Identifying and Understanding the Fallacies Used in Advertising

This lesson alerts students to the fallacies that surround them every day. The fallacies used in advertising are often overlooked without the tools needed to examine them critically. In this lesson, students deconstruct fallacious images and messages in advertisements and demonstrate their understanding of the fallacies through multimedia presentations. The presentations provide an anchor for shared understanding.

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Standards & Objectives

Academic standards

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.5: Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of the structure an author uses in his or her exposition or argument, including whether the structure...
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.8: Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including the application of constitutional principles and use of legal reasoning...
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text,...
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.1: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective...
CLE 3003.3.1: Write in a variety of modes, with particular emphasis on persuasion, for different purposes and audiences.
CLE 3003.3.3: Organize ideas into an essay with a thesis statement in the introduction, well-constructed paragraphs, a conclusion, and transition sentences that connect...
CLE 3003.5.2: Analyze text for fact and opinion, cause/effect, inferences, evidence, and conclusions.
CLE 3003.5.3: Evaluate an argument, considering false premises, logical fallacies, and quality of evidence presented.
CLE 3003.5.4: Analyze the logical features of an argument.
CLE 3005.3.3: Organize ideas into an essay with a thesis statement in the introduction, well-constructed paragraphs, a conclusion, and transition sentences that connect...
CLE 3005.5.1: Use logic to make inferences and draw conclusions in a variety of complex oral and written contexts.
CLE 3005.5.2: Analyze text for fact and opinion, cause/effect, inferences, evidence, and conclusions.
CLE 3005.5.3: Evaluate an argument, considering false premises, logical fallacies, and quality of evidence presented.
CLE 3005.5.4: Analyze the logical features of an argument.
SPI 3003.3.13: Identify the targeted audience for a selected passage.
SPI 3003.3.8: Choose the transitional device that appropriately connects sentences or paragraphs within a writing sample.
SPI 3003.4.3: Evaluate the reliability and credibility of sources for use in research.
SPI 3003.5.11: Identify the main claim, premise(s), evidence, or conclusion of a given argument.
SPI 3003.5.8: Determine whether a given argument employs deductive or inductive reasoning. (NOTE: NO Check for Understanding)
TSS.ELA.11-12.RI.KID.1: Analyze what a text says explicitly and draw inferences; support an interpretation of a text by citing and synthesizing relevant textual evidence from...
TSS.ELA.11-12.RL.KID.1: Analyze what a text says explicitly and draw inferences; support an interpretation of a text by citing and synthesizing relevant textual evidence from...
TSS.ELA.11-12.W.TTP.1: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning supported by relevant and sufficient evidence.
TSS.ELA.11-12.W.TTP.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to analyze, synthesize, and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the...

Alignment of this item to academic standards is based on recommendations from content creators, resource curators, and visitors to this website. It is the responsibility of each educator to verify that the materials are appropriate for your content area, aligned to current academic standards, and will be beneficial to your specific students.

Learning objectives:

Students will:

Recognize, identify, and deconstruct the fallacies used in advertising.
Develop and present an understanding of the fallacies used in advertisements and an argument to support their findings through a multimedia presentation.

Lesson Variations

Blooms taxonomy level:

Applying

Extension suggestions:

Have students look at the evolution of the advertising of a product over time. Who is the intended audience? What fallacies are used? How has the message stayed the same? How has it changed?
In the film Mona Lisa Smile, a brief clip presents advertising directed at women in the 1950s. Have students find examples of advertising directed at a specific audience in a specific era and analyze the message.
Analyze the visual images of music videos. If you turned off the sound and just looked at the image, what is the message? Are fallacies being used? If so, who is the intended audience and what message is being delivered?
Select examples from literature or essays previously read and studied in class to illustrate fallacies in text. You might choose to use "Cinderella" by Ann Sexton as an example of an unreliable narrator.

Helpful Hints

Materials and Technology:

Computers with Internet access.
Equipment and software for multimedia presentations (e.g., PowerPoint, video camera, media player, word processing program, projector).

References

Contributors:

Donna Gibson

Originator:

Ayers Institute for Learning & Innovation