Title:  1904 World’s Fair—Advertising.

Type of teaching unit:  Lesson Plan

Grade Levels:  Middle School (6-8)

Time Frame: 1 week

Subject Matter:  Visual Arts

 

Teacher Information:

Travis Klein, Carla Lasley, Stacy Winfield

School: Grant Middle School

AAM affiliation: Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

e-mail address:  winfis@stclair.k12.il.us, laslec@stclair.k12.il.us, kleint@stclair.k12.il.us

 

 

 

 

Lesson Plan description and Rationale: 

 

Students will create an advertisement for one of the new products that came about at the time of the 1904 World’s Fair.  They will have to sell this product to the people during this time period.

 

State Standards:

 

1. 25.A.3e  Analyze how the elements and principles can be organized to convey meaning through a variety of media and technology.
2.  
3. 5.C.3b Prepare and orally present original work supported by research.
4. 3.C.3b  Using available technology, produce compositions and multimedia works for specified audiences.
5. 3.C.3a  Compose narrative, informative, and persuasive writings for a specified audience.

 

Objectives: 

 

1. Students will create an advertisement using various forms of media.
2. Students will use persuasion to sell consumers on a product.

 

Resources:

 

	Skirt Novelties.  Emergence of Advertising in America, 1850-1920: Selections from the Collections of Duke University .   http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/eaa:@field(DOCID+@lit(A0424)) (Feb 2004)
	For Neuralgia of the Face. Pond's Extract Emergence of Advertising in America, 1850-1920: Selections from the Collections of Duke University. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/eaa:@field(DOCID+@lit(P0012))   (Feb 2004)
	Furs Emergence of Advertising in America, 1850-1920: Selections from the Collections of Duke University.  http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/eaa:@field(DOCID+@lit(A0351)) (Feb 2004)
	Louisiana Purchase Exposition...Monthly Pass Emergence of Advertising in America, 1850-1920: Selections from the Collections of Duke University.  http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/eaa:@field(DOCID+@lit(A0685)) (Feb 2004)
	Dr. King's Lucky Book Emergence of Advertising in America, 1850-1920: Selections from the Collections of Duke University. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/eaa:@field(DOCID+@lit(A0422)) (Feb 2004)
	Dr. Price's Delicious Desserts Emergence of Advertising in America, 1850-1920: Selections from the Collections of Duke University.  http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/eaa:@field(DOCID+@lit(CK0013)) (Feb 2004)
	High Grade Typewriter and Office Supplies Emergence of Advertising in America, 1850-1920: Selections from the Collections of Duke University.  http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/eaa:@field(DOCID+@lit(A0556)) (Feb 2004)

1. http://www.slpl.org  St Louis Library website with ads for hotels on the fairgrounds.
2. Remainder of photos came from http://www.google.com/ images.
3. Ad Mania (Parker Brothers board game)

 

 Methods:

 

1. Have a discussion with students about their favorite commercials on t.v.  After discussion, have them write why they think it was a good advertisement, and if they thought it was an effective tool at selling the product.
2. Share some common slogans ( a good source is the board game AD Mania), and see if students can name the product being sold.   Discuss the good and bad techniques used in each slogan.
3. Brainstorm with students some of the new inventions that came to exist at the 1904 World’s Fair.  If they do not come up with all of them, be prepared to discuss some of the inventions and show photos (slideshow of incubators, ice cream, ice tea, electricity inside buildings).
4. Ask students to predict how these products may have been advertised.
5. Share with them some examples of advertising for these products.  Point out the price of different objects, as well as the wording that was used for these advertisements.
6. Assign students to create an advertisement (newspaper ad, magazine ad, commercial, bulletin) in pairs.

 

Evaluation: 

 

Students’ will be graded by:

            10 points for complete ad                     10 points for spelling

            10 points for creativity              10 points for details

            10 points for neatness                           10 points for graphics

            20 points for connecting to events and places at The Fair

            20 points for accuracy

 

Keywords for this lesson:  1904, St Louis Fair, World’s Fair, Children at the Fair