Super Bowl 2026: Commercial Rhetorical Analysis Pep Talk - BNT Team Meeting [S7 EP. 284]

Listen to the full episode below:

Super Bowl weekend is here, but let’s be honest, we’re way more excited about the commercials than the football (though a sprinkle of Bad Bunny doesn’t hurt!). In this team meeting, we’re helping you head into commercial analysis with an actual plan, not just a remote and good intentions. We share a few cautionary tales from lessons we’ve definitely learned the hard way and talk through what needs to happen before students ever start breaking down Super Bowl ads.

We kick things off with some book talk and a big instructional idea that’s been living rent-free in our heads: a unit built around story retellings and point of view. From Medusa retellings like Stone Blind and I, Medusa to fairy tales your students already know, we’re fascinated by what happens when the same core story is told in wildly different ways. 

Then we dive into the heart of the episode: how to teach rhetorical analysis through Super Bowl commercials without overwhelming students or reducing everything to ethos, pathos, and logos. We walk through why framing matters, how the Four Reading Realms change the way students read commercials, and why starting with the rhetorical situation (hello, SPACE CAT) is a game changer. 

From modeling with past commercials to jigsaw discussions and Monday-morning debriefs, we lay out a step-by-step approach that leads to better conversations, stronger analysis, and way more student engagement!

topics discussed:

  • Book talk featuring retellings like Stone Blind and I, Medusa, plus a new gothic novel

  • Why jumping straight into commercial analysis can backfire, and how to avoid it

  • The importance of framing the shift to a new “reading realm” before analyzing ads

  • Skipping devices at the beginning, and focusing instead on rhetorical situation

  • Using the SPACE CAT acronym to scaffold analysis of Super Bowl commercials

  • Practical steps and classroom routines to make commercial analysis engaging and meaningful for your students

resources:

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More about Brave New Teaching:

Join hosts Amanda Cardenas (Mud & Ink Teaching) and Marie Morris (The Caffeinated Classroom) in discussions about being brave, trying new things, and all things teaching! As seasoned classroom teachers, Amanda and Marie bring their experience, insight, energy, and oh, so many opinions and ideas... It's time for all teachers to take their classroom and teaching practice into their own hands!

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