More Inferring Activities: Print Ads

I've mentioned before about using visuals like comics and TV commercials to help my students who work on inferring information, figurative language, and visual humor.  Let me share with you another resource I've been using: I created a Pinterest board using print ads.

As with anything Pinterest related, it is a work in progress.  I usually take about 4-5 to work on in a session, throw them on powerpoint slides, and then crop out or cover what is being advertised using a filled in text box (always have a 2nd picture to show them whether their guesses were right!  My students love to guess what the ad might be about, and I usually get a lot of language while they are hypothesizing.  It also tells me a lot about their areas of knowledge, as some kids really lack a point of reference for some of the ads.

Next year, I am looking for more carryover activities for home to start with my students.  I am thinking a few small books of advertisements for some of my students that are working on inferring might be a great place to start.  I'll let you know when I get on the ball with that!  ;)

Superbowl Ads

Working on inferring with your students? How about figurative language?  We all know that ads are chock full of clever ways to get us to buy things.  And what better time of year than now to talk about ads with your students?  The Superbowl is the ultimate commercial experience, right? I mean, as long as you screen out all the inappropriate ads.  Here's some of my favorites that I've been working on with my students (some of these were leaked last week, so my middle schoolers got an ad preview!)



Oreo Whisper Fight: 

Mercedes "Soul"

My students loved figuring out who the "evil" character was, and were eager to share the clues they used to figure it out (yikes, those nails!).  They also felt really proud when they could state why the main character turned down the deal with devil.

Tide "Miracle Stain"
The great twist at the end makes it a funny commercial that my students really like.  Also a great commercial to talk about superstitions/signs.

Milk Mustache Campaign:
My students that knew "The Rock" did better with this than those that didn't, but it was a good chance to talk about how your previous knowledge can influence an inference (say that 10 times fast!). 

Toyota "Wishes"
 Understanding the idiom "spare tire" is essential in this commercial, and it was a great chance to see if my students could pick up the context clues to gather the meaning. 

Hyundai Team
As you can imagine, this really resonated with my middle schoolers.  Great ad to talk about exaggeration, and what they are really implying about the space in the vehicle. 

Sketchers Cheetah
Another good one for exaggeration, and determining what the advertisers are trying to say about the shoes.















Obviously, there are more ads out there, but these were just some of the highlights from last night.  If your try it with your older students, I'd love to hear how it goes!

Monday App: The Guardian Eyewitness

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanskgiving break.  My 4 days off were lovely.  I could definitely use more long weekends!

I've mentioned how I love free apps, before, right?  And how I am always looking for relevant information to work with my students on?  I am not a huge fan of straight up workbooks and vocab cards, so I try to find things that better reflect what's happening in the world.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, right?  Enter: The Guardian Eyewitness.

Hands down, this is my go-to for inferencing work.  I use the pictures to talk about the differences between an observation, inference, and prediction.  We then practice using those skills.  The app has  a picture of the day gallery (screen them first- in the past I have seen tribes with topless women, flag burning, and  violent moments), which gives plenty of choices.  Each picture has a caption, which gives information about the picture, but I usually like the students to try and figure out as much as possible, then compare their response to the caption at the end.The app also allows students to zoom in for detail, which some really like.

In recent weeks, I've used it as a launching off point to talk about Sandy, and the East Coast especially with my middle schoolers.  It's hard for my students to really understand some of the devastation, because they have no frame of reference.  So taking the time to look at pictures, talk about what was happening, and apply this all to something that is happening right now has been really beneficial for some of them.

Do you have any good pictures from online that you use for inferencing?