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Scientific Detectives
Students examine the legitimacy of advertisers' claims about products using science and critical thinking. They view and discuss ads, read a case study, and conduct an experiment to demonstrate whether a product lives up to its claims.
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White Star Line and the Titanic
Was the Titanic advertised as an unsinkable ship, or was it just what the public believed? In this analysis activity, historians examine both primary and secondary sources to determine the answer to this question and the reliability of...
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Creating Your Own Ad
Students analyze the effective advertisements in print and Internet ads. In this advertisements lesson plan, students create a collage of original and repurposed words, graphics, and images of advertisements. Students create a poster for...
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Fighting The Horse Race: Creating Ads Which Explore 2008 Presidential Candidates & Issues
What is advertising? What role does it plan in an election? Middle and high schoolers discuss advertising and its purpose by sifting through different magazines and discussing the products they find. Then they relate advertisements to...
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Amnesty:More Than A Word
Young scholars examine two advertisements, both of which claimed a 2007 immigration reform bill would provide "amnesty" to illegal immigrants. They research a bill and check the accuracy of advertising claims. Afterward, they write their...
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Listerine: Miracle Liquid or Product in Search of a Purpose?
Young scholars analyze and research the claims of Listerine advertisements and commercials. They observe commercials and ads, then participate in numerous activities to determine the credibility of the claims made by Listerine. ...
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Hoodia Hoodoo
Students assess misleading claims in advertisements. After reviewing several advertisements for Hoodia, students compare the claims made to news reports about the product. They conduct research to discover whether the claims made by the...
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John McCain's Tax Stand Misrepresented
Young scholars examine how political advertisements can be misleading. Using a political ad against tax reform, students generate questions based on the claims in the ads. They research information to support or refute the claims in the...
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Hillary Clinton's Voting Record Distorted
Learners examine how political advertisements can be used to deliver messages and stir emotions. Using a political ad from the 2006 Senate election, students generate questions based on the claims in the ads. They research information to...
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“Leading Doctors Say…”
Seventh graders analyze how media and celebrities influence consumers. In this social studies lesson, 7th graders view different commercials and discuss their advertising techniques. They explain why celebrities are often used to give...
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Background Beliefs
High schoolers explore the beliefs and values of others. They discover that different types of background beliefs and experiences have a profound effect upon a person's world view. They explore whether a disagreement is over facts or...
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Reporting on WWII in Alaska
Students explain the people and the political, geographic, economic, cultural, social, and environmental events that have shaped the history of the state, the United States, and the world.
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Amnesty: More Than a Word
Students explain how the use of certain emotive terms affects voter's perceptions. Students assess how word choice by political parties can changes our thinking on a subject. After viewing ads by the two political parties, students...
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Car Adverts: Tell It Like It is
Students explore the strategies and bias that are sometimes used in advertising with a particular focus on automobile advertising. Working in groups, they read several car ads and discuss the bias, opinion and stereotyping in the ads as...