Lesson Title: Technological Advancements and Advertisements

Day Number: 6
Author: Alyssa Carmona
Unit: Working in Communities (Harcourt Unit 6)
Grade Level: 3rd
Background Information
The focus of this lesson will be on technological advancements and advertisements.
Throughout the lesson, students will explore ways in which aspects of technology impact
the world of economics. In addition, students will gain a deeper understanding of several
other key economic aspects in particular, the nature and components of advertisements.
Expected duration: 60 minutes
Concepts
o Economics
o Time (Past and Present)
o Technological Advances
o Communication Technology
o Electronic Buying and Selling
o Producers and Consumers
o Fact versus Opinion
Vocabulary
o Communication Link
o E-Commerce
o Advertisements
o Fact
o Opinion
Skills
o Listening
o Speaking
o Comparing
o Contrasting
o Evaluating
o Identifying
o Analyzing
o Distinguishing
o Creating
o Writing
o Sharing
1.1 Integration of Learning Outcomes/Objectives
Students will identify and discuss advancements in technology, as well as how such
advancements impact economics.

Students will compare and contrast buying and selling goods/services with and without
communication technology (past versus present) for both producers and consumers.
Students will work cooperatively and respectfully with their peers in groups.
Students will evaluate and create fact and opinion statements as they are related to
advertisements.

1.2 Standards PA Civics, History, Economics, Geography & NCSS Themes I-X & Other
Disciplines
PA SOCIAL STUDIES STANDARDS:

History
o 8.1.3.A. Identify the difference between past, present and future using timelines
and/or other graphic representations.
Economics
o 6.2.3.C. Identify types of advertising designed to influence personal choice.
Civics and Government
o 5.3.3.G. Identify individual interests and explain ways to influence others.
NCSS:

Standard 2: Time, Continuity, and Change

o NCSS.1.2.b: help learners apply key concepts such as time, chronology,
causality, change, conflict, and complexity to explain, analyze, and show
connections among patterns of historical change and continuity
Standard 4: Individual Development and Identity
o NCSS.1.4.i: assist learners as they work independently and cooperatively
within groups and institutions to accomplish goals.
Standard 7: Production, Distribution, and Consumption
o NCSS.1.7.i: enable learners to distinguish between domestic and global
economic systems, and explain how the two interact.
Standard 8: Science, Technology, and Society
o NCSS.1.8.a: enable learners to identify, describe, and examine both current and
historical examples of the interaction and interdependence of science, technology,
and society in a variety of cultural settings.
Standard 9: Global Connections
o NCSS.1.9.c: provide opportunities for learners to analyze and evaluate the
effects of changing technologies on the global community.

Other Disciplines:

Science and Technology and Engineering Education

o 3.4.3.E4: Recognize that information and communication technology is the
transfer of messages among people and/or machines over distances through the
use of technology.
o S3.A.1.1.1: Distinguish between fact and opinion.

o S3.A.1.1.2: Identify examples of common technological changes, past and

present, in the community (e.g., energy production, transportation,
communication, recycling).
PA Core English Language Arts (Writing)
o CC.1.4.3.E: Choose words and phrases for effect.

1.3 Anticipatory Set

To begin the lesson, the teacher will call the students attention back to the last topic that they
covered: Good afternoon, boys and girls! Yesterday we began talking about Trading with the
World, and today we will be expanding on that topic! We discussed how improvements in
transportation make trade possible in more places, and that modern transportation makes
international trade possible. Today, we are going to be focusing on how improvements in
communication technology impact trade.
Throughout the lesson, the teacher will be incorporating the use of a PowerPoint via SMART
Board technology. At this point in time, the teacher will use the SMART Board to display the
first vocabulary word of the days lesson: communication link. Before showing the students the
definition, the teacher will ask students to offer their ideas of what they think the words
definition may be. After hearing and responding to what several students have to offer, the
teacher will display and go over the definition (a kind of technology that lets people share
information instantly) with the class.
1.4 Procedures

The teacher will then move on to the next portion of the lesson, which requires students
to engage in a Think-Pair-Square-Share activity.
Following the sequence of a Think-Pair-Square-Share activity, the students will be
asked to brainstorm a list of modern communication links.
o Possibilities include: telephones, cell phones, fax machines, computers, tablets
(apps), and the Internet, or more precise examples, such as specific websites.
The students will also be asked to discuss how each of the communication links that they
brainstorm impact trade. The teacher will have a list of questions/ideas for students to
think about and take notes on as they engage in this activity displayed on the SMART
Board:
o How does the communication link impact the world of trade?
i. Think about local trade, as well as global trade.
ii. How does this relate to consumers and producers?
o Compare and contrast the process of buying and selling goods with and without
these communication links.
As the students discuss with one another in their groups, the teacher should remind them
to record notes regarding the items displayed on the SMART Board. (These notes will
eventually be collected and will be included in each students unit portfolio). Also during
this time, the teacher will circulate around the room. He/she will use this time to listen in

on each group of students, and can also help to facilitate the discussion and/or clear up
any confusions.
o This will serve as one instance of formative assessment during the lesson.
Once the students have finished discussing within their Square groups, a class
discussion will take place.
o For the first question and the two accompanying sub-points, the teacher will make
a list on the board (chalkboard or whiteboard) as students offer their ideas and
answers.
o For the compare and contrast portion, the students and the teacher will work
together to complete a graphic organizer (Venn diagram) on the SMART Board
representing the information that they talked about within their groups.
i. This will allow different students and groups within the classroom to listen
to one anothers ideas, as well as offer ideas of their own.
ii. This will also provide the teacher with another opportunity to formatively
assess his/her students understanding of the material that has been
covered in the lesson thus far.
At this point in the lesson, the teacher will introduce the students to another vocabulary
word: e-commerce (buying and selling goods and services online, or on the Internet;
commerce means business).
o The word and definition will be displayed on the SMART Board for students to
see, along with a few examples.
The next portion of the lesson will focus on advertisements. The teacher will again use
the SMART Board to display the vocabulary word (advertisement), but will not yet
display the definition.
The teacher will ask students to explain what they think an advertisement is/what its
purpose is. Students may offer their own broad definitions, or may choose to give more
concrete examples. The teacher will listen and respond to what several students have to
offer before displaying and going over the definition offered by the textbook (notices
made to get people to buy something).
The teacher will then ask students to think about and share the different formats that can
be used for advertisements, and create a class list on the board (chalkboard or
whiteboard).
o Potential formats include: TV commercials, TV shows, newspaper ads, billboards,
posters, Internet ads, catalogs, circulars, postcards, etc.
o This will allow students to see that advertisements are all around us.
o This discussion will unavoidably involve having students share where they have
personally seen advertisements.
i. The teacher may choose to ask students to share how they believe the
advertisements they have seen affected them. Sample questions would be:
How did seeing the ad make you feel?
Did you want to buy the product?
o If yes, why? What made you want to buy it?
o If no, why not?

The discussion will then move forward, and the teacher will discuss with students the fact
that many advertisements include both facts and opinions.
o The teacher may choose to ask students to share what they believe a fact versus an
opinion is.
The teacher will use the SMART Board to go over the difference between facts (true
statements that can be proved) and opinions (persons belief that cant be proved) with
the students. He/she will also facilitate a small exercise that requires the students to
distinguish between facts and opinions.
Each student will be given a card with the word FACT printed on one side, and the
word OPINION printed on the other.
On the SMART Board (via the lessons PowerPoint), the teacher will display different
statements some facts, and some opinions. Each time a statement is displayed on the
board, the students will be instructed to decide whether the statement is a fact or opinion,
and hold up their cards.
o This will serve as a formative assessment, and allow the teacher to alter his/her
instruction if needed. If all of the students correctly evaluate the statement, this
will confirm for the teacher that the students understand the difference between
fact and opinion. If some students do not correctly evaluate the statement, the
teacher will need to use this as an opportunity to clarify any confusion.
After the completion of this brief exercise, the students will individually work to create
their own fact and opinion statements for a particular product.
o On the PowerPoint, there will be images representing three separate products.
Each student will choose one of these products in order to create their own fact
and opinion statements.
The teacher will then instruct the students to Turn and Talk to a neighbor, allowing the
students to share the fact and opinion statements that they wrote for their product with a
peer. (The students will Turn and Talk with their neighbor, regardless of whether or not
the two students chose to write fact and opinion statements for the same product).
o The teacher will use this time to circulate around the room, and listen in on
student conversations, also taking some time to see the types of statements that
students have written. This will, again, serve as formative assessment.
o The students written fact and opinion statements will eventually be collected and
placed in each students unit portfolio.
The teacher will then ask students to discuss with their Turn and Talk partner whether
we should pay more attention to facts or to opinions when we see advertisements, and
why. The teacher should then ask students to share their thoughts, focusing on this point
from the text:
o Its more important to pay attention to facts, because they tell us more about what
the product is really like.
i. The teacher should remind students to remember this, since
communication links and advancements in technology allow
advertisements to surround us wherever we may go!

At this point in time, the teacher will remind students about the Advertisements Back in
Time bulletin board that is located in the classroom.
o On the bulletin board, the teacher has posted a number of advertisements from the
past. When students have free time (for instance, when they have completed their
in-class assignments early), they may go over and explore the bulletin board.
o The teacher is also sure to give the students things to think about as they
explore these past advertisements. For example:
i. How are these advertisements similar to the types of advertisements that
you see today?
ii. How are they different?
iii.
Which statements from the advertisements would be considered facts?
iv. Which statements would be considered opinions?
v. How does the advertisement make you feel?
vi. If you lived during the time of the advertisement, do you think you would
want to purchase it? Why or why not?
o The teacher will have questions such as these posted on the actual bulletin board
for the students to refer to.
o The teacher will also inform the students that by the Advertisements Back in
Time bulletin board, there will be a bin with blank sheets of paper, as well as
some art materials (pencils, pens, crayons, colored pencils, and markers).
i.
The teacher will tell the students that they may use these materials to
create their own advertisements.
They may create advertisements for the products represented on
the bulletin board, a current product of their choice, a product that
they choose to invent the choice is theirs.
o In doing so, they will be able to include facts and/or
opinions on their advertisements, along with things like
illustrations. The teacher will not predetermine exactly
what the students are to include. They will be given the
freedom to make these decisions on their own.
If the students need to find facts regarding certain
products, they will be given the freedom to do so
(i.e. by conducting a brief search in the computer
portion of the classroom).
o The teacher will inform the students that the bulletin board will be left up for one
week. He/she will also tell them that one day during Morning Meeting the
following week, they will be given the opportunity to share any advertisements
that they have created with the entire class. Students will also be reminded that
they may choose to use their advertisement creations to update their designated
spot on the Wow Wall in the classroom.
o The teacher will also take a brief moment to tell the students about some online
resources that they can explore during their free time:
i. Facts and Opinions in Advertising PowerPoint via link
ii. PBSKids Advertising Tricks website

iii.
PBSKids Buying Smart website
o These resources will be available in the computer portion of the classroom. (See
section 1.8 of lesson plan for actual links to these resources).
1.5 Differentiation
While the teacher may be meeting the needs of different types of learners through the types of
questions being asked/activities being used throughout the lesson, additional potential forms of
differentiation may be:
For Gifted Students: For students who need more of an academic challenge, the teacher
can alter the exercise during which students are instructed to create their own fact and
opinion statements for a particular product. Rather than having his/her gifted students
write only fact and opinion statements, the teacher may instruct them to write an entire
paragraph (that contains numerous fact and opinion statements) about the particular
product that they selected.
For ELL Students: For students who are not yet fluent in the English language,
language may be a barrier to learning academic content. One accommodation the teacher
can make for these students would be to preview the vocabulary from the lesson with
them before the actual lesson takes place. Another strategy would be for the teacher to
use gestures when speaking, as well as use simple, rather than complex, phrases and
sentences. During the fact versus opinion exercise, the teacher may also choose to put the
words for fact and opinion on the students card in his/her native language (in
addition to the English spelling of the word). Furthermore, when students are instructed
to write their own fact and opinion statements, the teacher may allow his/her ELL
students to write short phrases rather than complete sentences.
1.6 Closure
To provide closure for the days lesson, the teacher will give each student an index card, which
will serve as an exit slip. The teacher will then instruct the students to write on the card: at least
one new thing that they learned during the lesson, as well as anything that they are still confused
about. The teacher will collect these cards from the students as they exit his/her classroom (or
just simply go around the room in order to collect them from the students if the students will not
physically be exiting the classroom). In addition to providing closure, this brief exercise will
provide the teacher with a concrete way to evaluate his/her students learning during the days
lesson. Furthermore, it will give the teacher the opportunity to see if there are any ideas,
concepts, skills, etc., that he/she should revisit.
In an effort to verbally wrap things up for his/her students, the teacher can say something along
the lines of: Boys and girls, I would like to thank you for your active participation in todays
lesson! I loved working and learning with you to discover some of the ways in which technology
has impacted the world of trade as we know it! I appreciate all of your hard work, and cannot
wait to learn more with you tomorrow when we move on to the topic of saving and spending our
money!

1.7 Formative/Summative Assessment of Students (P-12)

Formative Assessment: This type of assessment will continually occur throughout the days
lesson as the teacher continually observes and talks to his/her students, being mindful of ways to
alter instruction. The first instance of formative assessment will occur when teacher circulates
around the room as students engage in the initial Think-Pair-Square-Share activity and discuss
within their groups the different types of communication links, as well as the impact these
communication links have on different aspects of trade. This instance of formative assessment
relates back to the first three learning outcomes (1, 2, and 3). In addition, these specific learning
outcomes are formatively assessed when the students work with their teacher to complete a
graphic organizer relating to the same information on the SMART Board. Another instance of
formative assessment will occur when the students use their fact/opinion cards to evaluate
different statements displayed by the teacher on the SMART Board. As the students evaluate the
statements and hold up their cards, the teacher will be able to assess his/her students
understanding, and alter his/her instruction if needed. In addition, as the students create their own
fact and opinion statements and Turn and Talk with a neighbor, the teacher will be formatively
assessing his/her students once again as he/she circulates around the room and listens in on
student conversations, also taking some time to see the types of statements that students have
written. These last two instances of formative assessment relate back to learning outcome 4, as
well as learning outcome 3. In addition to each of these things, another instance of formative
assessment will occur via the exit slip filled out by students during the closure portion of the
lesson. Being that the students have freedom in what they will write on their individual exit slip,
there is no one specific learning outcome that this will cover. However, because students will be
writing things that pertain to the days lesson (one new thing that they learned during the lesson,
as well as anything that they are still confused about), this item should relate back to the learning
outcomes in some way.
Summative Assessment: There will be no instance of formative assessment in this lesson.
1.8 Materials/Equipment/Resources
A. STUDENT MATERIALS/ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Fact/Opinion Cards: one per student

Advertisements Back in Time Bulletin Board
o *Images of past advertisements
o *Questions for thinking
o Blank sheets of paper
o Art materials (pencils, pens, crayons, colored pencils, and markers)
Index Cards (to be used for exit slip): one per student
Websites:
o Facts and Opinions in Advertising PowerPoint:
http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/english/powerpoints/facts_or_opinions
_in_advertising.ppt
o PBSKids Advertising Tricks:

 http://pbskids.org/dontbuyit/advertisingtricks/
o PBSKids Buying Smart
http://pbskids.org/dontbuyit/buyingsmart/
*See Appendix B
B. TEACHER MATERIALS/RESOURCES FOR LESSON DESIGN

*Lesson PowerPoint
Believe It or Not? Sample Lesson Plan
o http://www.econedlink.org/lessons/index.php?lid=647&type=educator
Dealt with advertisements, as well as facts versus opinions
This was useful in preparing the lesson plan, and making the PowerPoint
Other websites, mostly for building content knowledge:
o http://www.ushistory.org/us/25d.asp
o http://www.ushistory.org/gov/11c.asp
o http://www.ushistory.org/gov/13b.asp
o http://www.ushistory.org/gov/13.asp
o http://www.ushistory.org/us/53c.asp
o http://adage.com/article/special-report-the-advertising-century/ad-age-advertisingcentury-timeline/143661/
o http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/eaa/timeline/
o http://kelley.iu.edu/CERR/timeline/print/page14868.html
o http://www.westga.edu/~bquest/2011/ecommerce11.pdf
o http://www.econedlink.org/lessons/index.php?lid=647&type=educator
*See Appendix B

1.9 Technology

Interactive whiteboard (SMART Board) technology will be used throughout the lesson as
the teacher makes use of various PowerPoint slides. These slides include things such as:
important vocabulary and definitions; important questions for students to discuss with
one another; a graphic organizer relating to communication links and their extensive
impact on trade; statements of facts and opinions; etc. (See Appendix B for PowerPoint).

2.1 Reflection on Planning

This lesson took a lot of time and effort to plan. Deciding exactly what I wanted to
include, as well as how I wanted to include it was a somewhat difficult process. There were
certain ideas for my lesson that I had as I worked on the content analysis outline, but then when I
went to create my actual lesson plan these things were not as easy to incorporate as anticipated.
For instance, one idea that I originally had was having students come up with an invention for
a product of their own, write about it, and create an advertisement for it. However, when writing
the actual lesson, I thought that including such an activity would be difficult. I felt as though the
activity would take up too much time, or the students wouldnt have an adequate enough amount
of time to complete the activity. Thus, when originally writing the lesson, I decided to amend the

activity by just having students work to fact and opinion statements for a particular product, and
incorporating a Turn and Talk component. I was also able to build upon my original idea,
however, after one of our weekly class sessions.
As we worked in class and covered the content from chapter 12 of our course text, we
were able to explore all of the different ways that teachers can incorporate additional resources
into lesson and unit plans. As we talked about some of the different ways to do so within our unit
plan groups, I told my fellow group members about my original idea, as well as the fact that I
would have liked to incorporate having the students look at real past advertisements at some
point during the lesson, but felt as if there was not enough of time to do so. It was at this point in
time that one of my fellow group members suggested the idea of using a bulletin board to display
such advertisements. This is where the idea for the Advertisements Back in Time bulletin
board originated. Then, I continued to think about this idea after leaving class. In doing so, it
dawned on me that another possibility would be for the teacher to include a bin with blank paper
and art materials near the bulletin board, still incorporating the idea of having students create
their own advertisements.
Overall, I am really happy with the way my lesson plan turned out. When I first started
working on it, I actually felt a bit overwhelmed, as I did not realize how extensive the process
was going to be. One of my main concerns was that my procedures were a bit choppy, and that
the lesson would not have a nice flow to it. However, after spending time conversing with my
group members, and obtaining feedback from them, I felt more confident in my plan, and more
comfortable moving forward as I continued to work on it. I think that talking through these types
of things with others is always huge help. In this instance, I feel that I was definitely provided
with valuable feedback and support, and I am proud of the final result.

APPENDIX A: Content Outline

*The information from the content analysis outline that has been incorporated into the lesson in
some way, shape, or form is highlighted in yellow.
Lesson 4: New Inventions
Lesson 4 Vocabulary
o Communication Link: a kind of technology that lets people share information instantly
Have students brainstorm some different types of technology (dont limit their thinking to just
the Internet)
Before moving on to e-commerce, have students think about how they think technology has an
impact on the things that have been discussed thus far (i.e. buying and selling goods)
o E-Commerce: buying and selling goods and services online, or on the Internet; commerce means
business

Examples: Amazon.com; Walmart.com; Target.com; ToysRUus.com

o Advertisements: notices made to get people to buy something

Have students think about and discuss all of the different formats that are used for advertisements
(i.e. TV commercials, newspaper ads, billboards, internet ads, etc.)
Bring in and show students various examples of different types of advertisements (make sure
they are age-appropriate)
Brief idea that can be developed for integrating literacy: have students come up with an
invention for a new product and write about it. You can also have them create an advertisement
for the good/service.
Lesson 4: Beyond the Vocabulary

A. Moving Information
a. New inventions change the way that people do business
i.

Examples of modern communication links: telephones, cell phones, fax

machines, computers, tablets (apps), and the Internet, or more precise
examples, such as specific websites.

b. Telephones have adapted from only allowing people to talk over them to now sending written
and visual information
i. Many other technologies have adapted also
c. Many inventors created the Internet and an engineer created e-mail
i. Both made it faster and easier to communicate with others
B. Electronic Buying and Selling
a. Communication links have changed the process of selling because they can buy online versus
face to face
i. New apps make it possible to purchase things quickly too: i.e. Amazon, Google, Target
b. People can also purchase products using the telephone
c. Modern communication links: telephones, cell phones, fax machines, computers, and the
Internet, as well as more precise examples, such as specific websites (i.e. facebook.com)
d. Many businesses advertise online
C. Tell Fact From Opinion
a. A lot of advertisements use facts and opinions
b. Fact: a true statement that can be proved
c. Opinion: a persons belief that cant be proved
D. Computers, Past and Present
a. The first personal computer was created in 1974
i.

Show students a picture of the first computer

b. Computers store information and can be used to solve problems, communicate, and play games
c. Computers are continuing to advance and there is software that is intelligent that can help a
human to find an answer that they are looking for online or in its system
d.

Show students other forms of technology that have advanced (i.e. calculators)

APPENDIX B: Materials

A. STUDENT MATERIALS/ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Images of Past Advertisements for Bulletin Board

Questions for Thinking (will be posted along with images on bulletin board)

How are these advertisements similar to the types of advertisements that you see today?
How are they different?
Which statements from the advertisements would be considered facts?
Which statements would be considered opinions?
How does the advertisement make you feel?
If you lived during the time of the advertisement, do you think you would want to purchase
it? Why or why not?

B. TEACHER MATERIALS/RESOURCES FOR LESSON DESIGN

Lesson PowerPoint