Alabama Social Studies SS24.USG.9b

Social Studies12th GradeKey Institutions and Political Participation

The Standard

SS24.USG.9: Explain the role of the media in the political process, including how they shape public opinion.

Analyze the influence of television and digital media on elections and campaign spending.

2024 Alabama Course of Study: Social Studies

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students compare how television ads and digital messages reach voters. They explain how ad prices, targeting, and online fundraising affect campaign spending.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student can choose between TV and digital ads for a given budget and explain the tradeoff in cost and reach. They can tell a paid ad from unpaid news coverage.
Common Misconceptions: Students may assume every political post is a paid ad or that TV and online ads reach the same voters. They may treat a viral post as proof that it changed votes, or confuse money raised online with money spent online.
How to Assess It: Exit ticket: A campaign has $5,000 for one TV ad or ten $500 targeted online ads. Which should it buy? Explain the cost and reach tradeoff.

Lesson moves

Give pairs a mock budget and price sheets for TV and online ads; have them buy placements and explain their choices.
Show a TV ad and a sponsored social post; ask, "Who sees each, who pays, and what might each leave out?"
Post screenshots of TV ads, sponsored posts, and news stories; teams sort paid from unpaid coverage and explain who funds each.
Use the FEC disbursement search to find a campaign payment marked advertising; ask what it reveals and cannot reveal about voter impact.

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A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to SS24.USG.9b, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

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