Creating a Public Service Announcement
Student Guide
Purpose
In this assignment, you will create a public service announcement in the form of a magazine
advertisement for an environmental issue affecting your community. Your public service
announcement will educate the public about the issue, present a solution for the problem, and
encourage the public to take positive action.
Assignment Instructions
Step 1: Gather materials and necessary information.
a) Read about environmental issues affecting your community and choose one issue
that you are most concerned about. You may choose to research environmental
concerns related to water, land, or air.
b) An effective public service announcement will contain clearly organized details and
meaningful text and graphics.
c) Ask your teacher whether you will be using presentation, drawing, word-processing,
or artistic software to develop the magazine advertisement. You may also be able to
use a large piece of paper or poster board and markers or colored pencils, but first
ask your teacher whether this is acceptable.
Step 2: Consider the required elements of the public service announcement.
a) Your public service announcement should include a clear and concise message
about the issue to the audience.
b) Your public service announcement should include images and a slogan that
accurately reflects its message.
c) The images, slogan, and message of your public service announcement should
provide current and accurate information about the issue.
d) Your public service announcement should use correct spelling, punctuation, and
grammar to convey its message to the audience.
Step 3: Think about these steps for creating a successful public service
announcement.
a) Plan – Sketch out your public service announcement on a piece of paper.
b) Draft – Create a rough draft of your public service announcement.
c) Revise – Review your work, correct mistakes, and make improvements.
Student Guide (continued)
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Step 4: Evaluate your public service announcement using this checklist. When you can
answer “yes” to all of the questions, you are ready to submit your public service
announcement.
Yes No Evaluation Question
Does your public service announcement use visuals effectively?
Does your public service announcement use correct punctuation, spelling,
and grammar?
Does your public service announcement present information in ways that
will engage your audience?
Does your public service announcement use language that is appropriate to
your audience and format?
Does your public service announcement capture the interest of the
audience?
Does your public service announcement include important details, statistics,
facts, and images?
Does your public service announcement include all of the required elements
described above?
Step 5: Revise and submit your public service announcement.
a) If you were unable to answer “yes” to all of the questions on the checklist, revise and
save your public service announcement before submitting it.
b) When you have completed your public service announcement, return to the Virtual
Classroom and use the “Add Files” option to locate and submit your assignment. Ask
your teacher for assistance if necessary. Congratulations! You have created a public
service announcement about an environmental issue affecting your community.
c) Ask your teacher for further instructions about whether you will be presenting your
public service announcement to an audience of your peers.