PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

LESSON PLAN
I. Lesson Number, Grade Levels, Title, and Duration:
Lesson Number 6, Grades 11-12, Public Service Announcement, 3-4 days

II. Lesson Rationale:

Based on work included as part of the Trans/gendering the Academy: Building LGBTQ Coalitions for
Change Summit, this culminating lesson utilizes concepts, techniques, and technologies from previous
lessons in the unit in addressing essential questions related to LGBQ and transgender issues. The final
project for this unit of study is an artwork designed for public display and engagement to promote dialogs of
change that strive to create inclusive environments for LGBTQ people.

Public service announcements (PSAs) have the potential to create awareness of significant social issues in
an effort to educate and change the public’s attitudes and behaviors and to stimulate positive social change.
Using one of the online poster-making software applications from Lesson 6, students will create public
service announcement posters addressing an essential question raised in Lesson 1 on LGBQ and transgender
issues.

Potential Essential Questions Resulting from Brainstorming Session:

How do LGTBQ Right(s) happen and /or are enacted?

Could LGBTQ be a choice/Lifestyle? What does it mean to say this?
How is LGBTQ representation created and maintained (e.g., through visual culture)?
What does it mean to be an Ally? What does it mean to form Alliances?
How are judgments made?
How do we create inclusive/ethical policy in education in order to enact protective measures for
LGBTQ youth in schools (Denton Schools)?
How is anti- violence education be implemented in schools?
What impact does anti-violence education, e.g., anti-bullying policy have on LGBTQ students?

III. Key Concepts:

Public service announcement (PSA), persuasion, infographics, data visualization, satire, shock value,
imperatives, call to action

IV. Essential Question:

What makes a PSA compelling?
How is persuasion used in PSAs?
How can the public be urged to enact positive change about LGBQ and transgender-related social issues?

V. Lesson Objectives:
The students will be able to:

Explain the purpose and characteristics of public service announcements after viewing online resources
and videos (See Resources & Materials for Teacher below, and embedded videos on unit website, under
heading “Public Service Announcement”).

Analyze data from research materials about LGBQ and transgender issues and convert that data into a
visual form by creating a public service announcement poster.

Apply the characteristics of instruction, humor, or shock and clear calls to action to create an original
public service announcement poster for the purpose of promoting a positive social change of an LGBQ
and/or transgender issue through the use of online poster-making software.
VI. Specific Art Content:
Poster-making, composition, color, typography, data visualization, visual culture

VII. Resources & Materials for Teacher:

Computer, Internet access, classroom screen, speakers, http://analogdigitalart.weebly.com/lesson-6-public-
service-announcement.html

APCO. (n.d.). Distance legibility chart. Retrieved from https://www.apcosigns.com/techpdf/distance.pdf

Breanna Stewart. (2015 December 1). Transgender PSA [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKmGOhP4iMc

Karen Scot. (2016 May 8). TransCare anti-transgender bathroom law PSA [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WrpWvE8u4M

Daniel Gvozden. (2011 September 8). Empty seat PSA [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OT8lw1Rl-WM

GLSEN. (2014). The 2013 national school climate survey: Executive summary. Retrieved from
http://www.glsen.org/sites/default/files/NSCS_ExecSumm_2013_DESIGN_FINAL.pdf

National Center for Transgender Equality. (2012). National transgender discrimination survey: Executive
summary. Retrieved from
http://www.transequality.org/sites/default/files/docs/resources/NTDS_Exec_Summary.pdf

VIII. Resources & Materials for Students:

Computer and Internet access
Large format printing access
Canva free poster-making software https://www.canva.com/
Piktochart free infographic creator https://piktochart.com/
Pulp-O-Mizer free retro vintage book/magazine cover maker http://thrilling-
tales.webomator.com/derange-o-lab/pulp-o-mizer/pulp-o-mizer.html

IX. Instruction and Its Sequencing:

1st Day of the Lesson

Introduction/Motivation:
What are public service announcements (PSAs)?
A public service announcement is a message that is shared with the general public to persuade action be
taken on an issue, appealing to a specific emotion. Public service announcements usually include a
visual and/or audio element. PSAs take different forms, including video, audio, and print.
On the board, write and discuss the following common characteristics of PSAs used to persuade
audiences, including
 Instruction (using information to enlighten about lesser-known issues/topics)
 Humor
 Shock
 Imperative commands/Clear calls to action
 Guided Practice
The teacher will show students video and print examples of PSAs (See References & Resources
Materials below and on unit website under heading Lesson 6, “PSA Examples”).

Ask students to identify the calls to action and the PSA characteristics from the list on the board that
were employed in each example shown.

Independent Practice
Students will be directed to the unit website to conduct independent research through the materials
available on the Lesson 6/Research Resources page. They will take notes of key information to serve as
a basis for a public service announcement poster.

Formative Evaluation
The teacher will monitor the development and implementation of the assignment and provide
information about how best to revise and modify for improvement.

Classroom Management Procedures

Establish clear classroom routines and procedures

Closure
The teacher will remind students that they will incorporate information from the research materials into
a PSA poster that will be 24x36 inches. S/he should inform students they may use any of the three
software programs learned in Lesson 5 and may use images appropriated under Creative Commons
licensing as learned in Lesson 4.

2nd Day of the Lesson

Introduction/Motivation:
The teacher will review PSA characteristics, including information, humor, shock, imperatives, and
calls to action. S/he may want to show any of the unit website examples not viewed the previous day to
reinforce the importance of these PSA characteristics as well as compositional qualities of the print
examples.

Guided Practice n/a

Independent Practice
Students will design and create a 24x36 inch public service announcement poster of print quality by
using one of the three free online software programs—Piktochart, Canva, or Pulp-O-Mizer.

Formative Evaluation
The teacher will monitor the development and implementation of the assignment and provide
information about how best to revise and modify for improvement.

S/he will discuss with students, one-on-one, instructional steps during the learning process and re-teach
when necessary.

Classroom Management Procedures

Establish clear classroom routines and procedures

Closure
The teacher will discuss with students text legibility and viewer distance. (Refer to References and
Resources or the APCO website https://www.apcosigns.com/techpdf/distance.pdf)
3rd Day of the Lesson
Introduction/Motivation: n/a

Guided Practice: n/a

Independent Practice
Students will continue work on the public service announcement posters.

Formative Evaluation
The teacher will monitor the development and implementation of the assignment and provide
information about how best to revise and modify for improvement.

S/he will discuss with students, one-on-one, instructional steps during the learning process and re-teach
when necessary.

Classroom Management Procedures

Establish clear classroom routines and procedures

Closure
The teacher will review the different art “critique” models used for Lesson 3 with students.

4th Day of the Lesson

Introduction/Motivation:
The teacher will have the students display their posters on the walls for “critique.”

Guided Practice: n/a

Independent Practice
Given the opportunity to work in groups of 3’s, students will create their own critique model (informed by
Elkin’s research), conduct a “critique” of their work, and report observations back to the class and
instructor. The teacher will facilitate and monitor the discussion.

Formative Evaluation: n/a

Classroom Management Procedures

Establish clear classroom routines and procedures

Closure
Individual Reflective Writing
Each student will respond to the following prompts/questions in writing:

1. How might have the public service announcement making process expanded/enhanced/clarified
(or otherwise) your understanding of the LGBQ or transgender issue you investigated?
2. How were you personally invested in this project?
3. In what context(s) do you think the class’ public service announcements would be most
effective in promoting a positive social change for the LGBTQ communities?
4. How might the public service announcement you created translate to the digital world
(Internet)?

X. Summative Assessment and Evaluation:

The teacher will monitor the development and implementation of the assignment using the following
rubric:
 Exemplary Satisfactory Emerging
Student created an Student created an Student created an
Essential question of an original, accurate, and accurate PSA that accurate PSA but the
LGBTQ issue interesting PSA that adequately addresses the essential question was
adequately addresses the essential question with addressed in a cursory
essential question with respect and manner and the content
respect and inclusiveness. There is a regarded with respect and
inclusiveness. clear call to action. inclusiveness though
There is a clear call to some misunderstanding
action. might be present. A call
to action is unclear or
missing.
The poster is well The poster is well The use of formal
Composition composed with regard to composed with regard to qualities and design
formal qualities. It is formal qualities. It is structure need
neat, organized, and mostly neat, organized, improvement.
logically structured. and logically structured.
Content is organized Content is organized Content organization
Content/information logically, legible, and logically, mostly legible, needs improvement, is
organization free of or contains few somewhat legible, or
grammatical/spelling grammatical/spelling contains several
errors errors grammatical/spelling
errors
Sources Literature/sources cited Literature/sources cited Literature/sources cited
are indicated on the are indicated on the are indicated on the
poster and correctly poster and few errors in poster but are incomplete
formatted. format. or have multiple errors in
format.

Comments:

XII. References & Resources:

http://analogdigitalart.weebly.com/lesson-7-public-service-announcement.html

Canva free poster-making software https://www.canva.com/

Piktochart free infographic creator https://piktochart.com/

Pulp-O-Mizer free retro vintage book/magazine cover maker http://thrilling-tales.webomator.com/derange-o-

lab/pulp-o-mizer/pulp-o-mizer.html

APCO. (n.d.). Distance legibility chart. Retrieved from https://www.apcosigns.com/techpdf/distance.pdf

Breanna Stewart. (2015 December 1). Transgender PSA [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKmGOhP4iMc

Karen Scot. (2016 May 8). TransCare anti-transgender bathroom law PSA [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WrpWvE8u4M
Daniel Gvozden. (2011 September 8). Empty seat PSA [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OT8lw1Rl-WM

GLSEN. (2014). The 2013 national school climate survey: Executive summary. Retrieved from
http://www.glsen.org/sites/default/files/NSCS_ExecSumm_2013_DESIGN_FINAL.pdf

Halbrooks, G. (2015 June 19). Public service announcements are a vital part of media. Retrieved from
http://media.about.com/od/mediatermsandglossary/g/Public-Service-Announcement.htm

National Center for Transgender Equality. (2012). National transgender discrimination survey: Executive
summary. Retrieved from
http://www.transequality.org/sites/default/files/docs/resources/NTDS_Exec_Summary.pdf

Suggett, P. (2016 march 4). What exactly is public service advertising? You may know them as PSAs, but what
defines them? Retrieved from http://advertising.about.com/od/advertisingglossary/g/Public-Service-
Advertising-A-Complete-Definition-Of-Public-Service-Advertising.htm

XIII. Art TEKS covered in this lesson, indicated in * bold

http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter117/ch117c.html
§117.304. Art, Level III
§117.305. Art, Level IV

(c) Knowledge and skills covered in this lesson, indicated in * bold

* (1) Foundations: observation and perception. The student develops and expands visual literacy skills
using critical thinking, imagination, and the senses to observe and explore the world by learning about,
understanding, and applying the elements of art, principles of design, and expressive qualities. The student
uses what the student sees, knows, and has experienced as sources for examining, understanding, and
creating original artwork.

* (2) Creative expression. The student communicates ideas through original artwork using a variety of
media with appropriate skills. The student expresses thoughts and ideas creatively while challenging the
imagination, fostering reflective thinking, and developing disciplined effort and progressive problem-
solving skills.

* (3) Historical and cultural relevance. The student demonstrates an understanding of art history and
culture by analyzing artistic styles, historical periods, and a variety of cultures. The student develops global
awareness and respect for the traditions and contributions of diverse cultures.

* (4) Critical evaluation and response. The student responds to and analyzes the artworks of self and
others, contributing to the development of the lifelong skills of making informed judgments and reasoned
evaluations.

XIV. National Art Standards

Anchor Standard 1: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.

Anchor Standard 2: Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.
Anchor Standard 3: Refine and complete artistic work.
Anchor Standard 9: Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work.
Anchor Standard 10: Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art.
Anchor Standard 11: Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to
deepen understanding.
*see PDF at
http://www.nationalartsstandards.org/sites/default/files/Visual%20Arts%20at%20a%20Glance%20-
%20new%20copyright%20info.pdf

This work is created by Adetty Pérez de Miles & Kevin Jenkins and licensed under a Creative Commons
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