Minds On
What is a public service announcement?
Think about a time when you read or heard an announcement for the public that was raising awareness on an issue. Perhaps you have encountered announcements for people to wash their hands frequently or for people to take action to stop global warming.
A public service announcement, or PSA, is a message communicated to the public that helps to raise awareness of important issues.
PSAs can be found in many different forms (for example: commercials, YouTube videos, magazine spreads, posters, radio clips, etc.).
Examine the following public service announcement.
What are the features of a public service announcement?
Student Success
Public service announcement for safety helmets
Explore this Public Service Announcement. What features or design decisions do you notice that make this Public Service Announcement effective?
Note to teachers: See your teacher guide for collaboration tools, ideas and suggestions.
Action
Analyzing public service announcements for our personal opinions
People react differently to media. There may be some PSAs which you agree with completely, some that you do not agree with at all, and others that you may have mixed feelings towards.
Find and research a public service announcement that has a strong message. You can also use one of the PSAs in the Minds On section.
- What is the intended message?
- Who is the intended audience?
- Do you agree or disagree with this PSA? Why?
- Whose perspective is being presented in the PSA? How do you know?
- Whose point of view is not reflected?
- How might different members of the community respond to this PSA?
- Did this PSA persuade you to think differently or take action?
Complete the PSA Findings and Opinions fillable organizer or use another method of your choice to record your ideas.
| Insert your PSA sample | |
|---|---|
| What is the intended message? | |
| Who is the intended audience? | |
| I agree with the PSA because | I do not agree with the PSA because |
Press the ‘Activity’ button to access the PSA Findings and Opinions.
Consolidation
Creating a public service announcement
Explore a short part of the Raven’s Quest episode about Bradley, a young boy from the Six Nations in Grand River, Ontario. Bradley loves to fish with his grandfather in the river near his home. All living things rely on each other in order to survive in a specific habitat. Bradley and his grandfather rely on the fish for food. The fish can only survive if the water is not polluted and is taken care of by humans. It is important to demonstrate stewardship and care for living things and our environment. Create a public service announcement encouraging and persuading people in his community to help keep the river clean and thriving.
Use the fillable organizer My Mock-Up For a PSA to complete your plan or use another method of your choice to create your public service announcement.
| Title: | |
|---|---|
| Purpose: | |
| Main message: | |
| Intended audience: | |
| Techniques I would incorporate into my PSA: | |
| What form would work best for my PSA? Why? |
|
| Mock-up of my PSA: | |
| Reflection: What language skill did I need to use to make sense of Public Service Announcements? | |
Press the ‘Activity’ button to access My Mock-Up For a PSA.
Reflection
How do you feel about what you have learned in this activity? Which of the next four sentences best matches how you are feeling about your learning? Press the button that is beside this sentence.
I feel...
Now, record your ideas about your feelings using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.