This ethnographic research is conducted to answer the following research questions: 1) How do young adolescents reveal abilities in communicating and evaluating health messages in advertising? 2) How do they understand and create gendered identities? For this purpose, the students participated in an activity to create their own advertisements using puppets. As part of the research team, I supervised and recorded students' advertisement shooting activity. I also helped with the creation of a poster to report the research.

Findings: Creation of media texts coupled with debriefing interviews allowed participants to externalize and critically analyze media-perpetuated gender depictions. Three themes emerged as important: Creating Space for Expression and Reflection; Performing Gender; and Developing Critical Consciousness.

Chase in Adland is a graphical novel created by adolescents for adolescents. This research project asks the following questions: What is the response of a teacher and a class of middle years’ students to a graphic novel containing concepts of critical media health literacy as they pertain to advertising? The research took place over a three week time period in April, 2014. A teacher engaged her Grade 7 and 8 students with Chasing Adland for six lessons, each of which lasted from 25 minutes to 60 minutes.

As part of the research team, I contacted the school principal prior to our entry into school setting, made lesson observation records, conducted students' interviews, transcribed some students' interviews and contributed to the writing of the research report and poster.