Home›Lesson Plans›English Language Arts›Media Literacy · Grade 3

Spotting Ads

Third graders learn to spot advertisements — messages designed to make you buy or want something — and to think for themselves instead of simply believing every claim. Ads are everywhere, so recognizing them is a key media skill.

Grade 3Spotting Ads40 minutes1 class periodMedia Literacy · CCSSExplicit teaching4 StandardsCCSS / NAMLE
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Recognize an ad.
  • ✓Know an ad’s goal.
  • ✓Think for yourself.
  • ✓Be a smart viewer.
Essential Question

Ads are all around us, trying to sell things. How can you spot an ad and think for yourself?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Explore · Interactive

Spotting Ads Check

Project each item and have students answer about spotting advertisements.

📣 Understand spotting adsTry it
Answer each question about spotting advertisements.
The Lesson · Literacy Flow (Hook · Explore · Practice · Apply · Reflect)

40 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Hook — Ads Are Everywhere

5 min

Ads are all around us trying to sell things — how do you spot one?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show a fun ad.
  • Ask what it wants.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Look.
  • Think.
  • Get ready.
2

Explore — Spotting Ads

11 min

Students explore.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Spotting Ads Check.
  • Note ads persuade.
  • Note thinking for yourself.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Answer.
  • Note it.
  • Note it.
3

Practice — Practice

11 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Find the ad’s message.
  • Ask “do I need this?”
  • Explain.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Find it.
  • Ask it.
  • Explain.
4

Apply — Apply

9 min

Students apply.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Look at a real ad.
  • Say what it’s selling.
  • Decide if you believe it.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Look.
  • Say it.
  • Decide.
5

Reflect — Reflect

4 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Say what an ad wants.
  • Say one smart-viewer habit.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Say it.
  • Say it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the Common Core ELA Standards (informational literacy) & NAMLE media-literacy competencies.

CCSS
RI.3.6

Distinguish author’s point of view.

CCSS
SL.3.3

Ask about information presented.

NAMLE
Analyze

Recognize persuasive intent.

CCSS
RI.3.8

Connect purpose & message.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Ad example cards.
  • Sentence frame: “This ad wants me to ___.”
  • Use real ads.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with “ads want you to buy.”
  • Use one clear ad.
  • Discuss one idea.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Find ads in three places.
  • Design a fair ad.
  • Spot ads vs stories.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 📣Sample ads
  • 💻Spotting Ads Check
  • 🔍A viewer checklist
  • ✏️Pencils
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

advertisementa message to sell something (ad)sponsorwho pays for an adpersuadetry to convince youproducta thing being soldmessagewhat an ad tells youselltrade for moneymediahow info is sharedsmart viewersomeone who thinks first
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What is an advertisement made to do?
Get you to buy or want something.
QUESTION 2
Name one clue that something is an ad.
It tries hard to make a product look amazing.
QUESTION 3
What is a smart thing to do when you see an ad?
Think for yourself instead of just believing it.

Reflect: spotting ads.

Have students find one ad and say what it is trying to sell. A printable spotting-ads sheet is in the ELA library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Spotting AdsFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Spotting AdsQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
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Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Spotting AdsPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: advertisement, media, message, persuade, product, sell, smart viewer, sponsor
  1. a message to sell something (ad)
  2. trade for money
  3. a thing being sold
  4. who pays for an ad
  5. what an ad tells you
  6. how info is shared
  7. try to convince you
  8. someone who thinks first

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What is an advertisement made to do?
  2. Name one clue that something is an ad.
  3. What is a smart thing to do when you see an ad?
Answer key — Part A: 1) advertisement · 2) sell · 3) product · 4) sponsor · 5) message · 6) media · 7) persuade · 8) smart viewer
Part B: 1) Get you to buy or want something. 2) It tries hard to make a product look amazing. 3) Think for yourself instead of just believing it.