New York State Health Education Skills Matrix

• Identifies personal decisions and sorts related internal and external influences.
• Analyzes perceptions of peer, family, and community normative behavior.

Advocacy:

• Adapts health messages to the characteristics of a particular audience.
• Compiles evidence to support a health-enhancing position.
• Summarizes and practices persuasive communication.
• Takes a clear, health-enhancing stand for personal, family, and community issues.

Planning: Gathering magazines and ads, developing a list of ad slogans for lesson 2, and preparing/copying forms requires approximately one hour. Students are usually willing to bring in magazines and ads for use in the classroom.

Implementation: 9 days of 42-minute class periods. Students can either be given another day to complete their ad parodies in class, or the assignment may be given as homework. Lesson 4 can also be assigned as homework.

Assessment: Two rubrics are used for self-assessment, peer assessment, and teacher assessment of student work (see Assessment section.) Discussion questions and reflection questions indicate level of student learning. Completion and review time depends on the number of students and whether class time will be dedicated to completing the rubrics and discussing the "Questions for Reflection."

I have found that students are very interested in media and advertising, and yet many state that they are unaffected by advertising; that they make their "own decisions". I find that this activity provides students with information and skills they can use to evaluate advertising, particularly that of tobacco or alcohol products. I also find that the lessons raise students’ awareness of tobacco and alcohol promotion in clothing, sports, television, and movies as well.

In implementing this Learning Experience, I have learned more about student interest in media and advertising techniques. Students who previously were having difficulty in the classroom responded very well to the brainstorming, group discussion activities, and completing the ad parody itself. This was especially true of students who have difficulty with written work.

The Learning Experience was reviewed by colleagues and administrators both in its written format and in classroom observation. It was suggested to include more focus on the learning standards so that students are more aware of the purpose of the Learning Experience throughout. The peer review further reinforced my perception that this Learning Experience is engaging and relevant for middle school students of varied ability levels.