Download Consumer Reports

LESSON PLAN
Consumer Reports
Date:
Time:
Grade:
Teacher:
I. National Health Education Standards
Health Education Standard 3: Students will demonstrate the ability to access valid information
and products and services to enhance health.
II. National Health Education Standards Performance Indicator
3.5.2 locate resources from home, school, and community that provide valid health information.
III. Valued Outcomes
 Students will learn about comparison shopping.
 Students will learn where to obtain reliable product information.
 Students will identify product validity.
IV. Description of Strategy:
1. Use a typical thirty-minute television program to describe the ratio between commercials and
programming. Use a 200-page magazine to compare the number of advertisement pages and
the number of content pages.
2. Explain that when purchasing something, people should look for reliable information on the
quality of the product. A good source is Consumer Reports magazine.
3. Get back issues of Consumer Reports from the school library or a public library, and discuss
some of the products tested. Point out that the magazine has no advertisements. Ask students
what the lack of advertisements indicates. Give other examples of places to find reliable
product information (government sources, etc.).
4. Ask students to choose a brand-name product. Have them research the item and compare it to
similar products. Have students write about whether they still want the product and why.
5. Close the lesson with a discussion about the advantages of being an informed consumer.
Have students give examples of products that did not live up to their claims.
V. Materials Needed:
 copies of Consumer Reports
VI. Formative Evaluation
Benchmarks:
 Level 1: Student was able to identify techniques of comparison shopping.
 Level 2: Student was able to identify techniques of comparison shopping and describe
advantages of comparison shopping.
 Level 3: Student was able to identify techniques of comparison shopping and describe
advantages of comparison shopping. Student was able to list places to find reliable product
information.
 Level 4: Student was able to identify techniques of comparison shopping and describe
advantages of comparison shopping. Student was able to list places to find reliable product
information and explain how to determine product validity.
VII. Points of Emphasis:
1. Explain marketing techniques and how much research goes into targeting a market.
2. Remind students that just because someone says it on TV that does not mean it is true.
3. Explain advantages of having the best product, not just the most attractive product.
Teacher Evaluation
1.
Keep the lesson as taught?
2.
What I need to improve
3.
Next time make sure
4.
Strengths of lesson
 Yes
 No