First grade students in Powerful Voices for Kids last summer explored abstract concepts like authorship roles, purposes of different types of media (advertisements, entertainment, and news), and target audience.
Below is one of many videos from Team Robot Cheetahs, in which kids draw pictures and write messages to convey their feelings about the BP oil spill. Instructor Kate Spiller helped students find developmentally appropriate PSAs, commercials, and news items about the oil spill and then the class created individual responses.
Renee Hobbs at the Media Education Lab 