Language Objective: Join small group and whole class discussion about propaganda components: slogan, message, and target audience.
Essential Question: What are some familiar slogans and what messages do they convey?
In today's class we continued our discussion about the use of propaganda techniques. I began by introducing the day's vocabulary: slogan, message, target audience, and, as a bonus, ambiguous. I passed out a chart with columns labeled product, slogan, message, target audience, and effective. We started with McDonald's and their familiar slogan "I'm lovin' it." We dissected the slogan and pondered why "I'm" instead of "I am" and why "lovin'" instead of "loving." We talked about the power of "I" in a slogan. Students were interested in the choice of "it" in so many slogans by some big names like McDonald's, Burger King, Gatorade, and Nike. Following our discussion and modeling, students moved into small groups to identify and examine other slogans. Slogans from cell phones, insurance companies, and an energy drink that offers wings made the class list. This is a prelude to our upcoming student created commercials depicting the various methods of propaganda. The students will write, shoot, edit, and present their commercials to the class. The best will be shown here on our blog.Homework: Reading comprehension practice #2; SSR.
