Say? Cheese! How Ads Work
From Ruff Ruffman: Humble Media Genius · 2021
4 min3rd4th5thMedia ArtsTechnology
Summary
Ruff pulls back the curtain on online ads: what they're for, how they try to get your attention, and why the fun, colorful ones are still trying to sell you something. A first look at reading advertising as media with a purpose — a genuinely useful media-literacy skill.
Viewer safety
Ages 5+
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
Ads are made on purpose to grab your attention — noticing them is the first step to thinking for yourself.
- How can you tell something is an ad?
- What tricks do ads use to make you want something?
- Why do you think free games and videos show ads?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: advertisement, product, persuade, attention.
Try it: Think of an ad you've seen. Write one way it tried to make its product look great.