III. ANALYZING ADVERTISING : WHAT ARE ADS REALLY SELLING?

In the following lessons, students will learn about the persuasive techniques used by advertisements. They will identify these techniques in print and TV ads and then analyze the messages of the ads.

• Quickwrite #5: Think of a time when you wanted to convince your parent to let you do something. What did you do to persuade him or her?
• Discuss answers as teacher lists the techniques on the overhead projector. Students will generate a good list of techniques such as logic, threats, facts, appeal to emotions: guilt, affection, etc.
• Definition: persuasion, add to vocabulary list
• Distribute and review WORKSHEET 5 Argumentation and Persuasion. worksheet_5.pdf
• Ask the students to write a paragraph in which they use each of these techniques to convince a reader that they should buy a certain brand name product, i.e. a pair of Nike shoes or a that they should use the Google search engine or eat at McDonald³s, etc. (They should not identify which technique is being used.)
• Students exchange paragraphs with one of their group³s members and identify techniques generated in the previous exercise as ethos, pathos, or logos.
• At the bottom of their partner³s paper, students will write a paragraph in which they explain which technique was most effective in their opinion.
• Optional: Volunteers share paragraphs.
• Discuss: How many people though logos was the most effective? Pathos? Ethos? Explain.