Chapter 3 Lesson Plan: The Watsons Go to Birmingham
Grade Level:
Middle School: Sixth Grade through Eighth Grade
Subject:
Literacy and Language Arts,Social Studies
Lesson Duration:
60 Minutes
Essential Question
What do the commercials and the products they advertise tell
us about society at the time?
Objective
In this activity, students will perform close readings of 1960s cereal commercials, in order to
develop evidence-based arguments about mid-century consumer culture.
Background
While Kenny might be exaggerating when he says he has “about a million" dinosaur
figurines, he has enough to play largescale war. If Kenny was anything like other kids
in the 1960s, there is a good chance he built his collection via breakfast cereal prizes.
Beginning in the late 19th century and continuing through much of the twentieth,
breakfast cereal companies advertised free toys with the purchase of their products,
a tactic that lured young consumers. These premiums included send-away offers,
back-of-the-box cut-out items, and toys that poured out with the cereal. In the 1960s
and 1970s, dinosaur toys like Kenny’s could be found in boxes of Nabisco’s “Wheat
Honeys." By the early 1980s, cereal box premiums became less common. In this
activity, students will perform close readings of 1960s cereal commercials, in order to
develop evidence-based arguments about mid-century consumer culture.
Preparation
Gather materials:
* Smartboard or overhead projector
* Copy of the 1950s-1960s Nabisco Wheat Honeys cereal box promotion (provided)
* 1960s cereal commercials from Duke Libraries’ AdViews collection or YouTube
* Tablets or other personal devices with an internet connection
Materials
Download Wheat Honeys Rockets 1950s-60s
Download Post Cereal Space Shuttle
Download Post Cereal Space Shuttle Premium
Procedure
1. Do Now: Write a prompt on the board instructing students to brainstorm advertisements marketed towards children and tweens.
2. Display an image of the Nabisco “Wheat Honeys" box. Tell students Kenny’s dinosaurs may have come from cereal box promotions, either directly in the cereal box or through mail-in redemptions.
3. Play a selection of 1960s cereal commercials advertising toy premiums. Duke University Libraries’ AdViews collection offers a great selection of vintage Post Cereal commercials: Post Spy-Master Command Belt: https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r48917x8w, Grape Nut Flakes Toy Sweepstakes: https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4fx7b50f, Post Mystery Diver: https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4d21zr66, Post Mercury Cougar: https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4x064j9w
4. Lead the class in a close reading of the commercials, asking the following: What do you see? What do the commercials and the products they advertise tell us about society at the time? How do you know? Defend your answer with evidence from the commercial.
5. Terminology to consider: Cinematography (camera moves, camera angles, and positioning techniques, such as close-ups), Audio/Sound (including music), Set design (background scenery, props, furniture), Post-production (editing, special effects), Actors (age, gender, wardrobe, body language), Animation (characters)
6. Reflection: What surprises you about the commercials? What is it about the commercials that tells you they are vintage?
7. To shorten this activity: Play just one vintage commercial and shorten the class discussion.
8. To lengthen this activity: Divide the class into groups of three or four and ask them to use their tablets to put together a compilation of current premiums (e.g., McDonalds, Chic-Fil-A, and Burger King toys). Ask students the following: Describe what you see. What do the commercials and the products they advertise tell us about our own society? Defend your answer with evidence from the advertisements. Time permitting, have groups share their responses with the class.
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Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service