Unit: Influence of media on society

Lesson Title: Media messages in advertisements

Developed by: Rifaa Samiha Haque
With feedback from: Deborah Colton

Lesson Overview
Date: th
May 16 2017 Time: 10:25 11:50 Duration: 85 minutes School: N/A Grade 6
Cycle 3
Description Advertisements are prevalent in todays society. They form an integral part of
media. They can influence consumer choices and ideals. This is why it is
important for students to understand the hidden meanings and impacts of
advertisements.

Students will learn through this lesson to critically think about media messages
in advertisement and how it influences society.

Subject English Language Arts, Visual Art, Social studies, Media and technology
Prerequisite Knowledge Reading and writing ability
Familiarity with advertisements
Familiarity with the application GIMP
Key Concepts Media literacy: media industry, media message, media audience, media effect
Advertisements, technology, consumer, society
Identify Learning
Learning Objectives Students will examine how advertisements are made
Students will discover the history of advertising
Students will critique and analyze ads by looking at the ideas they
propagate and the impact it can have on people
Students will debate the good and bad side of advertising
Students will create a digital collage on advertisements.
Students will write a reflection piece based on their collage
QEP Competencies
Cross Curricular Competencies
Broad Areas of Learning
Professional Competencies
Language Arts:
Competency # 1: To read and listen to literary, popular and information-
based text. (The lesson is based on a book about how advertising is
made. Students may need to do some research to find arguments for the
debate. They are also exploring different types of ads).
Competency #2: To write self-expressive narrative and information-based
text (Students will write a reflection piece that will accompany their
advertising collage)
Competency#3: Represent/his literacy in different media
(Students will create a digital collage through GIMP although if they so
wish they may do a physical one instead)
Competency#4: To use language to communicate and learn (Students will
analyze and have a discussion on sample advertisements. Students must
communicate their ideas clearly, respectfully and convincingly in the debate
and may also need to find counter arguments.)
Visual Arts
Competency #1: To produce individual works in the visual arts
(Students will create a visual collage of advertisements)
Competency 1: To use information
Competency 3: To exercise critical judgment
Competency 4: To use creativity
Competency 5: To adopt effective work methods
Competency 6: To use information and communications technologies
Competency 7: To construct his/her identity
Competency 8: To cooperate with others
Competency 9: To communicate appropriately
Health and well-being
Media literacy
Citizenship and community life
All professional competencies
 Materials & Organization
Materials Required
Classroom Organization/Layout
Advanced Work/Extension activity
Smartboard
Book: Made you look: How advertising works and why you should
know by Shari Graydon
Ad slogans written on strips of papers
Magazines, newspapers, and photographs of ads
Computers (or iPads) with internet
Pen/pencil
Papers
The entire class can participate in this lesson (large or small group size).
Students may be seated at their desk during most of the activities.
For the debate the classroom will be arranged so that it is divided into two
groups and there are chairs at both ends of the classroom. Students must be
facing each other. Students will be in the computer lab when doing their
digital collage.
Students can browse through the internet for commercials aired in
different countries and analyze how similar/different it is from Canada
Students can research regulations on advertising in the country
Students may design their own ads by either drawing it or making a short
video montage. Suggestion: They may decide to create an ad to sell a
product or specifically focus on creating an ad that is ethical, includes
diversity, promotes concerns for the environment, encourages charity and
sends a positive message
Students can write a review of an ad seen on television (e.g. choose an ad
you really liked or hated and explain why)
Students can write a letter addressed to media industries and post it on a
blog
 Lesson Plan Outline
Introduction The teacher will prepare advertising slogans and students will guess which ad it comes
Time = (10:25 - 10:37) from. The slogans may be written on strips of paper (5 slogans) and students who
volunteer may come in front of the classroom to read the slogan (and act it out if
necessary). Students who are seated at their desks will have to guess which brand uses that
slogan. The teacher will then reveal the image or video where the slogan comes from.
Students will fill out a KWL chart on what they know about advertisements and what they
want to know.
The class will brainstorm what makes advertisements appealing or unappealing and where
they can find advertisements today (television, newspapers, on the internet, billboards
etc.).

These introductory activities are meant to help students develop their initial thoughts on
advertisements and start reflecting on the ads they see everyday. It is meant to activate their
prior knowledge.

# Lesson Activity Description Resources

1 Overview of advertising The teacher will give students an overview of advertising history as Book: Made you
(10:37 - history indicated in the book Made you look: How advertising works and why you look: How
10:45) should know (p. 2 11). She will present this using the Smartboard. advertising works
and why you
should know by
Shari Graydon

2 Analyzing different ads Students will be shown three different kinds of ads on the smartboard. They 3 images of
(10:45 will discuss and analyze them in pairs. advertisements
11:00) They should consider the following questions:

- What do you see in the ad?

- What type of audience is the advertisement targeting?
- What tactics are they using to reach their audience?
 - How are the people portrayed in the ad?
- What is the purpose of the advertisement?
- What is the ad trying to sell?
- What message does it relay?
- Is the message true?
- What impact could the advertisement have on society?

Following the short discussion among pairs, the teacher will hold a large
group discussion.

3 Debate Students will take part in a debate on Is advertising good or bad? Should IPads
(11:00- there be limitations set on what can be advertised and how and where it can Paper and pen
11:20) be advertised? The teacher will randomly select students to be on either
side of the debate. The random selection may be controlled however to
equalize the number of strong and weak students on both sides. The
classroom will be rearranged so that students of the opposing camps are
facing each other.

Students will get into their groups and take 5 - 7 minutes to brainstorm ideas.
Students may go on their iPads for ideas.

Another 4 minutes will be dedicated to establishing classroom rules for a

respectful debate. The students will come up with the rules.

Then students will debate, each group will be given an equal amount of time
to speak and time will be given for counter-arguments.

4 Advertising collage Students will create a digital collage using GIMP (an application they Computers
(11:20 - should already be familiar with).
11:35) The application
GIMP
Students will make their individual collage using ads from various sources.
They should focus their collage on one type of ad, for example, on cosmetic
 or beauty product, clothes, toys, food or even on the models and people seen
in add (think about beauty ideals or diversity or stereotypes).

Students will be working on this in the computer lab. The teacher will
circulate and help students as needed.

5 Critical Writing [The teacher will show students the following youtube clip that shows how Smartboard
(11:35 - ads can be made using photoshop.
11:45)
Computers
This link is a 2006 Canada commercial for Dove.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omBfg3UwkYM Youtube link
Students may voice their thoughts on the video.] (optional)
For above: OPTIONAL if there is time

Students will be asked to write a short reflection on what messages they

think the ads in their collages portray, how they interpret these ads, what
impacts it can have, what their thoughts on it are, if its ethical and if they
think they are influenced by these ads, they can also think of ways that they as
consumers have power over advertisement companies [e.g. they can leave
review on products, boycott companies, start a movement of mass protest
etc.] Students should also write a paragraph on why it is important to be
critical media consumers.

*By critical media consumers, it is meant that children should not passively
look at advertisement but look at it through a critical eye so as to not be
manipulated, think about what they see, what the real message is, question
the information they receive instead of accepting everything they see as true
since things can sometimes be blown out of proportion in ads.

After students are done their collage and writing, they can send their work
through email to the teacher. After correcting their work, the teacher will ask
 students to select a certain number of quotes from their writing to
accompany the collage that will be printed and displayed in class.
Conclusion Students can fill out the learn portion of the KWL chart and fill out a self-assessment form
Time = (11:45 11:50) (explained below in the assessment table).

Any work not completed in class can be finished as homework (or extra time in class can be
given the following day).

Differentiation
Actions: By Readiness:
[Lower level]: Less word count required for the reflection, can touch on less points or focus on
one ad in their collage in particular instead of generally.
Can use speech-to-text application if necessary.
The teacher can provide them with more scaffolding on the steps to take to complete their work.

[Higher level]: Can add statistics in their critical reflection

There are a lot of advanced work or extension activities these students can do in addition to what
the class is doing.

By Interest:
Students get to choose the types of ads they want in their collage.
If students so wish and the appropriate materials are available, they may do a physical collage
instead of digital.

By Learning Style:
Visual learners: There are a lot of visual elements involved in this lesson.
Kinesthetic learners: When reading the slogans, students have a choice to act it out.
Auditory learners: Since students are writing their reflection on the computer, they may use text-
to-speech to listen to what they wrote. Spellcheck is also available.
Verbal learners: The debate and discussion allows them to express ideas verbally
 Assessment & Evaluation Strategies
Formative Assessment Over the course of the lesson, students are expected to:
Strategies: Be respectful and listen to each other
Participate in class discussion and debate
Write down their prior knowledge on the KWL chart
The instructor will observe to see if:
Students are able to make observations about advertisements
Students are able to articulate arguments in regards to why advertisement is good or bad
Students are able make a digital collage with GIMP
Students are able to write a reflective paper on what theyve learn

Summative Assessment Students will be graded on:

Strategies: - Their participation in the debate
- Their digital collage and reflection

Student Self-Assessment : Students will write about:

What they learned in this lesson? (KWL chart)
Have their views on advertisement changed?
What else would they like to address in the unit? Or learn more on the topic of advertisement?
On a scale of 1 10 their engagement and participation in the lessons discussions and debate.
 Reflection on lesson plan:

In todays world, we are constantly exposed to different messages through media. Although we may not be aware on a conscious level
of what these messages are, we may internalize it from constant exposure. I thus believe that it is important for students to critically
analyze what they observe in the media so that they may make informed decisions in their lives and not be easily swayed by what they
see on television or social media. Since advertisements are ever prevalent in our society and target people from a very young age to
old age, students should be aware of advertisers tactics. They should also be able to critically think about the messages portrayed in
advertisements and identify the impacts advertisement can have on people and society.

This lesson provides opportunities for all students to demonstrate clear and explicit evidence of their learning because everyone has to
submit a final product which is a digital collage accompanied by a reflection piece on the collage that addresses elements of what
students learned in previous activities. In their reflection, students must analyze the ads in their collage and, in addition, write about
why its important to be critical media consumers.

Differentiation is provided in this lesson in three different ways: by readiness level, interest and learning styles. This lesson takes into
account the abilities of both strong and weak students. It allows students to make choices based on their interests since they have a
certain freedom on the type of collage they would like to do. It also takes into consideration that a class can be composed of visual,
kinesthetic, verbal or auditory learners.

This lesson is very student-centered since it focuses very much on dialogue and discussions. Students also construct knowledge
together by observation and research. Learning in this lesson is mostly active as students engage in meaning-making with each other
and are not merely passive recipients of information (Parkay, Hardcastle, Vaillancourt, Stephens & Harris, 2012, 71). The only time
it is teacher-centered is when the teacher gives students an overview of advertising history. This lesson also follows a 5-E model. It
starts with an engagement activity by having students play a game where they match slogans to ads. Students further explore the topic
by analyze three different types of ads and having a discussion on it. In the debate that ensues, they must explain how advertising can
be both good and bad. Elaboration is conducted when students reinforce their learning by writing a critical piece on the collage they
created and include a paragraph on the importance of media literacy. Opportunities for evaluation is provided throughout the lesson as
the students fill out a KWL chart and the teacher observes their participation in class discussion and debate. The critical reflection
piece also clearly shows student learning.

If I were to design this lesson again, I might incorporate elements of the advanced work or extension activity into the lesson. I would
also make more time for the debate so that the discussion would be further enriched. I may also add a checklist that I would give to
students in both groups so that individual students know they are accountable in contributing to the debate. In that checklist, they
would be writing about their contribution to the group (e.g. Student researched arguments, provided an argument, verbalized an
argument in the debate, provided a counter-argument etc.).

Reference

Parkay, F.W., Hardcastle Stanford, B., Vaillancourt, J.C., Stephens, H.C., & Harris, J.R. (2012). Becoming a teacher Fourth Canadian

Edition. Toronto, ON: Pearson.