Lesson overview – Consumer fads
This lesson is part of a Level 5 and 6 Economics and Business unit on investigating fads in relation to consumer choices and economic decision making. This lesson is understanding what a consumer fad is, why consumers purchase them, and the advantages/disadvantages of doing so.
Victorian Curriculum – Economics and business
Levels 5 and 6
Identify influences on consumer choices and explore strategies that can be used to help make informed personal consumer and financial choices, VCEBC004.
Learning intention
We are exploring consumer fads and identifying the advantages and disadvantages of purchasing a consumer fad product.
Success criteria
I can explain what a consumer fad is, identify consumer fad products, and identify an advantage and a disadvantage of purchasing a consumer fad product.
Extension ideas
Extend the success criteria (outcome): I can explain what a consumer fad is, identify consumer fad products, and evaluate (at a societal and global level) the advantages and disadvantages of consumer fad products.
Lesson sequence
Warm up activity
In this activity, students are introduced to consumer fad products.
- Place students in pairs.
- Show students images of toy products they may or may not recognise. Students to record on a provided graphic organiser:
- the product name
- an approximate market release date
- a brief description of the product, including its use
- whether the product is still on the market
- anything else they might know about the product and consider to be of interest.
- Run through the images again, with different student pairs sharing a brief outline of each product.
Extension idea
Pair high-ability students together.
Exploring consumer fad products
Introduce and explain the concept of a consumer fad product. Ensure all students pairs have access to a device.
- In their pairs, have students select two of the consumer fad products presented in the first part of the lesson.
- Have students access online resources to explore their consumer fad products. They compile a list of ten facts about each consumer fad product.
- Students consider the question – 'What do the two fad products have in common'? On a Venn Diagram template, students list the similarities and differences between their two products.
- Have groups report back on their task. Co-construct a list of what the consumer fad products all have in common.
- Co-construct a shared definition of a consumer fad product.
Extension ideas
Pair high-ability students together, or they could:
- locate their own consumer fad products to be investigated.
- be asked to look at three or more consumer fad products.
- be asked the question – 'What issues may arise as a result of the mass consumption of consumer fad products?'.
Discussion
Discuss:
- What are some current consumer fad products?
- Why do these consumer fad products appeal to so many people simultaneously?
- What are some of the advantages of consumer fad products?
- What are some of the disadvantages of consumer fad products?
Extension ideas
High-ability students could:
- respond to these questions independently.
- create a text that consolidates their responses to these questions. It could be in the form of a poster, a flyer, or a webpage.
- investigate societal and global issues as a result of the disadvantages of consumer fad products. For example, sweat shops, plastic waste.
- respond to the question – Do the advantages of consumer fad products outweigh the disadvantages of consumer fad products? Why/why not?
Acknowledgement
This lesson plan is adapted from the
Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority's unit 'Consumer fads'.