Learning Objectives:
By the end of this lesson, students will understand the concept of advertisements. They will understand how to identify the target audience and the goal of a specific ad. They will also understand the difference between the denotation and the connotation of an ad. Using these tools, students will be able to create their own ad.
Time Requirement:
4 days
Material:
- Advertisements from magazines, newspapers, and Internet (provided by teacher)
- PowerPoint presentation on advertisements and semiotics (provided by teacher)
- Bristol boards (provided by students)
- Art materials (paint, Indian ink, paintbrushes, crayons, markers, and sparkles, provided by teacher)
Procedure:
Introduction
- The teacher, with the use of the PowerPoint presentation, will teach students about advertisements. She will explain the two main aspects of understanding ads, which are the target audience and the goal of the ad itself. The following website can be of great help to the teacher or the students: http://www.wikihow.com/Create-an-Advertisement
- The teacher will explain the difference between connotation and denotation. These words may be difficult for grade 6 students to understand, so alternate vocabulary shall be used, but the concepts will still be explained.
- To ensure understanding of these concepts and ideas, the teacher will use various ads that she has collected to demonstrate what will have been taught.
- A series of exercises in the classroom will take place, during which students will have to look at the ad shown by the teacher and identify the target audience, the goal of the ad, the connotation, and the denotation of the advertisement. This will certify students’ understanding of the material presented.
Development
- To get students to apply the material learned and use their creativity, they will have to create their own advertisement of a product of their choice. There is one constraint to the choice of their product: they must invent it. The product that they choose to advertise must not already exist. This will be an individual assignment.
- Students will have to choose a product that they wish to “sell” to a specific target audience. After the project has been explained, the class will have the evening at home to decide on a product.
- The following day, students will begin their project. They will have been advised a week prior to bring in a Bristol board for this day. This will be the background for their advertisement.
- With the use of any of the art materials provided, students must represent their product on the Bristol board along with any words they deem necessary to potentially sell the product to their target audience. Students will be given two days to begin and complete their advertisement.
- On the fourth day, students will have to bring in a typed paper on which will be written their name, the name of their product, the target audience, the goal of their advertisement, the connotation, and the denotation of their ad.
Conclusion
- This same day, students will present their advertisements to the rest of the class, explaining the aspects typed on their paper which must be submitted afterwards.
- After the presentations, the students’ advertisements will be posted in the hallways of the school for all other students to see.
- There will be a short debrief on what students enjoyed about this project, what was difficult about it, and how they liked others’ posters.
Assessment:
Students will be evaluated on the following criteria:
- Originality of product invented
- Creativity and physical appearance of the advertisement
- Relevance of words on the poster board
- Is the advertisement targeted at the right audience?
- Answers on submitted paper (connotation, denotation of ad)
