Lesson Plan
Creating Student Advertising
| Subject: | Literacy |
| Grade span: | 9 to 12 |
| Duration: | 4 sessions, 60 minutes |
Description:
Advertising is a powerful and enticing part of youth culture; the most popular ads slip into teens' daily banter and often influence their behavior as well. Media ads are powerful, but short, dramatic presentations of persuasive language and imagery. This activity asks teens to analyze how these ads work, select messages that are important to them, and work in teams to create and enact media advertising that expresses their own voice and values. Schedule four one-hour sessions to complete the project.Learning Goals:
- Learn to analyze common communication strategies used by the media to influence teen choices
- Identify messages that teens consider important
- Collaborate with peers to dramatize a media ad applying advertising techniques to the message
- Experiment with the integration of sound, movement, language, and artifacts to create communication
Materials:
- Audio visual equipment for viewing taped or live TV ads and Web site videos
- Samples of print ads from teen magazines
- Video or DVD copies of sample television ads targeting teens
- Tip sheets on writing advertising copy (available online)
http://teachhealthk-12.uthscsa.edu/ (PDF)
http://www.peterdrewvo.com/html/
http://www.ehow.com/how_2065916_write-great-advertising-copy.html
Preparation:
Day one -- Work with students to:- View the "Analyzing Media" video in the Writing section of this Web site: /afterschool/toolkits/literacy/
- Browse through teenage print ads (in magazines, on the Web), noting characteristics that create impact
- Watch sample television ads, discussing the message and ways it is crafted
- Discuss "What techniques are consistently used by media advertisers to influence teen decision-making?" "Can we use these techniques for messages we think are important?"
- Distribute copywriting tip sheets and review considerations for good copywriting
What to Do:
Day two -- Working in groups of three to five members, students:- Identify one message they agree is important to a teen audience
- Create a sixty second enactment of a TV ad designed to effectively send this message, in which everyone in the group has a role
- Integrate musical backgrounds, sound effects, minimal costumes, and props
- Rehearse/ refine the enacted advertisement
- Present their ads and discuss how they differ from commercially produced ads
- Discuss powerful/ effective aspects of each presentation
- Consider ways to improve each one, working with feedback sheets ("what I liked, what I have questions about, and ideas you might consider.")
- Identify new perspectives on teen advertising and messages through this work
Evaluate (Outcomes to look for):
- Understanding, through discussion, of common techniques used by media to influence teen choices
- Ability to identify messages important to teens
- Observed skills in collaborative management of a task
- Understanding and application of principles of copywriting and media communication
- Ability to integrate language, sound, movement, and artifacts to craft a message
