Assessments:
Students will be assessed on:
Student Outcomes (Exemplars): 1) Student is able to analyze and interpret a
political cartoon found in newspapers, magazines, standardized tests,
etc. Procedure:
Modern American political cartoons have been around
since the nineteenth century. The increase in newspaper and magazine
circulation in the 1800's provided a rich environment for the rise and
use of political cartoons. Thomas Nast and Joseph Keppler penned many
popular cartoons advocating social reform. People with minimal reading
abilities could understand and relate to a format that communicated
powerful ideas in a humorous, enlightened manner. Symbols, caricature,
drawings, and exaggerations drawn by the cartoonist, point out the
themes and problems of that historical era. Political cartoons play an
important part in telling the history of a era. Political cartoons serve to make people
think about political and government issues by:
Cartoonists use the following persuasive techniques to
create humor: symbolism
- using an object to stand for an idea. Symbols used in Political Cartoons peace - dove, olive branch, victory
sign. Steps in Analyzing a Political Cartoon
Period 1: Introduction to Topic -
The instructor introduces the topic and explains the objectives,
terminology, and rationale for exploring the topic. Information listed
above can be used. Students are given sample cartoons and websites to
explore. Period 2: Explanation of Persuasive
Techniques - definitions and examples of persuasive techniques are
presented. Students are also asked to try the practice activity
located at:
Period 3: Worksheet completion - students
complete the Cartoon Analysis Worksheet for four different cartoons
which are supplied by the teacher. Cartoons for this exercise are
located on a cartoon bank page. The worksheets should be saved to
the students' home directory and edited in Microsoft Word. Completed
worksheets can be E-mailed or printed and sent to the teacher. Period 4: Summary and Wrap-up - The final
class session for this project involves returning graded worksheets to
the students and discussing the range of possible answers and
interpretations of the cartoons. See
sample completed Cartoon Analysis
Worksheet and Grading Rubric. Students
should also be graded on their participation in the summary activity
and given extra credit for any background historical information they
can present in analyzing the cartoons. If time allows, students can be
directed to locate their own political cartoons on the Web for
analysis. Instructional Modifications:
large typeface display for visually impaired students
may be used. Time Required: Four forty minute class
periods. Resources (materials):
Analyzing
Political Cartoons Reflections: This project can be adapted to other topics in
history, such as Global History and Geography, and for elementary and
middle school students. |