[WSCSS] New Lesson Plan: Creating a Television Ad for an InterestGroup

[Pitchford, Judy]

There is a website that can be used as supplemental material for a this
type of lesson - The Living Room Candidate : Presidential Campaign
Commercials 1952-2004
http://livingroomcandidate.movingimage.us/index.php. 

You can explore the commercials by year, type of commercial, and issue.
It also contains a section on the use of the Internet by candidates.
There are downloadable lesson plans available but you have to fill out a
form. Everything looks to be free.

It is interesting to see the changes in attitude towards using
television for campaigning. Here are two of the quotes from the website:

 

"The idea that you can merchandise candidates for high office like
breakfast cereal is the ultimate indignity to the democratic process."

-Democratic candidate Adlai Stevenson, 1956

 

"Television is no gimmick, and nobody will ever be elected to major
office again without presenting themselves well on it."

-Television producer and Nixon campaign consultant Roger Ailes, 1968

 

Judy Pitchford

Electronic Government Information Librarian

Office of the Secretary of State

Library Division

(360)704-5254

jpitchford at secstate.wa.gov

 

A popular Government, without popular information, or the means of
acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy; or, perhaps,
both. -- James Madison

 

-----Original Message-----
From: wscss-bounces at wscss.org [mailto:wscss-bounces at wscss.org] On Behalf
Of Cindy Koeppel
Sent: Tuesday, October 30, 2007 9:27 AM
To: ckoeppel at dirksencenter.org
Subject: [WSCSS] New Lesson Plan: Creating a Television Ad for an
InterestGroup

 

* NEW LESSON PLAN * 

 

CREATING A TELEVISION AD FOR AN INTEREST GROUP 

 

During The Dirksen Congressional Center's annual Congress in the
Classroom

workshop --

http://www.dirksencenter.org/print_programs_CongressClassroom.htm --

participants are asked to introduce the lesson plans, resources, and

techniques that have proven successful in teaching about Congress in
their

classrooms. A 2007 participant, Gregory Stewart, Whitewater High School,

Whitewater, WI, presented his lesson entitled, "Creating a Television Ad
for

an Interest Group." 

 

Background information for this lesson follows:

 

It is important for students to understand what they, as citizens, can
do to

become involved in the political process. In 

addition, students need to understand the way in which bias and
stereotyping

are used by various media and interest groups to influence popular
opinion.

 

In this lesson, students examine propaganda and media bias and explore
the

ways interest groups get their message across 

through the use of media campaigns. Following the development of their
own

interest group, students develop an advertising campaign which includes
the

development of a radio and television commercial. Find "Creating a

Television Ad for an Interest Group" at:

http://www.congresslink.org/print_lp_creatingad.htm

 

Cindy Koeppel

The Dirksen Congressional Center

2815 Broadway

Pekin, IL 61554

Phone: 309.347.7113

Fax: 309.347.6432

mailto:ckoeppel at dirksencenter.org

 

 

_______________________________________________

The WSCSS ListServ's purpose is to let Social Studies teachers in
Washington better keep abreast of conferences and events that will
benefit us and our students. All announcements sent to this list are
moderated to ensure that they benefit the teaching of social studies.
Our web site is http://www.wscss.org.

 

To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to
http://wscss.org/mailman/options/wscss_wscss.org.

 

View the WSCSS archives at http://wscss.org/pipermail/wscss_wscss.org/

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://wscss.org/pipermail/wscss_wscss.org/attachments/20071030/dd796172/attachment.html