English · Year 2

Active learning ideas

Persuasive Devices in Advertising

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.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9E2LY02
• AC9E2LA08

• 20–30 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Inquiry Circle
• 30 min · Small Groups

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.

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.'

What to look for

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.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Activity 02

• Simulation Game
• 25 min · Pairs

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.

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.

What to look for

Provide students with two different advertisements. Ask them to write down one similarity in how they try to persuade viewers and one difference. For example, 'Both use bright colors, but one uses a famous person and the other uses a cartoon.'

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 03

• Gallery Walk
• 20 min · Whole Class

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.

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.

What to look for

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.'

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

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.

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.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Collaborative Investigation: Ad Detectives, watch for students who assume all ads tell the truth about a product.

  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.

• During The Slogan Factory, watch for students who believe bright colours are only for decoration.

  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.

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Methods used in this brief

• Inquiry Circle
• Simulation Game
• Gallery Walk