Title: Please, Say It's So!
Propaganda Techniques
GRADE LEVEL/6-8 SUBJECT: READING
OVERVIEW: Television commercials and newspaper advertisements have an enormous impact on the buying power of our young Americans. Students need to become aware of the influence used in commercials to make them more appealing to the buyer. Studying local businesses will also be lucrative and informative to the potential consumer from a business perspective.
PURPOSE: The purpose of this activity is to expose students to five different propaganda techniques. This activity will allow them to become commercial advertisers using one or more propaganda techniques.
OBJECTIVES: As a result of this activity, students will:
1. Identify the five propaganda techniques used in advertisements.
2. List 5-10 reasons why certain propaganda techniques are used to sell products.
3. Research and then design web pages for local businesses. The web pages will be used by other teachers as examples emphasizing one of the 5 propaganda techniques.
4. Videotape a commercial for their chosen topic for public speaking practice.
5. Write a short paragraph describing how learning to recognize propaganda techniques can help students when it comes to purchasing items.
6. Allow students to work in cooperative learning settings.
RESOURCES/MATERIALS:
Opt. - taped commercials, bookmarked Internet ads, camcorder, VCR tapes, old magazines, tagboard, scissors, glue, video equipment. If possible, article found in Level M - Celebrations Houghton Mifflin Reading Series. pgs. 308-313. Web server, web, web making software.
ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES:
1.Present the five propaganda techniques generally used in advertisements. Give definition and examples of each.
a. Bandwagon: persuading people to do something by letting them know others are doing it.
b. Testimonial: using the words of a famous person to persuade you.
c. Transfer: using the names or pictures of famous people, but not direct quotations.
d. Repetition: the product name is repeated at least four times.
e. Emotional words: words that will make you feel strongly about someone or something.
2. Show students commercials and let them pick out the propaganda technique. ( I tore all the ads out of a "Family Circle" woman's magazine and showed the students how many pages were left in the magazine. That really drove home a point.) We looked at Internet ads and discussed why they were there.
3.Assign students to write down any commercials that come to mind. Have a discussion on what type of propaganda technique was used.
3.Using old magazines, students can identify and create propaganda technique collages. They will choose one technique and find pictures that display their technique.
4.Students will then be assigned to design their chosen business or product advertisement using one or more techniques.
5. Set up the camcorder and tape commercials that the students have written.
6. Consult local business people that still do not have a web page and let students work with them to build one. I got mostly independent business people, but they were so excited to have a place they could show to others.
TYING IT ALL TOGETHER:
1. Videotape students' advertisements.
2. Encourage students to identify the techniques they used.
3. Present students with five examples of propaganda techniques and have them identify which techniques were used.
4. Post student designed web page displaying examples of propaganda techniques.
5. Allow students to evaluate and critique each others web pages.