As a class, we watched several sample PSAs and broke down together what a PSA is composed of, namely an introduction to the problem (ex. wasting water) and then the solution. Other sample PSAs were posted on netvibes for the students to view at their leisure.
We brainstormed on chart paper the key components to a successful PSA. We likened a PSA to a commercial and this helped the students understand the need for it to be catchy, appealing and selling an idea--convincing others they can make a difference in improving the environment for the long term.
Gathering research online was one of the first steps for the students to do. There was a lot of scaffolding for the students because finding age-appropriate articles online proved very challenging! Some students struggled with knowing what words to type in to Google as key search terms, so some reminders of coming up with synonyms and using proper search techniques was necessary.
The students were also encouraged to access the Sustainability links Jeff Utecht posted.
Click here to see them for yourself. Several students did a lot of research at home and ended up printing solid data that they could use in their PSA. Along the way, students were strongly urged to document where their research data came from to be able to reference it at the end of their finished PSA.
A major part of the planning was for the students to use a storyboard template. There are several of these types of templates out there, but the key was to have one that was scaffolded enough to ensure that the students were able to plan out and think about the various elements to their project. See picture below.
There was a lot of preparing the students for this project. Part of this planning was done collaboratively as a class such as brainstorming the keys to a successful PSA. This followed watching several PSAs. Below is a picture of the brainstorming we did as a class.
Let the creativity begin!
No comments:
Post a Comment