Persuasive Devices in AdvertisingActivities & Teaching Strategies
Active learning works well for this topic because young students learn best by doing, especially when examining familiar texts like ads. Investigating real-world examples makes abstract concepts concrete and engaging for Year 2 learners.
Learning Objectives
- 1Identify persuasive techniques used in print advertisements and television commercials.
- 2Explain how specific visual elements, such as color and font, contribute to the persuasive message of an advertisement.
- 3Analyze the word choices in advertisements to determine their intended emotional impact on the audience.
- 4Compare the persuasive strategies used in two different advertisements for similar products.
- 5Create a simple advertisement using at least two persuasive techniques to promote a classroom object.
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Inquiry Circle: Ad Detectives
Small groups are given a variety of magazine ads or posters. They use a checklist to find 'persuasive tricks' like bright colours, happy faces, or 'bossy verbs' (imperatives), then present their findings to the class.
Prepare & details
What words or pictures do advertisers use to make you want to buy something?
Facilitation Tip: During Collaborative Investigation: Ad Detectives, assign small groups specific ads to analyze, ensuring every student has a role like 'color detective' or 'word detective.'
Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials
Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template
Simulation Game: The Slogan Factory
Pairs are given a 'mystery product' (e.g., a new type of healthy snack). They must create a catchy slogan using alliteration or rhyme and choose two 'power colours' for their packaging, explaining why those choices will help it sell.
Prepare & details
How do bright colours or catchy words make an advertisement more exciting?
Facilitation Tip: During The Slogan Factory, provide a word bank of emotive words and limit student choices to three words per slogan to keep the task manageable.
Setup: Flexible space for group stations
Materials: Role cards with goals/resources, Game currency or tokens, Round tracker
Gallery Walk: Poster Critique
Display student-made posters around the room. Classmates walk around and use 'eye stickers' to mark where their eyes were drawn first, then discuss why certain images or words were so eye-catching.
Prepare & details
Can you find a persuasive technique in an advertisement and explain what it is trying to make you do?
Facilitation Tip: During Poster Critique, model how to annotate a poster with sticky notes before students begin, showing them how to label persuasive elements clearly.
Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter
Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback
Teaching This Topic
Teach this topic through guided discovery rather than direct instruction. Use think-alouds to model how you identify persuasive elements in an ad, making your thought process visible to students. Avoid over-explaining; instead, ask open-ended questions that lead students to notice details themselves. Research shows that when students generate their own explanations, learning is more durable.
What to Expect
Successful learning looks like students confidently identifying persuasive elements in ads and explaining their purpose. They should use vocabulary such as 'slogan,' 'color,' and 'emotive words' naturally when discussing advertisements.
These activities are a starting point. A full mission is the experience.
- Complete facilitation script with teacher dialogue
- Printable student materials, ready for class
- Differentiation strategies for every learner
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Common MisconceptionDuring Collaborative Investigation: Ad Detectives, watch for students who assume all ads tell the truth about a product.
What to Teach Instead
Use the 'Reality vs. Ad' comparison activity with the group. Show a real product (e.g., a burger) alongside an ad image, and ask students to describe what makes the ad image look more appealing. This highlights how lighting, angles, and styling are used to persuade.
Common MisconceptionDuring The Slogan Factory, watch for students who believe bright colours are only for decoration.
What to Teach Instead
Introduce a 'Colour Emotion' chart during the activity. Have students match colours to emotions (e.g., red for excitement, green for health) and explain how their chosen colour for their ad aligns with the feeling they want to create.
Assessment Ideas
After Collaborative Investigation: Ad Detectives, show students a print advertisement. Ask them to point to one element (color, word, image) that tries to persuade them and explain in one sentence what it is trying to make them do or feel.
After Gallery Walk: Poster Critique, provide students with two different advertisements. Ask them to write down one similarity in how they try to persuade viewers and one difference.
During The Slogan Factory, ask students: 'Imagine you are creating an advertisement for a new type of pencil. What would you say in your slogan, and what color would you use for the advertisement? Explain why you chose those things to make people want the pencil.'
Extensions & Scaffolding
- Challenge: Ask students to create a print ad for a product of their choice and present it to the class, explaining their persuasive choices.
- Scaffolding: Provide sentence stems for students to use when explaining their choices, such as 'I chose this color because...' or 'The slogan says... to make me feel...'
- Deeper exploration: Compare two ads for the same product from different time periods to explore how persuasive techniques evolve.
Key Vocabulary
| Persuasion | The act of trying to convince someone to believe something or do something. Advertisers use persuasion to make people buy their products. |
| Slogan | A short, memorable phrase used in advertising to represent a product or company. Catchy slogans help people remember the advertisement. |
| Target Audience | The specific group of people that an advertisement is trying to reach. Advertisers choose words and images that will appeal to this group. |
| Visual Appeal | How attractive or eye-catching an advertisement looks. This includes the use of colors, images, and layout. |
| Emotional Appeal | Using words or images that make people feel certain emotions, like happiness or excitement, to encourage them to buy something. |
Suggested Methodologies
Planning templates for English
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Identifying Audience and Purpose
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Using Evidence to Support Opinions
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Writing Persuasive Sentences
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