Sophia’s Schoolhouse Episode 001: Savannah’s First Cookie Sales
Visit Sophia’s Schoolhouse blog to watch “Savannah’s First Cookie Sales.” Below find a suggested classroom activity to follow the video.
Suggested Classroom Activity
Activity Overview: In 1937, the Institute of Propaganda Analysis identified seven techniques used by propagandists. While these techniques do not encompass all the ways advertisers and propagandists attempt to sway the public, they offer a great start for students in identifying and explaining strategies used in commercials, propaganda, campaigns and really any persuasive writing. In this activity, students will identify where these seven propaganda techniques are used in a radio commercial used by the Girl Scouts of Savannah in 1936 to promote their cookie sale. As an extension activity, students can recreate the commercial or write their own.
Materials
- 1936 Gil Scout Cookie Radio Commercial Script (PDF)
- List of seven propaganda techniques with examples on Quizlet
Procedure:
- Provide students with the seven techniques and discuss some examples of each. See if students can come up with their own examples from current commercials or political campaigns.
- Provide students with the radio script. You can put students in groups or have them work individually. Depending on your students you can provide them with the whole script or split it up into segments.
- Have students read the script through once on their own or in small groups.
- Next, have students go back over the script with highlighters or pencils to note every time they see a certain technique used.
- Have students write a few sentences explaining the type of techniques used in the script.
- Come back together as a class and have students share where they think the techniques are being used and defend why.
- As an extension activity you can have students act out the radio script. The Internet Archives has audio clips from the 1930s for students to get a feel for the era.
