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Hooked On Commercials

Main Core Tie

Health Education - 4th Grade
Strand 4: SUBSTANCE ABUSE PREVENTION (SAP) Standard 4.SAP.3:

Time Frame

1 class periods of 30 minutes each

Group Size

Large Groups

Authors

Utah LessonPlans

Summary

Students will be able to identify advertising techniques and develop skills to analyze advertisements.


Materials

Copies

Materials

  • advertisements from magazines

Vocabulary

  • persuasion techniques
  • endorsement
  • bargains
  • bandwagon
  • straight sell
  • snob
  • statistics
  • pun


Background for Teachers

Lesson at a Glance

Introduction
1. What Did You Purchase?

Strategy
2. Advertising Techniques
3. You Are the Advertiser

Conclusion
4. "Hooked on Commercials"


Instructional Procedures

  1. What Did You Purchase?

    • Ask two volunteers to have a competition to see who can do the best job of selling an object in the room to the class.
    • Who did the best job?
    • What did that person do to make the object sound desirable?
    • Think of a product you've purchased or asked your parents to purchase because of a commercial you've seen (e.g., breakfast cereal, game, toy, etc.).
    • What claims were made by the product advertisement?
    • How did the advertising promises compare to the actual product performance?

    2. Advertising Techniques

    • Talk about the advertising and persuasion techniques described on "Hooks or Persuasion Techniques Used in Advertising."
    • Show magazine advertisement samples and decide what techniques are used in the sample.

    3. You Are the Advertiser

    • As a class, make a list of problems or needs and list them on the board.
    • Divide the class into small groups.
    • Each group will use the list on the board and create a product to solve that need. The group will also design an advertisement for the product using one of the persuasion techniques.
    • Groups will present their products and advertisements to the class.
    • Which advertisement entices you to purchase the product?
    • What parts of the advertisement drew your interest?
    • What other kinds of techniques were used in the advertisement?
    • How were the techniques used to make the product look its best?
    • Sometimes we don't take the time to stop and think but let other people tell us what to think, what to eat, what to wear, what is cool and what music to listen to.
    • If we know what to look for in a commercial, we can stop and think and make a more informed decision.

  2. Hooked on Commercials

    • Make a copy of the Home Connection for each student.
    • Take a short amount of class time to explain the home assignment.
    • Send the Home Connection paper home with each student, along with the "Hooks or Persuasion Techniques Used in Advertising" resource sheet and instruct students share the information with their families.


Bibliography

This lesson is part of the Utah State Board of Education Prevention Dimensions program.


Created: 01/25/2017
Updated: 01/15/2020
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