Introduction

This lesson was designed to get fifth grade art students thinking about what is involved in an advertising campaign.  The students are drawn in with a contest to create an ad campaign for new breakfast cereal.  They will be part of an ad agency and work as teams to create their campaign.

Learners

This lesson was designed for fifth grade art and also involves some language arts. 

Learners should have been exposed to the basic elements of design, online computer research and the ability to work with programs such as Microsoft PowerPoint, iMovie, and Adobe Photoshop.

Curriculum Standards

Visual Arts Standards Addressed

• VA.A.1.2.1 Uses and organizes two-dimensional and three-dimensional media, techniques, tools, and processes to produce works of art that are derived from personal experience, observation, or imagination.
• VA.A.1.2.3 Knows the effects and functions of using various organizational elements and principles of design when creating works of art.
• VA.A.1.2.4 Uses good craftsmanship in a variety of two-dimensional and three-dimensional media.
• VA.B.1.2.2 Understands what makes different art media, techniques, and processes effective or ineffective in communicating various ideas.
• VA.B.1.2.4 Uses the elements of art and the principles of design with sufficient manipulative skills, confidence, and sensitivity when communicating ideas.
• VA.E.1.2.2 Knows the types of tasks performed by various artists and some of the required training.

Language Arts Standards Addressed

• LA.3.6.3.2 identify and explain different production elements used in media messages (e.g., color, sound effects, animation) and use the elements appropriately in a multimedia production.
• LA.3.6.3.1 determine main content and supporting details, including distinguishing fact from opinion, in a print media message
• LA.3.6.4.1 use appropriate available technologies to enhance communication and achieve a purpose (e.g., video, websites)
• LA.3.6.4.2 use digital tools (e.g., word processing, multimedia authoring, web tools, graphic organizers) to present and publish in a variety of media formats.
• LA.4.6.3.2 recognize and identify production elements (e.g., graphics, sound effects, music) used to create media messages and create a media message for a specific purpose.
• LA.4.6.4.1 use appropriate available technologies to enhance communication and achieve a purpose (e.g., video, presentations)
• LA.5.6.3.2 use a variety of reliable media sources to gather information effectively and to transmit information to specific audiences.
  

A variety of thinking and communications skills were encouraged by this lesson including critical thinking, creative production, creative problem-solving, comparison, teamwork and compromise. 

Process

Variations

Less choice can be given to the students regarding which programs they will be using if they have not been exposed to certain ones. (ex. Photoshop, iMovie)  If very limited lab access is available, the online research part could take place exclusively in the lab and students could be asked to complete storyboards instead of a commercial or PowerPoint presentation and only have the design option of the physical cereal box.  It can be adapted to use as little or as much technology as you have available.

Resources Needed

Items and materials needed to implement this lesson:

• Access to computer lab with online cababilities.
• Optional programs such as Microsoft PowerPoint, Adobe Photoshop, iMovie.
• Access to a video camera for commercial making.
  
• Several cereal boxes covered with blank paper as a template for the physical box or a Photoshop template design for the box.
• Variety of art materials such as paints, crayons and colored pencils for students that choose to make a physical mock up of their cereal box.
• Projector required for multimedia presentations.

All of the links that the students will need to visit are conveniently located on one reference link page that can be found here.  They have all been checked previously for appropriate content, but lease be sure to recheck before beginning your lesson.

The worksheets to be used with the online research for each role are available for download via .pdf or .doc here.

This lesson was designed to be implemented with one teacher in charge.  It would be helpful and add to the realism of the lesson to include someone from a local graphic design company or ad agency to be present on the presentation day as the representative of Fun Bag Foods.  An art show of the finished projects could also be done at the end of the lesson to show the parents and explain the project.

Evaluation

Students will be evaluating themselves and their team mates at the completion of the lesson, but it is also important for the teacher to maintain constant supervision to field questions and ensure that students stay on task.  This project would work well as a media lab project.

The learners will also be evaluated separately based on the thorough completion of their online research worksheets.  They will also receive an evaluation of the presentation as a group and the combination will result in each individual student's grade.

Here is the rubric that I use to grade the project:

Score
/50	Cereal Box Design
	/10  I can identify your target market by looking at your cereal box.     /30  All the required elements were included in your cereal box.             /5   Logo             /5   Slogan or tag line             /5   Funbag Foods logo             /5   Main graphic image             /5   Brief description of the cereal             /5   Special offer or promotion     /10  Design is neat, colorful and creative.
/25	Presentation
	/10  Commercial (at least 30 seconds) or PowerPoint presentation (at least 10 slides).     /15  Commercial is professionally designed and creative.
/25	Group Work
	/15  Points assigned by group members.     /10  Completion of individual role worksheet.

Conclusion

By the end of this project, the students will have learned how to research target audiences, how to incorporate the elements of design that were previously taught into a product, as well as understand how and why marketing works.  They will also be given an insight into the world of advertising and what jobs are available for artists.

They will also get experience with online research, PowerPoint or iMovie editing and learn how to collaborate and be creative on the group level.

Credits & References