Lesson Plan - The YouTube Effect
About the Article
Learning Objective
Students will analyze key details that explain how digital content creators earn money, including by partnering with brands to sell products.
Curriculum Connections
• Technology
• Social Media
• Culture
• Economics
• Advertising
Key Skills
Social Studies:
• Identify the role of social media in the creation, sharing, and shaping of culture
• Study the economic influence of social media
• Analyze how social media is used for the distribution of goods and services
English Language Arts:
• Cite textual evidence to support analysis
• Identify key details
• Analyze author’s purpose
Key CCSS Standards
RH.6-8.1, RH.6-8.2, RH.6-8.3, RH.6-8.4, RH.6-8.5, RH.6-8.6, RH.6-8.7, WHST.6-8.4, WHST.6-8.7, WHST.6-8.9, RI.6-8.1, RI.6-8.2, RI.6-8.3, RI.6-8.4, RI.6-8.5, RI.6-8.6, RI.6-8.7, RI.6-8.9, W.6-8.4, W.6-8.7, W.6-8.9
1. Preparing to Read
Build Background Knowledge
Before reading, have students take the five-question Prereading Quiz at junior.scholastic.com. The interactive quiz is self-scoring and will provide an explanation as students answer each question. Then use the skill builder Words to Know to preteach domain-specific terms. Have students refer to the skill builder as they read.
2. Reading and Discussing
Read the Article
Read the article aloud or have students read it independently or in pairs. As students read, direct them to circle or highlight any words whose meanings they are unsure of.
Answer Close-Reading Questions
Have students write their responses, or use the Close-Reading Questions to guide a discussion.
• Compare and contrast the illustrations on page 19 and page 21. What does each illustration show? Why might the author have included both of them? (Author’s Purpose)
The illustration on page 19 shows an influencer posing in a beautiful setting with products and piles of cash around her. The illustration on page 21 shows the same scene, but zoomed out. It reveals a different reality: The influencer is in front of a backdrop with props and a team of people to help capture the perfect shot. The girl’s expression is different in both illustrations too. She seems happy in the first one but less so in the second one. The author may have included both illustrations to emphasize that social media posts aren’t always what they seem and that a lot of effort goes into creating them.
• Use text evidence to explain why a brand would want to partner with a content creator. (Text Evidence)
A brand would want to partner with a content creator to sell a product. Viewers are likely to buy a product if their favorite creator promotes it. On page 20, the text states, “Advertising research firm NCSolutions found that 66 percent of 12- to 27-year-olds in the U.S. bought a product after it was featured in a creator’s content.”
• Why does Wayne Geerling advise aspiring creators to have a “backup plan”? (Supporting a Claim with Reasoning)
Geerling advises aspiring creators to have a “backup plan” because earning money as a creator requires a lot of time, effort, and talent. Additionally, since content creation is a new career and technology is always changing, content creation may be an unpredictable career path.
3. Skill Building
Analyzing Details
Use the skill builder Digging Into the Details to guide students in selecting and analyzing key quotes or statistics from the article and considering the author’s purpose for including each one.
Assess Comprehension
Assign the 10-question Know the News quiz. You can also use Quiz Wizard to assess comprehension of this article. and three others from the issue.
