We’ve only got two eyes, so we can’t take them for granted. Protecting your eyes should be front and center when it comes to sports, science experiments, working with tools, going out in the sun, and just even reading. All students need to protect their eyes with sunglasses, goggles and regular visits to the eyes doctor. Often, students are reluctant because putting on eye protection makes them feel silly. How can we change that?
Well, no one convinces students to do something better than other students. And the Protect Your Eyes PSA contest is an opportunity to have your students create a public service announcement that has them practicing their writing skills, exploring their artistic prowess, and encouraging their fellow classmates to protect those precious eyes.
Students can use their imaginations to come up with up with taglines, talking points, and drawings to convince their friends to protect their eyes. Think: Be a Dork. You’ll Have Your Eyes Later.
Let’s make eye protection as common as wearing seat belts!
Challenge your students in grades 6–12 to create a brilliant storyboard for a PSA video.
What’s a storyboard?
A storyboard is a plan for a video. It has text and a picture for each frame. Click on the image to get yours:
Two winners will each receive a $1,500 college scholarship!
And get a load of this: The winning entries will be made into PSA videos for Think About Your Eyes.
By entering the Protect Your Eyes PSA contest, your students will have the opportunity to learn what a PSA is, spark their creativity, teach their peers why wearing goggles matters, and win a scholarship.
Here’s How It Works
Step 1: Print the storyboard.
Make lots of copies so they can play around with different ideas.
Step 2: Teach a lesson about PSAs.
- Introduce students to the public service announcement (PSA). A PSA is a message designed to raise awareness and change public attitudes and behavior toward a social issue.
- Research and watch PSAs about important social issues.
- Talk about the issues and what you think the PSAs were designed to do. Is the message clear? Was it effective?
- Tell students they will be creating their own PSA called Protect Your Eyes. Challenge students to come up with messages that will get kids to stop and think. Point students in the right direction to gather resources and facts about why eye protection matters.
- Review the PSA contest rubric.
1. Originality and creativity (Is the PSA unique and creative?) [30 points]
2. PSA concept (Does the PSA address the topic, Protect Your Eyes? Is the message effective?) [30 points]
3. Clarity of message (Is the idea communicated clearly?) [30 points]
4. Quality of writing (Does the PSA reflect proper spelling and grammar?) [10 points] - Share that script writers use storyboards to plot out their thinking and ideas. Explain to students that they will be creating a storyboard for their PSA. Print the simple storyboard right here or click the storyboard image above.
Step 3: Upload your students’ storyboards.
- Upload your students’ storyboards by clicking the button below.
- Parent permission is required if a student is 13 or under. We’ve included a form with the storyboard, which must be signed and uploaded with their entry.
UPLOAD STUDENT STORYBOARDS
Want to learn more about how vision issues can affect classroom learning for many of your students? You’ll find tons of research and important actions you can take right here:
9 Signs Kids May Have a Vision Problem
What Does Seven+ Hours of Screen Time Do to Students’ Vision?