Activity: ARL – Marketing Campaign (Assessment) – English & Science – Years 5 & 6

Quick summary: Planet Ark knows Australians and New Zealanders care about the environment and want to do the right thing. The ARL removes the confusion around recycling a variety of packaging materials, ultimately improving our recycling behaviours for the better. 

But is the message getting through to the general public? Or are they still confused about or unaware of the purpose and benefits of the ARL?

In this lesson students assume the role of marketing executives, analysing the persuasive marketing techniques and aesthetic choices used by the Check It! Before You Chuck It campaign to promote the message of the ARL. Students will then focus their own persuasive creativity to create a marketing campaign which either advertises and explains the ARL or pitches a change to recyclable packaging at their company. Students will share these messages with specific audiences in their role as advocates for the ARL.

This lesson is intended as a capstone assessment to the Australasian Recycling Label. It is a great opportunity for students to undertake social action and influence their school and wider community. It is also a fantastic creative demonstration of their learning and a useful piece of assessment for teachers to evaluate towards the end of the term.

This lesson has been developed as part of Planet Ark’s campaign around the Australasian Recycling Label and sustainable packaging. You can get involved during Planet Ark’s National Recycling Week or at any time during the school year and join thousands of amazing teachers in making a difference and creating positive environmental change. If you use any of these lessons, we highly recommend you submit an entry for the School’s Recycle Right Challenge in Term 4 and enter in the draw to win amazing prizes for your school!

 

 

Learning intentions

• Students will understand the structure, format, purpose and techniques of advertising material; and
• Students will understand the purpose and environmental benefits of the ARL.

21st century skills: 

Australian Curriculum Mapping

Content descriptions: 

Year 5 English:

• Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive print and multimodal texts, choosing text structures, language features, images and sound appropriate to purpose and audience (ACELY1704)
• Use a range of software including word processing programs with fluency to construct, edit and publish written text, and select, edit and place visual, print and audio elements (ACELY1707)

Year 6 English:

• Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, choosing and experimenting with text structures, language features, images and digital resources appropriate to purpose and audience (ACELY1714)
• Use a range of software, including word processing programs, learning new functions as required to create texts (ACELY1717)

Year 5 Science:

• Scientific knowledge is used to solve problems and inform personal and community decisions (ACSHE100)

Year 6 Science:

• Scientific knowledge is used to solve problems and inform personal and community decisions (ACSHE083)

Syllabus outcomes: EN3-2A, ST3-7PW

General capabilities: Literacy, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability, Critical and Creative Thinking.

Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability.

Relevant parts of Year 5 English achievement standards: Students listen and ask questions to clarify content. They use language features to show how ideas can be extended. Students develop and explain a point of view about a text, selecting information, ideas and images from a range of resources. They create imaginative, informative and persuasive texts for different purposes and audiences. Students make presentations which include multimodal elements for defined purposes. They contribute actively to class and group discussions, taking into account other perspectives.

Relevant parts of Year 6 English achievement standards: Students listen to discussions, clarifying content and challenging others’ ideas. They understand how language features and language patterns can be used for emphasis. Students show how specific details can be used to support a point of view. They explain how their choices of language features and images are used. Students create detailed texts elaborating on key ideas for a range of purposes and audiences. They make presentations and contribute actively to class and group discussions, using a variety of strategies for effect.

Relevant parts of Year 5 Science achievement standards:Students discuss how scientific developments have affected people’s lives, help us solve problems and how science knowledge develops from many people’s contributions.

Relevant parts of Year 6 Science achievement standards: Students explain how scientific knowledge helps us to solve problems and inform decisions and identify historical contributions.

Topic: Recycling.

This lesson is part of the wider unit of work Australasian Recycling Label.

Time required: 60 mins.

Level of teacher scaffolding: Medium – facilitate students as they curate content, develop persuasive techniques and use multimedia to create marketing campaigns.

Resources required: 

• Art supplies – coloured pencils and paper.
• A device capable of presenting a video to the class.
• Individual devices capable of accessing the internet – one per student.
• Planet Ark assets
• A whiteboard.

Keywords: Planet Ark, Australasian Recycling Label, ARL, sustainability, sustainable packaging, recycling, reduce, re-use, waste, plastic, packaging, wrapping, litter, education campaign, marketing, communication, advertising.

Cool Australia’s curriculum team continually reviews and refines our resources to be in line with changes to the Australian Curriculum.