Ever wonder if that miracle product in the commercial is really a miracle? Chances are, the only miraculous part is how many people the advertisers are able to convince to buy it! Class members look over short descriptions of techniques like magic ingredient, patriotism, and of course, ethos, pathos, and logos to see how advertisers are trying to get into their heads—and wallets.

Concepts

advertising, persuasive techniques, persuasive language, ethos, pathos, logos, argumentative writing, arguments, persuasive arguments

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Additional Tags

english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Have learners watch a series of television commercials and note what techniques are being used
• See if small groups can employ as many techniques in their own film or print advertisements as possible
• Compare and contrast the effectiveness of various techniques (e.g. plain folk vs. snob appeal)

Classroom Considerations

• The list is a brief overview; have students add additional strategies to the resource

Pros

• Provides examples of each technique
• Applicable to language arts and social studies alike

Cons

• None

Common Core

W.9-10.1.a W.11-12.1.a SL.9-10.2 SL.11-12.2