How Many Commercials Within Each T.V. Show
http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/edtec596/Units/media/Commercials.html
by
Charissa Smith
Introduction
Half of the class will be asked to watch two half hour T.V. shows, the other half will be asked to watch (1) one hour show. you will be required to time the show and the commercials within the show to the exact minute.
The Task
The end result of this lesson will be to compare the amount of time each T.V. show has to the number and time of commercials. In class, a few questions will need to be answered:
- What T.V. show(s) did you watch?
- How many minutes was the T.V. show?
- How many commercials within each T.V. show and how long was each commercial?
- Summarize the comparison of minutes of the T.V. show and minutes of the commercial(s). Include in the summary, why you think there are so many commercials during T.V. shows.
The Process
- You will be asked to watch a T.V. show of your choice.
- Even though the show may say it is on for an hour, you will need to time the show to see exactly how long it is.
- Also, you need to count the number of commercials, write down what each commercial was about and time each commercial.
- Bring this information with you to class the next day
- The teacher will make a chart that lists the name of the T.V. show, length of the show, number of commercials, and length of each commercial.
- Individually, you will set up a ratio in time (minutes) of the total length of all the commercials to the length of the T.V. show.
- As a class, we will discuss the types of commercials that we saw and what we think is the purpose of commericals.
- You will need to write a short paper on why you chose the T.V. show(s) that you did, the ratio you determined of commercials and T.V. show(s), and your opinion of the above topics.
Evaluation
At the beginning of class, check students who completed the previous night's assignment. If the student did not do the assignment, then it will be difficult to complete the ending task.
The assignment will be graded as a whole and worth 100 points. Students will be assessed on their ratio and their summary.
Conclusion
In conclusion of this lesson, students will have addressed a few issues, such as how commercials affect what we buy, and how media influences what we do.
Last updated May 20, 1996. Return to the Media and Behavior Page