In this weekly blog post, the Curriculum team will highlight Just One Resource from our NGPF collection that maybe doesn't get the attention it deserves. Use it this week or bookmark it for later.

[The Resource]  ANALYZE: The Influence of Advertisements

The Gist: Everyday, we are bombarded with advertisements that try to convince us to do something, buy something, eat something, look a certain way, and more. This activity introduces students to 6 ways ads try to influence us and then identify these methods in a variety of TV commercials. 

The Best Parts:

• The activity starts off with a fun article that introduces students to the 6 Ways of Influence. The best part about the article? For every method, there's a one-liner that helps illustrate the main tactic that is being used! 
• Students watch 6 different TV commercials and identify 1) what the ad is trying to convince us to do and 2) the "influence" strategy(ies) that is being used. 
• This activity can be used in lots of different content areas - History/Social Studies, Economics, Personal Finance, Business, and more! 
• Students will likely never look at an ad in the same way again! 

About the Author

Sonia Dalal

Sonia has always been passionate about instruction and improving students' learning experiences. She's come a long way since her days as a first grader, when she would "teach" music and read to her very attentive stuffed animals after school. Since then, she has taught students as a K-12 tutor, worked in several EdTech startups in the Bay Area, and completed her Ed.M in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is passionate about bringing the high quality personal finance content and instruction she wished she'd received in school to the next generation of students and educators. When she isn't crafting lesson guides or working with teachers, Sonia loves to spend her time singing, being outdoors, and adventuring with family and friends!

More posts by Sonia