Lesson Plan: How Are Emojis Made?/The World Needs This Emoji!

Essential Questions

• How do symbols and images become part of a shared language?
• Who controls the technology we use?

Preview Text Features (10 minutes)

Guide students to locate the articles in their magazines or at Action Online. Preview the text features by asking the following questions:

• Read the titles and subtitles of the articles. What are these articles about? Why do you think it might be interesting, or even important, to learn about emojis? Emojis help people express emotions and ideas in a way that words sometimes can’t. It’s interesting and important to learn about where they come from because they shape our communication in a big way.
• Think about the emojis you use most often. Why do you choose those emojis, and is there an emoji you wish existed? Answers will vary. Students may mention using emojis to express emotions, clarify tone in messages, or add fun to conversations. They may also suggest missing emojis they would like to see.
• Look at the pie graph in the article. What does it show you? Is there anything you find surprising about the graph? Would you change it in any way? The pie graph shows the different categories of emojis and the percentages that exist in each. Answers to the other two questions will vary.

Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)

• Point out the vocabulary box. Read the words (nonprofit organization, frivolous, nuance, body language, proposal, exasperation) aloud and discuss their definitions.
• Play the Vocabulary Slideshow.

Make a Plan for Reading

Before students start to read, walk them through a reading plan:

• Set a purpose for reading by telling students that the fi rst article will tell them how emojis are created and approved for use, while the second article presents some students’ suggestions for new emojis.
• Tell students that after they read, they’ll compare and contrast information from both texts to understand how emojis are developed and how they refl ect the way people communicate.

Read the texts. (Higher- and lower-Lexile versions are available on the Story page at Action Online. Click Presentation View to access an audio read-aloud.) Then discuss the following close-reading and critical-thinking questions.

Close-Reading Questions (15 minutes)

• What is the role of the Unicode Consortium in the creation of emojis? Why is it an important role? (key details) The Unicode Consortium decides which emojis get approved to be added to our phones and other devices. The Consortium’s role is important because it makes sure that everyone can see and use the same emojis, no matter what kind of phone or app they’re using. Without this process, people might have difficulty understanding each other’s emoji messages.
• What factors does the Unicode Consortium consider when deciding whether to approve a new emoji? (summarizing) The Consortium typically approves emojis that are easy to recognize, useful to a large number of people, and not too specific to one brand, a real person, or a specific company. The organization also tries to make sure there is diversity and representation among emojis.
• How are emojis similar to early forms of communication, like cave paintings or hieroglyphs? (compare and contrast) Like cave paintings and hieroglyphs, emojis use images to communicate ideas and emotions without words. They allow people to express themselves visually, which can be very useful for people who don’t share a spoken or written language.

Critical-Thinking Questions (10 minutes)

• How do the two articles show that the emojis available to us are changing and growing? The first article explains how new emojis are added each year as our culture and communication needs change. The second article gives examples of new emojis that people might propose.
• If you could propose a new emoji, what would it be and why? Answers will vary.

• Have students work in pairs to complete our Synthesizing skill builder. (Click here to view all your Skill Builders for this article.)
• Writing prompt: Imagine that you are a member of the Unicode Consortium, and you’ve been asked to vote for one of the four emojis suggested in “The World Needs This Emoji!” Write a paragraph stating which of the emojis you think the world needs the most and explaining why.