Have you ever thought about slogan
writing? Kentucky Fried Chicken is “Finger lickin’ good.” At Burger King, you
can expect to “Have it Your Way.” And everyone wants to go to Disneyland
because it is “The Happiest Place on Earth.”
In a touching and funny middle grade
novel, Death by Toilet Paper, seventh grader Ben loves to enter sweepstakes. He enters as many
contests as he can, optimistically hoping to help his widowed mother pay the
bills. Slogan contests offer the best chance of winning because not everyone is
creative or persistent enough to take the time to write a good advertisement.
Ben dreams of winning a big prize from the Royal-T Bathroom Tissue Company. He
puts serious thought into a clever slogan in between dealing with a boisterous
grandfather, a bully at school, and a best friend who loves horror make-up. And
to add to the fun, every chapter begins with a FUNtastic fact about bathrooms.
Did you know that most toilets flush in the key of E-flat? Or that Americans
use an average of 57 sheets of toilet paper each day?
Death by Toilet Paper by Donna Gephart would make a great read aloud in the classroom. Your students will find
Ben to be a lovable and spunky character worth rooting for. The book should
also inspire your students to try their hand at slogan writing. Here are some
tips to remember:
1. Brief is better. No more than one
sentence long.
2. Make it catchy. A slogan should have
a good rhythm and be easy to say.
3. Capture the essence. A slogan tells
customers why they want the product or service.
4. Originality is memorable. Don’t recycle
old ads. Attract attention with something new.
And when your class is finished
writing their own slogans, maybe your students will want to research some FUNtastic
facts about a topic of their choice. Did you know that it takes 384 trees to
produce the toilet paper one person uses in a lifetime?
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