Poping up Everywhere
Module 2, Activity 4.3 - Advertising and the Web
Teacher Page
(student page for this lesson)

Introduction:

In this lesson, the students will explore the use of advertising on the Internet using the scientific method. They will also examine the correlation between the market the paper is geered to and the market the advertiser is hunting.

Resources:

- Internet access

Activities:

Task One - The Science of Advertising
Students will be conducting an experiment about the nature of advertising in on-line newspapers. The focus of the instruction about the scientific method should focus on the thought process involved in proving a concept through creating and testing a hypothesis, rather than on the scientific merit of student work. As students create ideas and test them, they develop their own ideas about advertising. Since advertising can often affect us subliminally, it is valuable for students to think carefully about the nature and uses of advertising.

You should start by reviewing the scientific method described on the student page for this lesson. Once students are comfortable with the review of the method, you can take them through the steps of Task One.

Task Two - Market Game
Students repeat the process of testing a statement through example in the second activity on the student page for this lesson. They will visit web sites to determine if advertisements are aimed at the same market as the journalistic web sites that feature the ads. Remind students to prove their points through specific examples.

Task Two - Shift
If you think your students don't need the process of reinforcement built into Task Two, try that process as a quiz.

1. Ask students to open a word processing file.
2. Have them type the quotation: "Each on-line news source has an intended audience or market. You can guess that market by looking at the advertising on the web site."
3. Project a minimum of three Internet News sites using the data projector.
4. Ask students to agree or disagree with statement using examples from the web pages to back up their arguments.
5. Students can print their documents or e-mail it to you.