Level(s): Grades 7 - 9 

Author: This unit was created by educator Arlene Petkau as part of a Media Education course taught by John Pungente at the Faculty of Education, University of Manitoba.

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

Overview

In this lesson students explore the relationship between athletes and advertising through a number of different activities. Students deconstruct the «text» of ads featuring sports personalities, then research their own athletes’ endorsements then explore data collection to obtain a target audience in order to understand how audience negotiates meaning. Finally, students design their own ad or ad campaign for an athlete.

Learning Outcomes

Students will:

• research sports personalities in advertising
• understand how data collection obtains a target audience that negotiates meaning of ads
• identify the role of sports personalities in advertising
• identify what created these reactions and emotions
• understand how and why a sports personality is used in advertising
• create an ad campaign

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