Lesson: Understanding Online Advertising
In this lesson, students are introduced to the idea of online advertising and look at the ways that marketers create immersive and appealing online environments that draw and hold children’s attention. After studying common advertising techniques, students play an educational game online that lets them put their learning into action by “creating” a site advertising a fictitious cereal, Co-Co Crunch. Students then look at examples of real commercial environments and watch for “weasel words” used by advertisers.
Grade range: 2-3
Teacher Material: https://pressbooks.pub/buildingblocks/chapter/talking-about-advertising/
Student Material: https://pressbooks.pub/buildingblocks/chapter/co-cos-adversmarts/
Time Frame
One class period (45-60 minutes) | Two class periods (90-120 minutes) | Extended Unit |
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Activities |
Talking About Advertising Adversmarts
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Talking About Advertising
Adversmarts Making a Healthy Food Website |
Talking About Advertising
Adversmarts Making a Healthy Food Website Wacky Media Songs: Words That Sell! |
Preparation:
- Make sure that students are able to access the interactive activities.
- Prepare to distribute the handout Healthy Food Website.
- A printable version of this lesson is available at https://mediasmarts.ca/teacher-resources/adversmarts-understanding-food-advertising-online
Learning Outcomes
Big ideas/key concepts: Students will understand that…
Media have commercial considerations
- Companies use ads to make you like and buy things
Each medium has a unique aesthetic form
- Online ads use specific techniques to get kids’ attention and make kids like them
Key questions:
- How do online marketers get kids’ attention and make their products seem fun and cool?
Essential knowledge: Students will know…
- Consumer awareness: Online advertising techniques0
- Key vocabulary: Weasel words
Performance tasks: Students will be able to…
- Use: Create a mock website that shows their understanding of online advertising techniques
- Understand: Identify and analyze online advertising techniques
- Engage: Identify ways that advertising can be manipulative
Curriculum Connections
Strand A: Literacy Connections and Applications
A2. Digital Media Literacy
A2.1 Digital Citizenship
demonstrate an understanding of their rights and responsibilities when interacting online with appropriate permission, and make decisions that contribute positively to the development of their digital identity and those of their communities
A2.2 Online Safety, Well-Being, and Etiquette
demonstrate an understanding of how to navigate online environments safely, manage their privacy, and interact in a way that supports their well-being and that of others, including seeking appropriate permission
A2.4 Forms, Conventions and Techniques
demonstrate an understanding of the forms, conventions, and techniques of digital and media texts, and apply this understanding when analyzing texts
A2.5 Media, Audience, and Production
demonstrate an understanding of the interrelationships between the form, message, and context of a text, the audience, and the creator
A2.6 Innovation and Design
use digital and media tools to support stages of the design process and to develop creative solutions to authentic, real-world problems
A3. Applications, Connections and Contributions
A3.1 Cross-Curricular and Integrated Learning
apply the knowledge and skills developed in this grade to support learning in various subject areas and identify some ways this learning can be used in everyday life
Strand C: Composition (Understanding and Responding to Texts)
C1 Knowledge About Texts
C1.1 Using Foundational Knowledge and Skills to Comprehend Texts
Grade 2: read and comprehend short texts, using knowledge of words, grammar, cohesive ties, sentence structures, and background knowledge
Grade 3: read and comprehend various texts, using knowledge of words, grammar, cohesive ties, sentence structures, and background
C1.2 Text Forms and Genres
Grades 2-3: identify and describe some characteristics of literary and informational text forms and their associated genres
C1.3 Text Patterns and Features
Grade 2: identify some text patterns, such as chronological order and journal entry, and text features, including table of contents, charts, and icons, associated with various text forms, and explain how they help readers, listeners, and viewers understand the meaning
Grade 3: identify some text patterns, such as order of importance and cause and effect, and text features, such as headings and an index, associated with various text forms, and explain how they help readers, listeners, and viewers understand the meaning
C1.4 Visual Elements of Texts
Grade 2: identify ways in which images, graphics, and visual design create, communicate, and contribute to meaning in a variety of texts
Grade 3: describe ways in which images, graphics, and visual design are used in a given text, and demonstrate an understanding of their purpose and connection to the content of the text
C1.5 Elements of Style
Grade 2: identify some simple elements of style in texts, including voice, word choice, word patterns, and sentence structure, and explain how they help communicate meaning
Grade 3: identify some elements of style in texts, including voice, word choice, word patterns, and sentence structure, and explain how they help communicate meaning
C2 Comprehension Strategies
C2.1 Prereading: Activating Prior Knowledge
Grade 2: activate prior knowledge, including knowledge gained from personal and text experiences, that they can use to make connections and understand the topic and form of new texts
Grade 3: activate prior knowledge, including knowledge gained from personal and text experiences, that they can use to make connections and understand the topic and form
C3 Critical Thinking in Literacy
C3.1 Literary Devices
Grade 2: identify simple literary devices, including consonance and simile, and describe how they help communicate meaning
Grade 3: identify literary devices, including metaphor and assonance, and describe how they help communicate meaning
C3.2 Making Inferences
Grade 2: make simple inferences using stated and implied information and ideas to understand simple texts
Grade 3: make inferences using stated and implied information and ideas to understand texts
C3.3 Analyzing Texts
Grade 2: analyze simple texts, including literary and informational texts, by identifying and sequencing important information, and comparing and contrasting simple elements
Grade 3: analyze various texts, including literary and informational texts, by identifying main and supporting ideas, sequencing information, and comparing and contrasting elements
C3.5 Perspectives within Texts
Grade 2: identify explicit and implicit perspectives communicated in a text, providing evidence, and describe how these perspectives could influence an audience
Grade 3: identify explicit and implicit perspectives communicated in texts, providing evidence, and explain how these perspectives could influence an audience
Strand D: Composition (Expressing Ideas and Creating Texts)
D1.1 Purpose and Audience
Grade 1: identify the topic, purpose, and audience for various simple texts they plan to create
Grade 2: identify the topic, purpose, and audience for various texts they plan to create
Grade 3: identify the topic, purpose, and audience for various texts they plan to create, and describe how the chosen text form and genre will help communicate their intended meaning
D1.2 Developing Ideas
Grade 1: generate ideas about given and chosen topics, using simple strategies and drawing on various resources, including their own lived experiences, and learning from other subject areas
Grade 2: generate and develop ideas about given and chosen topics, using simple strategies, and drawing on various resources, including their own lived experiences, and learning from other subject areas
Grade 3: generate and develop ideas about given and chosen topics, using various strategies, and drawing on various resources, including their own lived experiences, and learning from other subject areas
D1.4 Organizing Content
Grades 1-2: sort and sequence ideas and information, taking into account the text form and genre to be used
Grade 3: sort and sequence ideas and information, using appropriate strategies and tools, taking into account the text form and genre
D2 Creating Texts
D2.1 Producing Drafts
Grade 2: draft short texts of various forms and genres, including personal narratives, persuasive texts, and procedural texts, using a variety of media, tools, and strategies
Grade 3: draft short texts of various forms and genres, including narrative, persuasive, and informational texts, using a variety of media, tools, and strategies
D2.3 Voice
Grade 2: demonstrate a personal voice in their texts, using descriptive words to express their thoughts, feelings, and opinions about the topic
Grade 3: demonstrate a personal voice in their texts, using descriptive words and sentence patterns to express their thoughts, feelings, and opinions about the topic
D2.4 Point of View and Perspective
Grades 1-2: identify the point of view, including first person, used in their texts
Grade 3: identify the point of view, including first person or third person, used in their texts
D3 Publishing, Presenting and Reflecting
D3.1 Producing Final Texts
produce final texts, using simple techniques, to achieve the intended effect
D3.2 Publishing and Presenting Texts
present the texts they have created using appropriate strategies, including by reading aloud with expression
Words or phrases that let advertisers suggest things they can't legally say.