Lesson Plan

Comparing Crime Dramas - Lesson

Lesson Plan

Level(s): Grades 9 to 11

Author: This material has been adapted, with permission, from a unit developed by Mark Zamparo, an Ottawa-based media educator



Learning Outcomes

Students will:

  • understand how dramas construct reality
  • appreciate the differences between the constructed reality of crime dramas and crime in real life
  • appreciate the different approaches to this genre in the United States, Canada and other countries
  • understand how the technical aspects of the filming of a crime drama contribute to its overall effect
  • understand the plot formulas that underpin crime drama
  • understand how crime dramas relate to the drama genre


Lesson Kit: