Curriculum
Research and Information Fluency: Grades K-1
Find the Ad
Download Student Sheet(s) for printout in PDF format.
Read a Letter to Educators about Internet research and information fluency from CyberSmart!
Overview
Children learn that the purpose of advertisements is to encourage people to buy something; children also practice differentiating ads from content on Web sites.
Objectives
- Identify ads as links to sites trying to sell something
- Distinguish ads from content at children's sites
National Educational Technology Standards for Students © 2007
Source: International Society for Technology in Education- Research and Information Fluency
- locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media.
Home Connection
Download the Home Connection sheet related to this lesson.
Site Preview
The use of these sites is for educational illustration purposes only and does not constitute a recommendation or commercial endorsement. Before using these sites, please evaluate them in light of your school's guidelines about limiting students' exposure to consumer products and advertising. You may want to choose alternate sites to illustrate this lesson.
Materials
- Activity sheet (1)
- Crayons
- Online computer access
Introduce (offline)
- Ask: What is the purpose of a television commercial? Help children understand that television commercials are intended to make people want to buy something.
- Explain that another word for commercial is "ad" and that in this lesson they will look for ads in cyberspace.
Teach 1 (online)
- Take students to www.becybersmart.org or www.cybersmartcurriculum.org, click on Student Links, and then click on the circle. Find the title of this lesson, and open its links. Choose a site to explore with the class.
- Ask: What can children do at this site? Help them describe the activities offered and discuss the content of the site.
Teach 2 (online)
- Once children have explored the content, point out an ad. Discuss how to distinguish the ads at a children's site. NOTE: In most cases, the ads are labeled "AD." Banner ads (horizontal rectangles) are usually at the top of a page; button ads (small squares) and ads of other shapes and sizes may be placed along the sides and bottom.
- Ask: What do you think this ad is trying to do? (Encourage people to buy something.)
- Ask: What happens if you click on the ad? Demonstrate how clicking on an ad takes them away from what they were doing. Explain that the ad is there to sell something to children or their parents.
- Show children how to use the Back button to return to the site they were enjoying.
Teach 3 (offline)
- Distribute the activity sheet.
- Tell children to pretend they are looking at a Web page. Ask: What is this page about? (It is a story of the Three Little Pigs.)
- Have children locate the ad. Ask: What is pretty or fun about the ad? (The ad has a clown that wants to have fun.)
- Allow children to color the picture, suggesting that they use different colors for the ad and the story.
Assess (offline)
The following items assess student mastery of the lesson objectives.
- Ask: What is the purpose of an ad? (to get you to buy something)
- Ask: How can you find an ad at a children's site? (look at the top, bottom, or sides of the page for a rectangle, or box, with the word "AD")
Extend (offline)
The following activity can be added for students who completed this lesson in a previous grade.
- Have children explore advertising across several media. Allow them to create displays representing advertisements in magazines, newspapers, on television, and on Web sites.
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