PSAs+Intro

=Introduction to Public Service Announcements=

Purpose of the Activity:

 * Share and discuss a number of PSAs available online
 * Explore the characteristics of a PSA
 * Start to explore Audience Influence

Preparation:

 * Accessing the sample PSAs requires Internet access.
 * If teachers are going to show PSAs to the whole group, then they need a video projector
 * Some of the sample PSAs are available on YouTube or Google Videos, which may be blocked by the school's filter. If that is the case, we might need to find a way to download those videos to run from the teacher's hard drive.
 * Students can access the links to PSAs from the CCGH Intern Website.

Teaching Considerations:
People learn well when they can connect with what they already know about a topic, get introduced to some new material, think about and process that information, then get some more information with an opportunity to think about it more deeply. You can think of this as on instance of "play, debrief, replay." You will notice this pattern in the Steps below.

Desired Outcomes:

 * Process: Students develop an understanding of PSAs and how they are different from other genres
 * Process: Students are able to determine the intended audience for media and how this impacts the message

The Process

 * Total time frame:** 2 Project Blocks

Step 1: What do students know?
Ask students what they already know about Public Service Announcements. List what they say on the board, chart paper, or using the projector.

Step 2: Examining Famous PSAs
Use the projector to show these famous PSAs (these are linked from the CCGH Intern Website): > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nl5gBJGnaXs OR [|Brain on Drugs (Real Player),] [|Brain on Drugs Heroin (Real Player)], [|Brain on Drugs (QuickTime)] , [|Brain On Drugs Heroin (QuickTime)] > http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8165024777546661764&q=Crying+Indian OR [|Native American Crying (Real Player)], [|Native American Crying (QuickTime)] > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Elr5K2Vuo OR [|I Learned It By Watching You (Real Player)], [|I Learned It By Watching You (QuickTime)]
 * //**Your Brain on Drugs**//
 * //**Native American Crying (Keep America Beautiful)**//
 * //**I Learned It by Watching You**//

Ask students to think about what they notice about PSAs. Ask students to come up with a definition of a PSA. Discuss the students' responses.

Step 3: A Closer Look at PSAs
Have students watch this sample PSAs (these are linked from the CCGH Intern Website): Sample PSAs
 * http://www.hud.gov/webcasts/archives/pubservice.cfm

Use the following focus questions with students:
 * What are the characteristics of a PSA?
 * Length, topic, audience, purpose?
 * How do they differ from a regular television commercial?
 * What tools, technological and creative, do the producers use to get their ideas across in memorable, effective ways?

Step 4: Determining Audience Influence
Review the directions for the [|Audience Influence Activity]. Follow the process with this PSA:
 * http://www.afterschoolscene.com/index.asp?ID=6&SID=310


 * Note:** this important step helps prepare students to define an audience for their own PSAs.