How to Use Commercials to Teach Inferences
- 1). Use commercials in your class. Record a half-dozen commercials to show your class. Make sure each demonstrates a different way of reading between the lines.
- 2). Pause before the end of a commercial. Play most of the commercial, and then stop it near the end. Ask students to predict what is being sold and what clues led them to the conclusion.
- 3). Watch a silent commercial. Study facial expressions and gestures. Instruct students to define emotion and explain why it worked. Students can infer the unspoken language being conveyed to sell a product.
- 4). Watch a commercial with a twist. Let the students know beforehand that there is a surprise. Watch once. The second time around students can observe nuances. Ask them to explain how the consumer is tricked -- and why the technique is successful for selling an idea or product.
- 5). Create a commercial. Students work cooperatively to write scripts advertising a product. Classmates can watch the finished products and make note of inferences regarding word choice, gestures and expressions.
