling teenagers' perfectionism'.
Correct Answer:'Flawless filter',build intrigue; hook the reader
tick

build intrigue; hook the reader

Correct Answer:colon (:),clarify the content of the article
tick

clarify the content of the article

Correct Answer:how social media is fuelling ...,introduces topic and stance
tick

introduces topic and stance

Q6.
Which of the below is the most engaging article title?
Correct answer: Teens behind screens: internet idols are raising our next generation
Teenagers are too obsessed with social media!
You no longer have the biggest influence over your kids!
Social media horror