Grade Level: 11th and 12th GradersSubject: Speech Course, specifically Media Rhetoric/Persuasion, 90 minute blocks
Title of Lesson: "Rise and Sell: The Energy Drink Business and What They're Really Offering"
Section 3: Student ObjectivesBy the end of the lesson. . .
Students will be able to recognize six personal beliefs or assumptions related to energy drinks.
Students will be able to identify two drugs, two side effects, one key consumer, one predominant social attitude, and one possible consumption solution related to today's energy drink consumption.
Students will be able to utilize the five key propaganda factors to determine one favorite and one most accurate energy drink commercial.
Students will be able to generate one image, one slogan, and one drug reference placed on a poster in a layout accessible to their peers.
Section 4: Outline of ActivitiesIntroduction: (10 minutes)
Review of prior day's lesson on propaganda. Have students list the five decided factors related to propaganda from the previous lesson:
1. Truth
2. Audience
3. Results promised
4. Social norms being used
5. Actual results of product/service
Keep this list on the board for the rest of the lecture.Transition from propaganda information to a specific case study of how it works in our society. Introduce energy drinks and the use of propaganda to increase the drug consumption related to this product.
1. Energy drinks contain dangerous drugs, but propaganda has managed to mask these drugs behind careful campaigns that label these products "sports drinks" and "energy enhancements".
2. Adolescents are a large target audience for energy drink marketers, however these drinks may pose the most threat to this large group of consumers.Transition to the first activity by asking students to reflect on their individual perceptions of energy drinks.
Activity 1: Student Survey Regarding Perceptions of Energy Drinks (15 minutes) 5 points
Materials: Four distinct corners of the room, each corner labeled (A, B, C, D) with a sign.Students will be able to recognize six personal beliefs or assumptions related to energy drinks.
Survey students with the following announced prompts (all class activity):
1. How many energy drinks do you consume in a day?
A=0/1 B=2 C=3 D=4
2. How many energy drinks do you consume in a day?
A=up to 2 B=up to 4 C=up to six D=up to eight
3. Do energy drinks contain drugs?
A= yes B=no
4. Has anyone ever died from energy drink consumption?
A=yes B=no
5. What sex is the main target of energy drink ads?
A=men B=women
6. Is a "sports drink" or "energy enhancement drink" the same thing as a energy drink?
A=yes B=noAfter each prompt, have students walk to the corner that reflects their answer. Keep a record of the overall trends (ie. Q4, 21As, 3Bs). Put these findings on the board and leave them there for use during the lecture.
Have students return to their seats. Transition from survey activity by encouraging students to reference our findings while talking about energy drinks. Give each student a copy of the lecture prompts (appendix A). These prompts will be used by students to record lecture information and have been designed to correlate with learning objectives of the lesson.
Activity 2: Lecture on Energy Drinks- (15 minutes) 10 points
Materials: Lecture notes (below), prompt sheet (appendix A)Students will be able to identify the two drugs, two side effects, one key consumer, one predominant social attitude, and one possible consumption solution related to today's energy drink consumption.
a. What's in them?
-introduce caffeine and taurine as drugs found in energy drinks
-energy drinks packaged in larger bulk, therefore more drug content than other products
-both part of stimulant family of drugs
b. What are the side effects?
- headache, dizziness, insomnia, hypothermia
-withdrawal starts at ten hours and can last for a whole week = depicting dependency
-very little research has been done on taurine, making it potentially very dangerous
-one reported death from energy drink consumption
c. Who's drinking them?
-3.5 Billion dollar industry with huge increases in the last three years
-targeted at adolescent consumers
d. What does society think of energy drinks?
-often does not see them as a drug containing product, but rather a form of soft drink
-often associated with sports drinks (whose primary function is rehydration)
-what does the need for energy and low sleep say about our lifestyles
e. How can we change this trend?
-"just say no" approach doesn't work with any drug, energy drinks no different
-aim at lower consumption rather than complete removal from shelvesTransition from lecture by asking students again, "Now, would you classify energy drinks as a drug?" and see response from class. Have students turn in prompt sheet.
"Now, we've looked at our personal thoughts regarding energy drinks, we've examined the drugs found in these products, and we've discussed society's view of the product. It's time to see how each of these perspectives plays out in the marketing of the product."
Activity 3: Energy Drink Commercials (15 minutes) 10 points
Materials: Internet access, Laptop, LCD projector, Ballot (appendix B)Students will be able to utilize the five key propaganda factors to determine one favorite and one most accurate energy drink commercial.
Bring up each commercial one at a time (1-5). After each clip, have students discuss the commercial in terms of the five areas of propaganda (all class discussion, or if time permits split students into groups).
1.amp Energy Drink Hockey Commercial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0kymzcRpeE
2. Frs "Sports Supplement" Energy Drink Commercial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBsrDHOyYEM
3. Pitbull Energy Drink Commercial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxK5Q77zUvs
4. Rockstar Energy Drink Commercial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXST3POixNI
5. amp Energy Drink SuperBowl Special
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecQnqW80zbU
When students are done viewing all commercials, pass out the ballots (appendix B). Read aloud directions. Have individual students vote on their favorite and the most accurate. Collect ballots. Find two student volunteers, give each student a different color marker. Each student writes "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6" down the board. Read off the votes for favorite commercial and tally next to the corresponding number. Read off the votes for most accurate and have other student tally next to the corresponding number.Teacher's Note: Make sure each ballot you read has a reason for voting listed. Remember- no reason, vote does not count!
Count up votes and announce commercial winners. Facilitate short discussion using the following prompts:
1. Did the same commercial win both titles? Why/Why not?
2. What commercial was the least accurate? Why?
3. What about commercials that didn't win either title; how do they fair?Point out commonalities about all of the commercials:
1. Often involve likable, familiar characters
2. Slogans are often short, lacking persuasion (images say it all)
3. Pictures/visual stimulation is very intenseTransition from commercials by announcing, "Your next task will be to compete with these effective energy drink marketing strategies. First, I need you to pick a partner and sit by that person."
Activity 4: Energy Drink Posters (30 minutes) 25 points
Materials: poster boards, markers, scissors, glue, Rubric (appendix C)Students will be able to generate one image, one slogan, and one drug reference placed on a poster in a layout accessible to their peers.
When classroom has been organized into partners (plus maybe one group of three), pass out the direction sheet and the rubric as one set per partnership (appendix C). Read over directions with students. Instruct them this will be the only class period they have to work on this project; it must be completed by the end of this class period!
As students work, walk around to see progress. Also, get attention of students and give the following verbal time warnings to help students stay on task:
1. "You have been working for ten minutes. You should have a slogan down and ideas about the image you want to use."
2. "You have been working for twenty minutes. You should have a slogan, an image, mention of one drug and a start to the poster. You have ten minutes left to finish this project!"
3. "You have five minutes left. You should be finishing the final touches on your project."Teacher's Note: For those students that finish early, have them present their poster to you and answer a few questions:
1. Why did you pick that slogan?
2. Why did you pick that image?
3. What energy drink commercial influenced your poster the most?Collect student projects "as is" by the end of the class period with a rubric for each partnership. Make sure student names are on the back of each poster. Tell students they will be posted around the room tomorrow for a ten minute observation exercise.
Transition: "I want to thank you for working really hard today. We got a lot done and learned quite a bit about energy drinks. But we need to put all this together to get the big picture."
Closing Remarks: (5 minutes) Lesson plan= 50 points possible
Ask students, "What are some key concepts from today". Pull out the following concepts in today's lesson and highlight them:
1. Energy drinks contain dangerous drugs.
2. Key audiences for energy drink consumption are male adolescents.
2. Society views energy drinks as supplements.
1.Commercial propaganda plays on social assumptions with intense image based ads.
4. A campaign to reduce energy drink consumption is hard to generate but needed.**Rubrics and Assessment tools available per email request
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