Creating Convincing Posters Around Food Choices

Part of the "The Presence of Poppies and the Possibilities of Potatoes" Collection

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Goal

Students will examine how World War I posters influenced food choices, and create their own posters to influence healthy eating.

Estimated Time

45 Minutes

Setting Required

Inside

Standards

  • SS5H8  The student will describe U.S. involvement in World War I and post-World War I America
    • a. Explain how German attacks on U.S. shipping during the war in Europe (1914 – 1917) ultimately led the U.S. to join the fight against Germany; include the sinking of the Lusitania and concerns over safety of U.S. ships, U.S. contributions to the war, and the impact of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919.
  • HE5.2. Students will analyze the influence of family, peers, culture, media, technology, and other factors on health behaviors.

Materials

Procedures

  1. Explore posters from World War I that displayed messages for citizens around their food choices.
  2. Discuss with students the elements (language, colors, symbols, etc) that would have made the posters convincing at the time. Extend the discussion to what elements make advertisements convincing to consumers making food choices today.
  3. Lead students in creating their own poster to convince their neighbors to make better food choices during the war.
  4. Challenge students to create a poster to convince a specific audience to make better food choices today. Examples could include: to their neighbors about buying local food, to their peers about choosing healthier lunch options, or to their community about growing gardens.