CHS Biology I Public Service Announcements

Public Service Announcement (PSA) Assignment
Due the day after section two discussion.

For this assignment you will develop a video that is designed to inform and influence the general public about a biological topic of your choice related to the assigned chapter. These PSA’s may be shown on school bulletin and Carroll public access channel.
The message should be no more than one minute long.

Your PSA should be developed in these steps:
1. Develop an idea for a biological message targeting a public concern.
2. Choose what demographic your target audience fits. (Age, Income, Lifestyle,
Family, etc.)
3. Develop a detailed plan for your video PSA. (This will be turned in and scored.)
4. Plan a strategy for conveying your message on video.
5. Sign out a Flip camera through the Media Center or use your own.
6. Shoot one (1) or more segments.
7. Use video editing techniques to fine-tune your PSA. Turn in your final project on
server, Google docs, flash drive, or DVD and your assignment sheet with all the questions answered.

As a group:
1. Break down tasks for your PSA project. Be as precise as possible.
2. Assign responsibilities (who will complete each task.) You may assign the task to
more than one person. For example, Liz and Dave might both be responsible for
picking up the video equipment.
3. Assign deadlines. These deadlines can be tentative, but keep in mind the project is
due the day after section two is discussed.

Each group member:
1. Group accountability. You will assess whether your group members have completed tasks on time. You can also assess the quality of their work. If the work being completed is inadequate, let the instructor know as soon as possible. Group members who do not participate will not receive credit.

Remember your PSA should be approximately 1 minute long.
Grading rubric
PSA Assignment Criteria Possible Score (graded by class and myself).
1. Appropriate message - biologically related and targeting a public concern. 6 pts.
2. Information is accurate 10 pts.
3. Information appropriate for identified target audience 6 pts.
4. Visuals appropriately convey message 6 pts.
5. Length appropriate - < 1 minute 4 pts.
6. Creativity 8 pts.
7. Plan sheet handed in by each member and Flip camera returned to Media Center. 20 pts.
Maximum Total 60 pts.


PSA Plan Assignment Sheet

Group Members:
Please list what each group member contributed to the project by their name.
1. __________________________________________________________________________________
2.__________________________________________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________________________________________
4.__________________________________________________________________________________


PSATitle: ___________________________________________________

Topic/Content: _________________________________________________

Target Audience: ________________________________________________

Length (in seconds – should be < 1min.): ____________________

Why was this topic chosen? What is the public concern?

What is the long-range action you hope to get from the target audience?

What is the short-term action you expect (if any)?

What would the best time be to air your PSA? Why?

What sort of techniques have you chosen to convey your message (e.g. humor, fear?
role-modeling, etc.)? Why?

Turn in your PSA media and this plan sheet to complete this assignment.