Lesson 1: What is media/advertising?

(1 day)

Standards:

NCSS Science Technology & Society

�   Have learners analyze the way in which science and technology influence core societal values, beliefs, and attitudes and how societal attitudes influence scientific and technological endeavors.

 

MMSD second grade Social Studies Economics Standard

• Describe the difference between goods and services and identify the people who provide them.

 

 

Objectives:

• Students will understand that advertising is a way to bring a product/service to the attention of a potential customer.
• Students will explore different mediums through which advertising can be found.
• Students will describe what some advertisements look like.

 

Materials:

• pictures (clip art) of tv, radio, newspaper, and computer

• Newspaper w/ ads
• Commercial clip (download from YouTube for computer or DVD viewing)
• Radio
• Access to computer to show kids game website w/advertising
• Cereal box
• Worksheet for classroom analysis
• Homework chart

 

Procedures:

Opening: Start by talking about media � something every single one of you know, probably pretty well, but may not know much about it.�

• Media, what is it?� Way to communicate ideas

Point to pic of: TV, radio, newspaper, computer

• What do these forms of media do for us?

Under each picture posted on the board make a list of functions for each form of media like watch shows, movies, hear songs, tell us what is going on in the world�

• One sneaky part of every single one of these forms of media is something called advertising.� What do you think advertising may be?
• If students do not come up with these ideas throw out..Commercials, billboards, brochures, mail, email, online pop-ups, on buses, on the backs of grocery store receipts, on banners attached to airplanes�

Advertising is way to bring product/service to the attention of a potential customer.

What is a product? Something you can use � usually some kind of object (toy, book, cereal�)

What is a service? Someone doing something for you (doctors provide a service because they help you stay healthy)

Have a few examples prepared and have students stand up.� I am going to show you some examples and ask you two questions.� If you think it is an advertisement move to this side, if it is not move to that side of the room.�� Briefly show ads from the following sources and ask after each one:

1. Is this an advertisement? (it is trying to sell us something)�

*move

2. Is it selling a product or a service?

*move

(this part may take up to 10 minutes of the lesson)

• Newspaper: Open to a page with lots of advertisements � is it an advertisement? Is it selling a product or a service?
• TV clip: download commercial for students to analyze from YouTube- preferably one with obvious strategy to sell kids toy
• Radio clip: Z104 song then take a break, could just turn on radio and flip through stations
• Game website for kids: have prepared and ready for students to analyze
• Cereal box: kid friendly cereal with obvious advertising on it (possibly Frosted Flakes or other cereal w/toy inside, cartoon character, sweepstakes�)
• Give directions that students are to break into groups (chosen already or w/neighbor) and give each group of two/three students will be asked to describe either an ad from the paper, game website, cereal box, or radio clip� Hand out worksheet after explaining that students are specifically looking for

*what is the ad trying to sell, describe the ad-how does it try to sell the product?

Give 5-10 minutes for groups to analyze ads and fill out their worksheets

• Come back as a group and share what they found- not looking for any specific strategies/answers but make sure to validate student observations, especially those we will be looking at in future lessons

 

Closing:

Guess how many advertisements you see or hear every single day� 3,000 (in math we will explore this)� Today you will see/hear 3,000 ads, tomorrow you will see/hear 3,000 ads

Your homework is to observe and record how many ads you see starting today and for the next two days.� If you watch tv try to count how many ads, if you listen to the radio try to count to see how many ads you hear, on the computer try to notice, if your family is reading the newspaper look at how many ads there are. �At the same time, I want you to write down what time you are watching tv or playing on the computer because we are going to use this information to talk about how advertising works later on this week.� Review homework worksheet and how to observe/record.

 

Assessment:

Informal � Students will decide if numerous examples presented are advertisements or not and if they are promoting a good or a service

Students will share their descriptions of ads with the class

Formal- Students will fill out and hand in a worksheet describing an ad they examine