Media Take Over

Mickael Wills
8th Grade/ Writing

Common Core Standards:

OH.CC.RI.8.

Reading Standards for Informational Text

Key Ideas and Details

RI.8.3.

Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between

individuals, ideas, or events (e.g., through comparisons, analogies, or categories).

OH.CC.W.8.

Writing Standards
Text Types and Purposes

W.8.2.

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas,

concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of
relevant content.

W.8.2(a)

Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts,

and information into broader categories; include formatting (e.g., headings),
graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding
comprehension.

W.8.2(b)

Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details,
quotations, or other information and examples.

W.8.2(c)

Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the
relationships among ideas and concepts.

W.8.2(d)

Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain

the topic.
W.8.2(e)

Establish and maintain a formal style.

W.8.2(f)

Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the
information or explanation presented.

W.8.10.

Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and
revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of
discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

OH.CC.SL.8.

Speaking and Listening Standards

Comprehension and Collaboration

SL.8.1.

Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups,

and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues,
building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.

SL.8.1(a)

Come to discussions prepared, having read or researched material under study;

explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or
issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion.

SL.8.1(b)

Follow rules for collegial discussions and decision-making, track progress toward
specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed.

SL.8.1(c)

Pose questions that connect the ideas of several speakers and respond to others'
questions and comments with relevant evidence, observations, and ideas.

SL.8.1(d)

Acknowledge new information expressed by others, and, when warranted, qualify

or justify their own views in light of the evidence presented.

SL.8.2.

Analyze the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g.,
visually, quantitatively, orally) and evaluate the motives (e.g., social, commercial,
political) behind its presentation.

Lesson Summary:
The media has a lot of influence on us this day in age. This lesson will allow the students to study
advertising more in depth. They will be made aware of how much advertising is really a part of their
everyday lives. Every where they look there is some type of advertising in their line of sight. Looking
at all the advertising more critically their eyes will be opened to how the media coerce different types
of groups, getting them to buy products, and influence societies.
Estimated Duration:
Five 50 minute class periods.
Commentary:
The idea is to get them to pay more attention to the advertising that they see on the television or on
the computer. The biggest challenge is getting them to focus on commercials or ads that are on the
internet, no one really pays attention to commercials. I will tell my students that by watching the
commercials they can come up with their own savvy ideas to get their parents to purchase
something they want.
Instructional Procedures:
Day 1: As a class we will begin the opening activity, we will discuss our television and computer
activities. They will be asked a series of questions.
1. How many of you have televisions in your room?
2. How many has access to a computer/tablet/Ipad?
3. How many hours do you spend on the internet? Watching television?
4. What is your favorite show to watch?
5. What is your favorite website to visit?
I will explain to them that they are going to become investigators on their cultures. They will be
investigating the role advertising.
They will also be going to the computer lab to take a survey like quiz on media literacy and as each
student finishes they will discuss the questions that were asked and see who is more
knowledgeable.
Day 2: As a group they will go over their homework assignment charting their findings on a chart
with groups of about four or five students. How long did they spend watching commercials? They
will discuss what was advertised the most and I will ask if they were surprised by any of the
discoveries. Products for Sale, Ads for Television Programs are the types of things that will be on
the chart.
Students will go to the computer lab to browse the web for different advertisements. They will record
some of the advertisements that they found. They will compare their results with others and then

compare them to what they found at home. They will see if there are any similarities and discover
which type of advertisements was shown the most.
Day 3: They will go over their second homework assignment and see any similarities in the
commercials they saw from Day 1 homework assignment.
They will go to the computer lab and browse for ads again, they will pick their favorite advertisement
and do an advertisement dissection analysis sheet which goes into the ad in details.
http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson97/advert.pdf They will answer
as many questions as possible and go over it in pairs to compare and discuss what they have found.
Day 4: They will go over similarities discussed from the commercials and ads that each of them
recorded. What is the most common thing that they see in the ads? Which ad did the best in
representing their product? They will begin to write their response on how advertising affects their
culture.
Day 5: Computer lab time, this will be a time for students to catch up if they fall behind and if others
are ahead they can continue to work on their papers and all students have me at their full advantage
to ask any more questions before the assignment is due.
Pre-Assessment:
The students are already aware that advertising is all around them, but they do not necessarily know
how much of an influence it can be. They will have to focus and remember to document what they
see in every commercial and how many times a particular commercial was played. They will also
have to browse for advertising on the internet. The quiz that they are given will show me how much
they already know about advertising.
Scoring Guidelines:
There is a survey like quiz that they have to take, but it is not counted towards their grade. It is only
to help ease them into the assignment, so that they can get a feel for what they are being asked to
do.
Post-Assessment:
When they have completed the entire activity they will go over what they have discovered and write
a paper on how advertising affects their culture.
Scoring Guidelines:
Since it is a 2-3 page paper I will grade them on grammar and spelling. They will also be
graded on how well they backed up their information and also format. Since some of it is
group work they will be graded individually on how each one participated with the help of
group reviews.

Differentiated Instructional Support

Students that breeze through the assignment will be asked to go into a little more detail about their
findings and will be expected to have outstanding papers, so that in the future they can be used as
examples to help future students. They will also be encouraged to help their classmates get a better
understanding of what I am looking for and how to document each commercial thoroughly.
Students that are struggling will have to go over their quiz and discuss in depth the answer that they
got wrong, so that they will better progress in the activity. They can just choose to watch for
advertising on the computer or the television rather than doing both to help them focus better.

Extension
http://kut.org/post/how-advertising-works-your-brain
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mikerose/the-secret-science-of-advertising#.gcB9y6VBG
A couple of websites that discusses how advertising works.

Homework Options and Home Connections

Students will record commercials or advertising that they see while watching television. They will
record the amount of time that they watched the advertisements and what each was about. If they
watch about 2 hours of television they should record how much of that time was spent watching
commercials. They will have to complete this homework assignment twice Day 1 and Day 2.
Interdisciplinary Connections
Writing
Students are analyzing and brainstorming for the paper they are going to write on the influences
of advertising on their culture.
Reading
After completing the activity they will have to analyze their finding making sure that they
comprehend everything to start on their paper.

Materials and Resources:

For teachers

Computer lab time, charts, overhead

For students

Computer/tablet/iPad , television, and chart paper

Key Vocabulary
Media, coerce, advertising, influence, technology

Additional Notes
Since the students are required to watch television for the homework assignment I will send a letter
home with each student informing the parents on the excessive television watching.
References
http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/critical-media-literacy-commercial97.html?tab=4#tabs