Adversmarts: Introduction to Food Advertising Online Lesson Plan

Level: Grades K to 1

About the Author: This lesson was written for MediaSmarts by Ethan Anderson

Duration: 1 hour

This lesson is part of USE, UNDERSTAND & ENGAGE: A Digital Media Literacy Framework for Canadian Schools.

Overview

In this lesson, students are introduced to the idea of online advertising and look at the ways that marketers create immersive and appealing online environments that draw and hold children’s attention. After studying common advertising techniques, students play an educational online game that lets them put their learning into action by “creating” a site advertising a fictitious cereal, Co-Co Crunch.

Learning Outcomes

Students will:

• begin to develop an awareness of the strategies marketers use to engage and advertise to children online, particularly for food products that are geared towards kids
• begin to develop an understanding of the commercial nature of the Internet
• identify overt and implied messages of websites that market to children their age
• apply their learning through a simulation of a cereal website

Home and School Connection

• Talking to your kids about advertising
• Dealing with Marketing: What Parents Can Do
• Co-Viewing With Your Kids

This lesson and all associated documents (handouts, overheads, backgrounders) are available in an easy-print, pdf kit version.