Identifying and understanding the fallacies used in advertising
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=785
A lesson plan for grades 9–12 English Language Arts and Information Skills
In this lesson, students learn to analyze fallacious images and messages in advertisements and present their understanding of the fallacies through a multimedia presentation format. In order to acquaint students with the strategies of advertising campaigns, the teacher provides examples of local advertisements and explains the definition of “fallacy” using the The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Then students work in collaborative groups to brainstorm types of advertising they encounter on a daily basis and identify places where they don’t encounter ads. After a brief lesson on the multiple types of fallacies, students apply their knowledge to identify the fallacy being used in sample ads. This lesson challenges students to recognize how prevalent advertising is in their environment and the persuasive influence it has on their thoughts and actions. Because research suggests that media-literacy instruction can be used to improve students’ comprehension, writing, text analysis, and critical-thinking skills, this lesson is appropriate for advanced and struggling readers.
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
English Language Arts (2004)
Grade 9
- Goal 3: The learner will examine argumentation and develop informed opinions.
- Objective 3.01: Study argument by:
- examining relevant reasons and evidence.
- noting the progression of ideas that substantiate the proposal.
- analyzing style, tone, and use of language for a particular effect.
- identifying and analyzing personal, social, historical, or cultural influences contexts, or biases.
- identifying and analyzing rhetorical strategies that support proposals.
- Objective 3.04: Demonstrate the ability to read, listen to and view a variety of increasingly complex print and non-print argumentative texts appropriate to grade level and course literary focus, by:
- selecting, monitoring, and modifying as necessary reading strategies appropriate to readers' purpose.
- identifying and analyzing text components (such as organizational structures, story elements, organizational features) and evaluating their impact on the text.
- providing textual evidence to support understanding of and reader's response to text.
- demonstrating comprehension of main idea and supporting details.
- summarizing key events and/or points from text.
- making inferences, predicting, and drawing conclusions based on text.
- identifying and analyzing personal, social, historical or cultural influences, contexts, or biases.
- making connections between works, self and related topics.
- analyzing and evaluating the effects of author's craft and style.
- analyzing and evaluating the connections or relationships between and among ideas, concepts, characters and/or experiences.
- identifying and analyzing elements of argumentative environment found in text in light of purpose, audience, and context.
- Objective 3.01: Study argument by:
Information Skills (2000)
Grade 9–12
- Goal 2: The learner will IDENTIFY and USE criteria for excellence to evaluate information and formats.
- Objective 2.06: Recognize the power of media to influence.
