Teachers wishing to use this unit for their own classrooms may find it helpful to read the background information the author presents here. The overall content and purpose of the unit, target audience, setting, time frame, and objectives are all described below. Links to the worksheets and additional resources are also included.

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According to the PBS Frontline documentary entitled "The Merchants of Cool," children view an average of 3,000 commercials a day, which amounts to 10,000,000 by the time they enter adulthood. It is these commercials that dictate how they should look, how they should act, and what they should have. Children need to learn how to become responsible, conscious, and critical consumers. This unit is designed to teach students how to interpret the messages commercials send, so they can make informed choices based on well reasoned decisions. As a culminating activity, students create their own parody ads or public service announcements.

The audience consists of approximately 85 sophomores who take a required sophomore English course. The instructor knows the students for they have been together for over a semester. Most are at or above what is expected of sophomores in terms of their speaking and reading vocabularies. For nearly all of the students, the subject covered is one that has not been explored in great detail in earlier grades, yet it is possible to capitalize off of students' personal experiences as viewers of countless commercials. Many enjoy sharing about which commercials they find funny, entertaining, or, on the flip side, uninteresting and boring.

Additionally, many students display a heightened degree of motivation when working on projects involving computers. Since most of them have computers and Internet access at home, it is possible for them to complete parts of the unit outside of class. Those who don’t have computers at home may use the labs both before and after school and during the day if they have a study hall.

Students will spend the first part of the unit in the computer lab, but before going to the lab, they will be introduced to the unit via a computer hooked up to a projector in the regular classroom. They will be given an orientation of the web site that houses the contents of the unit so all can become familiar with how to navigate thorough it.

The next few days of instruction will take place in a computer lab. Teachers are limited to how many days they can sign up in the school’s computer labs, but since we will only be in the lab for a few days, this should not be a problem. The school’s labs have enough computers so that each student may work independently. However, as part of the unit, students may work with a partner if they wish to do so. Students with special needs may very well benefit from working with someone else. Each student has his or her own Internet account and each computer has a fiber optic connection to the Internet, so the connection speed should not be a problem. The instructor will monitor students as they work their way thorough the lessons.

Students will return to the regular classroom to work on the final task of the project as described through the site.

Housing a majority of the contents of the unit on a web site will allow students to move at a pace that is comfortable for them. Some may want to spend more time on certain activities than others do. Students who fall behind may view the site at home or before and after school if necessary.

The time frame allotted for this instructional unit is two weeks or ten class periods. However, it is possible for the instructor to modify the unit to fit a different time frame. Below is a brief outline of what each day entails. Don't forget to reference the worksheet section.

Days 1 & 2: Introduction to the unit

• Pre webquest activity: PBS Frontline documentary entitled "The Merchants of Cool" (watch video in class and discuss)
• Orientation: Walk through the rest of the webquest (instructor lead via computer)
• Assign students to partners (if desired)

Day 3-5: Work through web site activities

• Introduction and Ad Slogan Quiz (web delivered instruction)
• Task 1: How to read an ad (web delivered instruction)
• Task 2: Recognizing persuasive appeals and claims (web delivered instruction)

Day 6: Begin work on final task

• Task 3: Creating your own ad (web delivered instruction)
  • View sample projects (web delivered instruction)
  • Begin student work on final projects (return to regular classroom)

Day 7-9: Work on final projects

• Complete storyboards and practice presentations
  

Day 10: Present projects

• High school students will view sample print ads as part of an online PowerPoint presentation and correctly identify the persuasive appeals and claims used with an accuracy rate of 75%.
• High school students will be able to give examples of how advertisers influence the decision-making behaviors of consumers by creating a print or video advertisement which illustrates such influences.
• High school students will be able to decode an advertisement using the five P’s (point of view, position, posture, and person speaking) adapted from David Considine’s and Gail E. Haley’s book, Visual Messages.
• High school students will think critically about the messages behind advertisements before purchasing products.

Note: The activities associated with the unit also meet the following state and district standards.

Wisconsin’s Model Academic Standards for English Language Arts written by the Governor’s Council on Model Academic Standards

• E.8.4 Identify advertising strategies and techniques aimed at teenagers.

• E.12.2 Analyze the content and effect of subtle persuasive techniques used on-line and in broadcast and print media.

Verona Area School District Standards

• 2.c. Recognize the impact of various media on daily life.

• 2.f. Distinguish fact from opinion, evaluate logic, and identify manipulative techniques.

Pre Webquest Activity: The Merchants of Cool Discussion Questions

Task #1 Worksheet: How to Read an Ad

Task #2 Worksheet: Recognizing Appeals and Claims

Task #3 Worksheet: Storyboard and Commercial Evaluation Form

The Storyboard and Commercial Evaluation Form are PDF files. You will need to download Acrobat Reader to view the files if you don't have it already.

New Mexico Media Literary Project: There are lots of valuable activities designed to develop media awareness accessible via this site. The "Free Resources" link has some excellent downloadable PDF worksheet files that teachers can use in their classrooms.

Media Awareness Network: The Media Awareness Network offers practical support for media education. It's a place where educators, parents, students, and community workers can share resources and explore ways to make media a more positive force in children's lives. The lessons plans included as part of this site are the best out there on media education.

Center for Media Literacy: The Center for Media Literacy's mission is to bring media literacy education to every child, every school, and every home in North America by teaching individuals how to communicate competently in all media forms, print and electronic, as well as to access, understand, analyze, and evaluate the powerful images, words, and sounds that make up our contemporary mass media culture.

Ad Busters: These folks have made it their mission to help the general public recognize how different forms of media manipulate us. They have created some interesting parody ads and teach you how to create your own "uncommercials."

Ad Flip : Adflip.com is the world's largest searchable database of classic print ads. You can search by category, by decade, or even by year.

Ad*Access: The Ad*Access Project presents images and database information for over 7,000 advertisements printed in U.S. and Canadian newspapers and magazines between 1911 and 1955.

Media Literacy Clearinghouse: This is a web page designed for k-12 educators who want to learn more about media literacy and how to integrate it into classroom instruction.

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