Citizenship Lesson Plans / KS4 - Citizenship and the Media - 4 lessons / Citizenship and the Media Lesson Plan 4 - Advertising

Connect the Learning

This lesson introduces the notion that the media can influence the choices we make and the opinions we hold.

The Big Picture

The media often has its own agenda and students need to be able to sift through facts and persuasion techniques to come up with their own opinions and ideas.

Learning Outcomes

Students understand that advertising is regulated and why it is regulated.

Introduction

Starter - In pairs or small groups think of your favourite T.V, billboard, magazine, radio or online advert.
Explain why you think it is so good.
What do adverts do to make you want to buy the product?
Elicit responses from the students.
They could mention emotions like guilt, admiration, sympathy, empathy, aspiration, or humour, sex, celebrity, or shock tactics.
Run through the PowerPoint TRU_CitizenshipKS4_Media_lesson4.ppt.

Activity 1

Introduce the idea of the Advertising Standards Agency using the last slide of the PowerPoint.
Can the students think of any advert that they would complain about?
Working in groups, the students take one of the ASA adjudications to explore.
After 5 minutes working on the case studies, each group needs to be able to give the name of the company involved, the advert involved and the complaint.
They should say whether the ASA upheld or did not uphold the complaint and what, if any action was taken.