Irene+Mayfield


 * Break the Feed:** Marketing and Consumerism
 * Course:** Entrepreneurship (Elective Business Course)
 * Grade Level:** 10th – 12th Grade
 * Length:** 4 weeks

**De﻿scription:** The area I chose to focus on is the affect of Marketing on young adults. I feel it is important because students are bombarded by thousands of advertising messages a day and sometimes do not even realize it. Marketing changes the way they look at themselves, determines what they desire, and what they buy.

On a larger scale, these marketing messages drive our students to become veracious consumers. This “conspicuous consumption” is not sustainable financially or environmentally. Our young people need to understand the consequences of their consumption.

The primary reading for this unit is M.T. Anderson’s science fiction novel //Feed//. The substitute novel (if parent/guardian objects) is Fahrenheit 451.
 * Reading****, Research, and Activities:**

Secondary readings are online newspaper articles and websites. Other method of presenting new information will occur through video clips and movies. This last method is imperative as we are studying marketing/advertising which is a medium that must be seen and heard.

Activities will vary by subtopic. One activity students will complete throughout is a **daily book talk**. Students will sign up to lead the book talk each class period so every student has a chance to be the facilitator. In this book talk, students can use their daily Consumer Blogs to guide the conversation. They can present questions they had about the reading, observations, reflections, or explain how the topic has changed or not changed their purchasing habits.

[]
 * Parent Letter:**

During the duration of the unit, students will keep a **Consumer Blog**. On the blog, the students will reflect upon Feed and examine their own consumer behavior.
 * Writing assignments/ activities:**

Next, students will write a **Literary Postcard** about a scene that was significant to them in the novel. The front will depict an illustration and on the back students will create a form of writing that expresses their ideas, thoughts, feelings, and so on about the scene.

Other writing assignments vary; I felt the students should write something everyday. They range from a **50 word essay** to **quick writes**.

Another activity is a **Counter Advertisement**. In this activity, students will chose an advertisement and spoof it using the principles of advertising they learned. Students will write a description of why they chose this advertisement and how they have created a counter to it.

A poem students will write is a **Fad Poem**. Students will explore a fad they observed or participated in and create poetry from this experience.

As a culmination of this unit, students will compose a **Fight the Feed** multigenre and multimedia writing project. In this project, the students will take a stance on an issue they deem important in the book Feed. They then will work within at least three genres and two platforms online to communicate their beliefs and enact change in others.


 * Standards Used: http://www.scribd.com/doc/58775810/Standards-for-Fight-the-Feed-Project**

Dystopian Satire
 * Unit Outline:**
 * __ Genre: __**


 * __ Topics: __**
 * Consumerism/Advertising Themes in Feed **
 * Direct marketing (cookies)
 * Credit
 * Trademarks (Cloud, School)
 * Instant gratification
 * disposable society
 * privacy,
 * conformity,
 * role of corporations in our education systems,
 * Fads
 * corporate degradation of environment
 * Escapism
 * obsession with youth and happiness
 * Identity through things
 * Infiltrating vocabulary
 * Attention-deficit
 * Rejection of non-conformity
 * Class issues
 * Popular Music
 * Celebrity
 * Neuromarketing
 * Influence of marketing on men/women
 * Isolation


 * Day One (Introduction of Unit) **
 * Explain Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: http://www.scribd.com/doc/58775758/Ma-Slow
 * In groups of three: students will categorize their purchases into the hierarchy
 * Discuss items that may be in multiple parts of the hierarchy (ex: Seven Jeans)
 * Explain Buy Nothing Day
 * Have students read the premise of the movement from the following website
 * []
 * http://www.newdream.org/
 * Have students review “Center for a New American Dream”
 * Have students write and share with the class how they feel about the Buy Nothing Day and New American Dream movements


 * Day Two (Consumption) **
 * Watch //Big Ideas that Changed the World: Consumption//
 * []
 * Introduce Consumption Blog
 * Give students time to name and start their blog
 * Connect all blogs to my website, show students how to view them and encourage them to visit classmates’ blogs


 * Day Three (Consumption) **
 * Read and reflect on the following articles:
 * []
 * []
 * ** Quick Write: ** How do you feel our consumption and consumerism is affecting our world?
 * Introduce Feed’s topic and characters
 * Introduce the terms Dystopia and Satire
 * Read aloud pages 3-22 (//your face in not an organ - the nose grid//)
 * Homework: read 23-31 (//the moon is in the house of boring//)


 * Day Three (Advertising and Kids) **
 * Feed Book Talk
 * ** Quick Write: ** When do you first remember being the target of advertising?
 * Watch: //Consuming Kids//
 * []
 * Read Aloud read pages 32-38 (//awake - still boring//)
 * Homework:
 * read pages 39-47 (//missing the feed - father//)
 * Consumer Blog


 * Day Four **
 * Feed Book Talk
 * Read aloud pages 48-55 (//salad days, w/sneeze guard - dead language//)
 * Homework:
 * Read pages 56-70 (//released - undervalued truffle//)
 * Consumer Blog


 * Day Five (Advertising and Kids) **
 * Feed Book Talk
 * Read the following articles:
 * [].
 * []
 * ** Writing assignment: ** Explore a virtual world that’s popular with kids: Webkinz, Club Penguin, Neopets,Nicktropolis, or another website where kids gather. Look around the site, then write up a report describing any examples of advertising or branding or product placement you see. Talk about the extent to which product placement and branding are foregrounded or used as a backdrop to the regular activity on the site. And analyze how you think this kind of marketing might affect a child who visits this site.
 * Homework:
 * Read pages 71-89 (the others in mal – a new place)
 * Consumer Blog


 * Day Six (Advertising and Kids)**
 * Feed Book Talk
 * Read the following articles:
 * []
 * []
 * []
 * []
 * With all you know about how marketers target you, chose an advertisement or product-placement that uses any of the principles you read about
 * Create a ** Counter-Advertisement **and explanation[[image:http://www.adbusters.org/files/imagecache/item-image-full/images/adbusters_marlboro_missmylung.jpg width="668" height="310"]]
 * Highlights or changes:
 * The group (corporation) paying for the media
 * The target market
 * the text of the message
 * the lifestyle that is presented or idealized
 * values are expressed?
 * tools or techniques of persuasion are used?
 * stories are being told (or not told) in this piece of media?
 * Homework:
 * Read pages 90-121 (the dimples of delglacey – a day in the country)
 * Consumer Blog


 * Day Seven **
 * Feed Book Talk
 * Finish ** Counter-Advertisement ** assignment
 * Present assignments to class
 * Read aloud: pages 122-132 (//nudging again – the real thing//)
 * Homework:
 * Read pages 133-145 (//fight and flight - seashore//)
 * Consumer Blog


 * Day Eight (Marketing in Schools) **
 * Feed Book Talk
 * Watch: //Captive Audience//
 * ** 50 Word Essay **: Do marketers have a right to have their messages heard in public schools? Is this a matter of free speech? Do their free speech rights on the street, in privately owned spaces, extend to the public space of public schools?
 * Homework:
 * Read pages 146-161 (//limbo & prayer – our duty to the party//)
 * Consumer Blog


 * Day Eight (Women and Marketing) **
 * Feed Book Talk
 * Watch Killing Us Softly 4: Advertising's Image of Women
 * []
 * []


 * Watch and discuss: []
 * Literary Postcard: []
 * Homework:
 * Read pages 165-181 (//52.9%-82.4%//)
 * Consumer Blog


 * Day Nine (Fads) **
 * Feed Book Talk [[image:http://images.sodahead.com/polls/000879219/rubiks_cube_xlarge.jpeg width="243" height="229" align="right"]]
 * Discuss the topic of fads
 * Instruct on Product Life Cycles:
 * []
 * Examine the following website:
 * []
 * ** Writing Assignment **: My Fad Poem
 * Write a poem about a “fad” item
 * Homework:
 * Read pages 182-193 (//80.9%-76.3%)//
 * Consumer Blog


 * Day Ten (Marketing and Alcohol) **
 * Feed Book Talk
 * Present ** My Fad Poem **
 * Review and publish poems
 * //Read:[]//
 * Homework:
 * Read pages 194-201 (//76.2%-59.3%)//
 * Consumer Blog [[image:http://www.frankwbaker.com/alcoho5.jpg width="231" height="262" align="right"]]


 * Day Eleven (Marketing and Alcohol) **


 * Feed Book Talk
 * Read 7 myths about Alcohol:
 * //[]//
 * ** Quick Write **: Using the myths, find an ad you feel best exemplifies one of the myths. Write your explanation on the back of the advertisement. Why did you pick it? What myth does this ad show? Why? How do you think this might influence the viewer of the advertisement?
 * //[|http://camy.org/gallery]///
 * Homework:
 * Read pages 202-217 (57.2%-51.5%)
 * Consumer Blog

>> []
 * Day Twelve (Sweatshops) **
 * Feed Book Talk
 * Read articles about sweatshops: Summarize and present to others (Jigsaw)
 * [[image:http://www.ameliasmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/sweatshops.jpg width="338" height="219" align="right"]]
 * []
 * []
 * []
 * **Character Silhouettes: http://www.scribd.com/doc/58775711/Character-Silhouette**
 * Homework:
 * Read pages 218-224 (//summertime-the deep//)
 * Consumer Blog


 * Day Thirteen **
 * Feed Book Talk
 * Finish and present ** Character Silhouettes: **
 * Homework:
 * Read pages 225-231 (//4.6%//)
 * Consumer Blog


 * Day Fourteen (Neuromarketing)**
 * Feed Book Talk
 * Neuromarketing is a controversial new field of marketing which uses medical technologies such as functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) -- not to heal, but to sell products
 * []
 * **__[]__**
 * **What is your identity? Narrative**
 * Homework:
 * [[image:http://www.greenbookblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/neuromarketing-bild.jpg width="312" height="237" align="right" caption="Neuromarketing"]]Read pages 232-236 (//4.6%)//
 * Consumer Blog
 * Day Fifteen (Neuromarketing) ﻿ **
 * Feed Book Talk
 * Work on ** What is your identity? Narrative **
 * Homework:
 * Consumer Blog: examine and discuss topics from the book that interest you. What does //Feed// have you thinking about?


 * Day Sixteen**
 * Feed Book Talk
 * Revise and finish ** What is your identity? Narrative **
 * Homework:
 * Consumer Blog: do you see any of the “issues” or “problems” from //Feed// in your everyday life? With your friends, yourself, family, or society at large?


 * Day Seventeen**


 * Feed Book Talk
 * Brainstorm Break the Feed Topics: What moved you? What interests you? What quotes did you write in your blog? What issue or topic do the quotes demonstrate?
 * Write ideas for ** Fight the Feed project **into google docs: http://www.scribd.com/doc/58775767/Fight-the-Feed-Project
 * Have students discuss in small groups
 * Homework:
 * Consumer Blog: what topics most appeal to you and why? Find at least two resources online for one of your potential topics


 * Day Eighteen**
 * Feed Book Talk [[image:http://www.tlchicken.com/db_images/6_2_feed.jpg width="200" height="200" align="right"]]
 * Have students choose a topic and write a proposal
 * Homework:
 * Consumer Blog: write a summary of your topic with two resources


 * Day Nineteen**
 * Break the Feed Talk
 * Continue working on ** Fight the Feed **projects
 * Conference with students for status, questions, and other help
 * Homework:
 * Consumer Blog: write any issues and/or questions you have about your topic or project (Last Blog Entry)


 * Day Twenty**
 * Break the Feed Talk
 * Continue working on ** Fight the Feed **projects
 * Conference with students for status, questions, and other help


 * Day Twenty One**
 * Finish ** Fight the Feed ** Project


 * Day Twenty Two**
 * Present projects to class

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 * __ Writing Assignments: __**

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Irene Mayfield irenemayfield@hotmail.com
 * Contact Information:**