Advertising Classroom Activity

Transcription

1 Advertising Classroom Activity The Classroom Activity introduces students to the context of a performance task, so they are not disadvantaged in demonstrating the skills the task intends to assess. Contextual elements include: an understanding of the setting or situation in which the task is placed, potentially unfamiliar concepts that are associated with the scenario; and key terms or vocabulary students will need to understand in order to meaningfully engage with and complete the performance task. The Classroom Activity is also intended to generate student interest in further exploration of the key idea(s). The Classroom Activity should be easy to implement with clear instructions. Please read through the entire Classroom Activity before beginning the activity with students to ensure any classroom preparation can be completed in advance. Throughout the activity it is permissible to pause and ask students if they have any questions. Resources Needed: Chart paper, whiteboard, or a chalkboard Markers or chalk Pencils or pens Scratch paper Some method of displaying ancillary materials 1 Learning Goal: Students will understand the context of the key concepts related to the topic: o Advertisers create ads for an intended audience. They have a purpose behind designing an advertisement and publishing it in a particular way. o Advertising affects people in different ways. People today are exposed to a large amount of advertising. Students will understand the following key term: Advertising: the activity of drawing public attention to a product or service in order to encourage people to buy it Note: This definition is provided here for the convenience of the facilitator. Students are expected to understand this key term in the context of the task, not memorize the definition. Advertising Classroom Activity [Purpose: The facilitator s goal is to help students understand the key term, advertising, and to activate students prior knowledge of advertising. Students will explore the idea that advertisements are created for an intended audience. This activity will allow students to be active participants as they explore the relationship between advertising and audience in the context of the performance assessment.] 1 Facilitators can decide whether they want to display ancillary materials using an overhead projector or computer/smartboard, or whether they want to produce them as a handout for students.

2 Facilitator says: Today, in preparation for the performance task, we will think about advertising and how it is designed. What is advertising? [Write the word advertising on the board and elicit student explanations of the word. Then, write the definition on the board or chart paper and read it aloud. Then, reconcile student explanations with the correct meaning. Advertising: the activity of drawing public attention to a product or service in order to encourage people to buy it] Facilitator says: Where do we find advertising? [Record student responses. Students may begin with examples like television, radio, or magazines. Encourage students to think of more contexts for advertising, perhaps introducing such concepts as product placement in movies.] Facilitator says: Think about ads on TV, in magazines, on the Internet, and in other places. What kinds of products are advertised? [Allow students to share ideas with the class. The purpose of this sharing activity is to help students generate ideas for the next step.] Facilitator says: Now, we will gather more ideas about advertising. [Display or pass out copies of Figure 1: Thinking About Advertising to students. This section may also be modified to be completed without the use of the handout by providing students with paper and instructing them to draw or describe an advertisement.] Facilitator says: For question #1, think of an advertisement that you have seen or heard. Draw or describe it in the box at the top. Then answer the questions that follow. You will have approximately 5 minutes to complete this activity. Be sure to allow sufficient time to answer questions #2 and #3. [Note: For students who are visually impaired, read the steps of the exercise aloud.] [Allow students up to 7 minutes to complete the activity. Circulate if possible, encouraging students to focus less on a detailed depiction of the advertisement, and more on the reflection questions that follow. Students may reuse the ideas generated by the full class discussion; the main purpose is to reflect upon the advertising.] Facilitator says: Now, let s discuss our findings. [Take 5 minutes to share answers with the class. Prompt students to think about the audience for the advertisements, such as children, teens, or car buyers. Lead students to explore what parts of the advertisement reveal the advertiser s intent, such as bright colors, loud music, or popular phrases.] Facilitator says: Now we will consider some facts about advertising. [Display or distribute Figure 2: Advertising: Facts and Statistics. Read the facts aloud, with sufficient pauses between each. Then, read the questions below aloud. Provide time for students to answer the questions on their own. Allow up to 10 minutes for class discussion (possible responses are provided below).] Facilitator says: In your performance task, you will learn more about advertising and its effects. What we learned today about advertisers and their audiences will help you to research and write about the topic. You are now prepared to complete your performance task.

3 Ancillary Material Figure 1 Thinking about Advertising 1. Draw or describe an example of advertising that you have seen or heard. 2. Who do you think the advertisement was meant for? 3. What makes you think that this was the audience for the advertisement?

4 Ancillary Material Figure 2 Advertising: Facts and Statistics Every year, nearly $500 billion is spent on advertising around the world. Advertising generally fills 2/3 of the space in newspapers and 40 percent of the mail a person receives. Most Americans see over one million commercial messages in the first twenty years of life. The amount of time the average teenager spends watching TV commercials adds up to more than 18,000 minutes a year. What do you notice about these facts? What kinds of advertisements are helpful, or provide helpful information? What kinds of advertisements have you disliked? Why did you dislike them?

5 Figure 2 Advertising: Facts and Statistics Possible Responses Every year, nearly $500 billion is spent on advertising around the world. Advertising generally fills 2/3 of the space in newspapers and 40 percent of the mail a person receives. Most Americans see over one million commercial messages in the first twenty years of life. The amount of time the average teenager spends watching TV commercials adds up to more than 18,000 minutes a year. What do you notice about these facts? *People are exposed to a large amount of advertising *Younger people especially are subjected to a lot of advertising *Advertising is a big business / There is a lot of money involved in advertising What kinds of advertisements are helpful, or provide helpful information? *Those that inform people of new products on the market *Those that provide health information *Those that announce coming events What kinds of advertisements have you disliked? Why did you dislike them? *Negative or critical advertisements *Offensive advertisements *Advertisements that use loud music/voices/sound effects *Advertisements that seem unrelated to the products they sell *Advertisements that make false or unreasonable claims/promises

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