Day 1

Thinking Critically About Advertising

Objectives:

  • Students will be able to list five strategies that advertisers use to sell their products.
  • Students will be able to identify the use of these strategies in advertisements.
  • Students will realize and understand the prevalence of advertising in their daily lives.
  • Students will compare and contrast advertising strategies used by the corporations in Feed with the strategies used in today’s society.

Rationale:

  • 1.2.11 A: Differentiate fact from opinion across a variety of texts by using complete and accurate information, coherent arguments and points of view.

Distinguish between essential and nonessential information across a variety of sources, identifying the use of proper references or authorities and propaganda techniques where present.

  • 1.6.11 A: Ask clarifying questions. Contribute to discussions.
  • 1.6.11 E: Participate in small and large group discussions and presentations.

Materials:

  • Handout: How Are You Affected By Advertising?
  • “With These Words I Can Sell You Anything” by William Lutz
  • YouTube video: The Truth in Advertising

Activities:

  • Students will have class discussion about Lutz’s article, which they were required to read for homework. Students will be encouraged to start and maintain their own discussion, but the following questions will also be posed:
  • Do you think you are affected by advertising, specifically the strategies Lutz discusses in his article? Why or why not?
  • Think of a product you recently bought. Why did you buy it? Do you think the advertising strategy had anything to do with your decision?
  • Can you think of any products that use these strategies in commercials or magazine ads?
  • Handout: How Are You Affected By Advertising?
  • This worksheet is a fun activity that will effectively demonstrate to students the impact advertising has on their daily lives without them realizing it, as well as connecting the main idea of the reading to ads they see every day.
  • Students will identify the advertising techniques described in the reading in the slogans from the handout.
  • Students will be asked to name some of the advertisements they see every day, and how many ads they believe they are exposed to every day, then told how many they actually see or read.
  • You Tube video: The Truth of Advertising
  • Students will watch a short clip (42 seconds) that applies the advertising strategies already discussed to a generic product. This video will demonstrate to the students why they need to think critically about advertisements.
  • Discussion about advertising and Feed.
  • Introduce Feed through advertising. Discuss the feed and relate the constant advertising students receive to the advertisements characters receive in the novel.

Closure:

  • Briefly reiterate the ideas that advertising is omnipresent in our lives as well why we need to think critically about advertisements. Ask students to recall some of the advertising strategies discussed in the reading and in the class discussion.

Homework:

  • Bring in an editorial from a newspaper or magazine.

Assessment:

  • Participation in class discussion.

How Are You Affected by Advertising?

Every day we encounter thousands of advertisements without realizing it. Look around the classroom. How many ads do you see? You are probably wearing at least three. Advertising has become a big part of our everyday lives, and it is important that we realize how much it affects us. Listed below are 20 advertising slogans. Next to each slogan, write the company who uses it.

1. Just Do It ______

2. Have It Your Way ______

3. What’s in your wallet? ______

4. Live Your Life ______

5. Can you hear me now? ______

6. You are now free to move about the country. ______

7. Expect great things. ______

8. Every kiss begins with Kay. ______

9. Good to the last drop. ______

10. Taste the rainbow. ______

11. Obey your thirst. ______

12. When you’re here, you’re family. ______

13. Always low price. Always. ______

14. It’s everywhere you want to be. ______

15. Because so much is riding on your tires. ______

16. What can Brown do for you? ______

17. You’ve got questions, we’ve got answers. ______

18. Get your own box. ______

19. Good taste is easy to recognize. ______

20. Feel better.

______