Greer 1

Viewing: Analyzing Propaganda Techniques

Context: 9th grade, Honors, Suburban

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2.
Broad, Lifelong Goal/s & Rationale: Analyzing advertisements is
significant for students lives because it allows them to make informed and
rational decisions about real-world advertisements.
3.
Specific Daily Objective: Students will learn to analyze and evaluate
the effectiveness of advertisements and how to recognize the 5 propaganda
techniques that are used in advertising: bandwagon, name-calling, glittering
generalities, card stacking, and testimonial.
4.
Common Core or NCTE Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.6 Determine an author's point of view or purpose
in a text and analyze how an authoradvance(s) that point of view or
purpose.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.8
Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing
whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient
5.

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7.

Assessment and/or Outcomes:

Students will receive 2 points for each ad and technique they correctly
identify during the guided practice.
The Application assignment will be worth 20 points: 5 for
effort/participation, 5 for each technique effectively incorporated, and
5 for creativity.
Materials:
Taylor Swifts Apple Music advertisement
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fK_zwl-lnmc
PowerPoint of Techniques/Examples (see attached)
Taylor Swift Coca-Cola ad
Piles of Magazines
Bag of Products (see attached)
Craft supplies
Methods:

I will instruct students to get out their independent books and begin
reading.
o I will not check their progress today; I will just be reading silently
with them.
(15 minutes)

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Anticipation:
I will play Apple Musics new advertisement featuring Taylor Swift
where she is running on the treadmill singing one of Drakes songs
Jumpman. She ends up falling off the treadmill because she the
apple music feature is distractingly good.
I will ask them what they think about the video.
o Some may say they think its funny and some may mention
the use of two famous people.
(2 minutes)
Overview:
I will tell students that advertising companies use propaganda
techniques to convince their audience that their product is the best.
I will tell them that there are 5 techniques that they use to makes
their ads effective.
o I will give students this friendly definition of propaganda:
spreading of ideas through advertising, and the ideas are
often false or not completely true.
o Academic Definition of Propaganda: information or ideas that
are spread by an organized group or government to
influence peoples opinions, esp. by not giving all the facts or
by secretly emphasizing only one way of looking at the facts
(Cambridge Dictionaries).
Then, I will put the PowerPoint on the screen of the 5 propaganda
techniques and pass out a handout of the slides to each student and
put it on the ELMO. I will go over each technique and example out
loud with the students (see attached).
(5 minutes)
Modeling:
I will put the Taylor Swift Coca-Cola ad on the screen (see attached).
I will refer to the PP to decide what types of propaganda techniques
are being used in the ad.
o Testimonial because Taylor Swift is drinking the coke while
writing her music.
o Glittering Generalities because it uses the word perfect to
describe coke.
(5 minutes)
Guided Practice:

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I will then ask students to get in groups of 2-3 and grab a couple
magazines.
I will tell them to look through the magazines and find ads for each
of the 5 propaganda techniques. They will cut out each ad they find
and write the type of propaganda it is and why on a separate sheet
of paper.
I will ask them to share the ads they found with the class when they
are done.
o One student might find an ad for Maybelline Mascara (see
attached) and say its using Bandwagon because it says its
Americas Favorite.
(10 minutes)
Application: (Visually Representing Piece)
Students will pull a product out of the bag I pass around.
For homework, they are required to create an ad that uses at least
two of the propaganda techniques. I have craft supplies if they need
to borrow them.
o One student will pick Nike shoes. They could use Glittering
Generalities by saying something about it being the best
shoe and Bandwagon by saying something like that
everyone wears.
(2 minutes)

For the remaining 11 minutes of class, students will be allowed to work

on their homework or work on their persuasive speech that is due next
week.
(11 minutes)
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9.

Adaptations:
I will print out each ad I use for students that need a closer look.
I will give students more time at the end of the next period to work on
their Application if the Minilesson goes longer than I planned.
Possible Problems & Solutions:
If PowerPoint isnt working, I will have each slide printed out to put on
the ELMO.
I will allow students to use the laptops if they cant find every type of
propaganda technique during the guided practice.

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Greer 5
List of Products
1. Toothpaste
2. Pepsi
3. Wendys
4. St. Ives Lotion
5. Tim Hortons Coffee
6. Chipotle
7. Nike Shoes
8. Tylenol P.M.
9. Wright State University
10. Sharpie Markers
11. Bandaids
12. Claritin
**Some students may get the same product**