Teacher field guide
PR / strategic communications
Is it a recommendation or an ad?
If a creator got the product free, do viewers need to know?
Much of what students see online is shaped by relationships between creators and brands, and many students are creators too. Knowing what a clear disclosure looks like helps them judge recommendations and post honestly, whether they have fifty followers or fifty thousand.
What students make
Storyboard plus 3–4 sentence explanation
The civic idea
Words that do the work.
- Material connectionConexión material
A relationship with a brand, like payment or a free product, that could affect how viewers weigh a recommendation.
The publisher sent Gia the book free for review. That’s a material connection.
- DisclosureDivulgación
A clear statement of that relationship, placed where viewers will notice it.
Tagging the publisher only names a brand. It doesn’t say the book was free.
- ChannelCanal
The place and format a message travels through, which shapes who sees it.
Viewers watch the video, often without sound. A caption buried below may never be seen.
- ConsistencyCoherencia
Making sure a message says the same thing across every place it appears.
The disclosure should appear on screen and be said aloud so every viewer gets it.
- Agency guidanceGuía de una agencia
An agency’s explanation of how it applies a law; it guides behavior but isn’t itself the statute.
The FTC’s Endorsement Guides explain how the FTC Act’s ban on deceptive practices applies to endorsements.
Calma, the cut is good. Watch it once like a stranger with the sound off. Can they tell the book was free?
The evidence
Handle the case file.
Every artifact comes with a question. The captions are the lesson.
EMAILSent two weeks before posting
Publisher email offering a review copy
POSTDraft, Friday evening
Gia’s review video, first cut
DRAFTSaturday, 1:30 p.m.
Caio’s edit notes
The workshop
45 minutes, block by block.
5 min
Watch the review
TeacherDescribe Gia’s fictional review: enthusiastic, publisher tagged, no mention of free copy.
StudentsRate how much you trust the review, 1–5, and say why.
CheckRatings come with a reason.
8 min
Reveal the connection
TeacherReveal the publisher’s email offering the free copy.
StudentsRate again. What changed, and why?
CheckStudents explain context, not dishonesty.
10 min
Read the guidance
TeacherRead the FTC Disclosures 101 key points aloud.
StudentsList three things a good disclosure does.
CheckLists include clear words, in the video itself, noticeable.
12 min
Build the plan
TeacherIntroduce comms-plan pieces: audience, key message, channel, consistency.
StudentsRewrite the video’s opening and caption with a spoken and on-screen disclosure.
CheckScript names the relationship in plain words in the first seconds.
7 min
Stranger test
TeacherCaio’s check: watch it like a stranger on a phone, sound off.
StudentsSwap scripts; can a sound-off viewer catch the connection?
CheckEach partner confirms or suggests a fix.
3 min
Exit
TeacherFrame: “I can like the review and still want to know __.”
StudentsComplete the frame.
CheckAnswers reference the relationship.
Differentiated routes
One case. Seven ways in.
Each route changes what students read, make and prove, not only how long it takes.
Middle school
Grades 6–8: Add a clear disclosure to Gia’s review script and explain where you put it and why.
- Sources
- The review description, the publisher email and three FTC key points.
- Product
- Storyboard plus 3–4 sentence explanation
- Raises the rigor
- Show where the disclosure goes for a viewer with the sound off.
Supports
- Disclosure word bank: free copy, sent by, paid by, ad
- Frames: “I put it __ because viewers __.”
- Storyboard with three frames
- Partner discussion first
Success looks like
- Names the relationship clearly
- Places it in the video, early
- Works with sound off
- Keeps Gia’s honest opinion
High school
Grades 9–10: Write a revised script and caption and a short note on why a tag alone isn’t enough.
- Sources
- Case sources plus the FTC Disclosures 101 page.
- Product
- Script (60–90 seconds) plus 100-word note
- Raises the rigor
- Explain the difference between an honest opinion and a disclosed relationship.
Supports
- Before/after model
- Checklist: words, placement, timing, repetition
Success looks like
- Disclosure is clear and early
- Uses both spoken and on-screen forms
- Note distinguishes opinion from relationship
- Accurately reflects FTC guidance
High school
Grades 11–12: Build a creator communications policy for the crew: when to disclose, how, and how to check it worked.
- Sources
- FTC Disclosures 101, the FTC endorsement FAQ and case evidence.
- Product
- Policy, 400–500 words
- Raises the rigor
- Explain the legal concept: how FTC guides interpret the FTC Act’s ban on deceptive practices, without giving legal advice.
Supports
- Policy template
- Measurement ideas
Success looks like
- Covers audience, channel and consistency
- Explains guidance vs. statute accurately
- Includes a measurement step
- Practical for a small creator team
High school
Honors: Argue whether platforms, creators or brands should carry the main responsibility for clear disclosures.
- Sources
- FTC guidance plus a teacher-provided article on platform disclosure tools.
- Product
- Argument, 550–650 words
- Raises the rigor
- Weigh what each party can realistically control.
Supports
- Stakeholder chart
- Counterargument frames
Success looks like
- Clear thesis
- Uses guidance accurately
- Considers each stakeholder fairly
- Proposes a workable division of responsibility
AP English Language
AP Lang: Rhetorically analyze Gia’s original review and argue how disclosure changes its ethos.
- Sources
- The original review script and the revised one.
- Product
- Rhetorical analysis plus argument paragraph, about 550 words
- Raises the rigor
- Argue that disclosure can strengthen, not weaken, credibility, with a counterargument.
Supports
- Rhetorical situation grid for both versions
- Commentary stems
Success looks like
- Thesis on how disclosure changes the situation
- Analyzes specific choices
- Addresses a counterargument
- Commentary is precise
Middle Years
IB MYP: Investigate “How do brands shape what we trust online?” and create a media-literacy mini-lesson for younger students.
- Sources
- Case sources; global context: Personal and cultural expression.
- Product
- 5-minute mini-lesson plan plus reflection
- Raises the rigor
- Include a short activity where younger students find a disclosure.
Supports
- Inquiry statement frame
- Mini-lesson template
Success looks like
- Accurate content
- Age-appropriate activity
- Evaluates sources
- Reflection connects to the global context
Diploma
IB DP: Analyze how the reader’s knowledge of a brand relationship changes the meaning of a review.
- Sources
- Both versions of the script and the FTC guidance.
- Product
- Commentary, 700–900 words
- Raises the rigor
- Evaluate whether disclosure fully restores a reader’s ability to judge.
Supports
- Reader-response prompts
- TOK prompts on trust and technology
Success looks like
- Close analysis of both versions
- Engages reader-response ideas
- Evaluates limits of disclosure
- Reflects personally
Access for every learner
- Provide a storyboard with the first frame completed
- Read the FTC key points aloud with icons
- Spanish vocabulary: anuncio, patrocinado, divulgación, recomendación
- Allow students to record or draw instead of write
- Reduce to one disclosure line and placement
Extension
- Analyze three real posts from brands’ own accounts (not individual creators) for disclosure
- Compare FTC guidance with another country’s advertising standards body
Annotated student work
What a draft shows us.
Rewrite the opening of Gia’s review so viewers know about her relationship with the publisher.
First draft
4Okay you guys, I have to tell you about this book because 2I literally could not put it down!! 1#ad #booktok @publisher. The characters are so real and the ending destroyed me. I stayed up until 2 a.m. finishing it and then just sat there staring at the wall. Everyone needs to read this, trust me, 3it’s the best book of the year and you won’t regret it. Link is in my bio, go get it before everyone else does!
- 1Audience Good start, but hashtags in a caption are easy to miss. Say it in the video too.
- 2Strength Honest opinion. Keep it; disclosure doesn’t erase it.
- 3Evidence A strong product claim. What supports it beyond your feeling?
- 4Gap The relationship should come early. Add it here.
Revised
On screen and said aloud: “Quick heads-up: the publisher sent me this book for free to review.” Then: “Okay, you guys, I could not put this down. The two sisters felt real to me, and the ending caught me completely off guard. If you like slow-burn family stories, this one’s for you. If you need a fast plot, maybe not. I finished it in two nights.” Caption: “Publisher sent me a free copy for review. #ad #booktok.” The disclosure is in the first three seconds, readable without sound, and the claim is about my own reading.
Assessment
One-page rubric.
Mark the evidence you see. Leave room for a comment and a next step.
| Criterion | Beginning | Developing | Proficient | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evidence | No disclosure or claim support. | Tag only. | Names the relationship clearly. | Names the relationship and supports the product claim. |
| Reasoning | Treats opinion as a substitute for disclosure. | Discloses but can’t explain why. | Explains why placement and clarity matter. | Distinguishes opinion, relationship and product claim. |
| Audience & purpose | Ignores viewers. | Assumes viewers read captions. | Works for sound-off viewers. | Works across channels with consistent wording. |
| Revision | No change. | Adds a hashtag. | Adds spoken and on-screen disclosure. | Explains each placement choice for different viewers. |
Evidence I saw
Next step
Standards
What this case teaches, by the book.
CCSS 6–8 3
SL.8.2Students evaluate the commercial motive behind a recommendation video.RI.7.6Students analyze how a creator’s relationship with a brand shapes point of view.W.6.2Students write a clear disclosure line and explain its placement.
CCSS 9–10 3
SL.9-10.2Students evaluate the credibility of a recommendation video with an undisclosed connection.RI.9-10.6Students analyze how rhetoric in the review advances the creator’s purpose.W.9-10.6Students use digital media strategically to produce a revised, disclosed video script.
CCSS 11–12 3
SL.11-12.2Students integrate FTC guidance and the video to evaluate a disclosure decision.RI.11-12.6Students evaluate how style and content contribute to persuasiveness in a sponsored post.W.11-12.6Students produce a revised video plan with disclosure built in.
C3 Framework 3
D2.Civ.1.6-8Students distinguish the responsibilities of media creators and a government agency.D2.Civ.6.9-12Students critique relationships among creators, platforms, brands and regulators.D3.2.9-12Students evaluate the credibility of a recommendation given its source relationship.
AP English Language 3
Rhetorical Situation (RHS)Students analyze how an undisclosed relationship changes the rhetorical situation for viewers.Claims and Evidence (CLE)Students separate the product claim from the creator’s relationship.Style (STL)Students revise disclosure wording for clarity without losing the creator’s voice.
IB MYP 3
Language and Literature A: AnalysingStudents analyse how a recommendation video persuades.Language and Literature C: Producing textStudents produce a revised script with a clear disclosure.Individuals and Societies D: Thinking criticallyStudents evaluate the effect of brand relationships on trust.
IB DP 2
Language A: language and literature — Readers, writers and textsStudents examine how a known brand relationship changes how readers interpret a review.Theory of Knowledge — Knowledge and technology (optional theme)Students ask how platform design affects whether viewers can judge a source.
Take it off the page
Check the relationship before you trust the review.
- Next time you see a recommendation, look for a disclosure in the video itself
- If you post reviews, practice a clear spoken line like “They sent me this for free”
- Share a disclosure checklist with a school media club
- Don’t accuse real creators; practice on your own or fictional posts