Activities Ideas

ADjectives

Time:  30-60 minutes, depending on how elaborate you want to make it.

Materials: Large sheets of paper or poster board, crayons or markers.  Can be carried out with no materials at all, having participants "act out" their "commercials"

Note: Keep an eye on the creative process to screen for inappropriate content.  Be clear with the group ahead of time about what will and will not be allowed in terms of images and language.

Objective: For students to become more sensitive to the images and implications of ads that are targeted to them and to help them recognize the irony of most of the ads.  Also to begin to laugh at the images, thereby stripping them of much of their influential power.

Hands On: Have students work individually or in small teams (no more than 3).  With little other introduction, tell the groups that you want them to develop an advertising campaign (or act out a 30-second commercial) for a product (real or imaginary) that fits with one descriptive word you will give them.  Tell them that they can choose any product they like (real or imaginary).  The only requirement is that the product best first the descriptive word you will give them.  

Give each participant or group one of the following words on a piece of paper: "cool", "slim", "rich", "smooth", "great taste", "pleasure", "light", and "fresh".  Allow them 10-15 minutes to devise their ad or commercial.

Discussion: After groups have had time to share their "products", let them know that these adjectives are the descriptive words used most often in cigarette advertising.  Discuss how the attributes of cigarettes are generally the exact opposite of these words (hot, foul tasting, bad smelling, etc.).  Lead a discussion about why these words may be used.  Let them think of other products that use similar misleading words in advertising.