SUBJECTS

U.S. Government, Social Studies, Contemporary History

 GRADE LEVEL

9-12

In this lesson, students learn to evaluate political cartoons for their meaning, message, and persuasiveness.  Students will learn about the artistic techniques cartoonists frequently use.  They will also analyze a political cartoon and determine whether they agree or disagree with the author’s message.

 LESSON PLAN

Note: Move your cursor over the image to see it displayed in incredible detail. Use your mousewheel to zoom from 2 to 15 times the normal size.

Cartoonist’s Tools

Caricature:

Use of exaggerated physical features.  Examples – George Bush portrayed as monkey face, Bill Clinton’s big nose.

Symbols:

Any use of one object to represent another.  Examples – Elephant represents Republican Party, Donkey represents Democratic Party, and Uncle Sam represents the United States.

Exaggeration:

Any use of description that over-emphasizes a problem, statistic, etc. Examples – Using a mountain of match sticks (see cartoon above) to illustrate what the author perceives as the failure of Republicans to make the confirmation hearings a fireworks show.

Irony:

The depiction of outcome of events contrary to what was, or might have been, expected.  Examples – The president trying to solve one problem, but creating another.

Combining Two Current Events:

Examples – Using the BP Oil incident in the Gulf of Mexico to illustrate the Congress’ attempt to plug Wall Street’s problem (see cartoon above).

Creative Use of Terms/Language (Puns, Alliteration, etc):

Examples – “Talking cents into someone.” (cents/sense)

Writing the Report

Introductory Statement:

 This statement should be neutral. Do not address the cartoonist’s perspective yet.

 i.e. This cartoon addresses the issue of…

 i.e. In this cartoon the author discusses…

 Avoid: This cartoon is telling…The event is telling us…

 This statement is necessary to prepare the reader for your interpretation of the author’s purpose and use of tools.

Author’s Perspective:

 This section needs to explain how the author feels about the issue or the message he is trying to send through his cartoon.

Tools That the Author Uses:

 In your cartoon analysis, I will look for an analysis of tools that the author has used to make his point.  You should address at least 2 of the tools described above and how they are expressed in the cartoon.

 Discuss the tools in a separate sentence than the one in which you interpret the meaning of the tool/symbol.

 Please transition from one tool to another.

 i.e. The first tool that the author uses to show his opinion is X…Another tool that he uses is Y…

 You may interpret the tool right after you identify it, but make sure you interpret it in a separate sentence.

Use Formal Language in Your Analysis:

 Avoid words like “messed up” and other informal expressions.

 Never turn in your rough draft.  Teacher will grade with the expectation that you have rewritten your paragraph at least once in the process.  While rewriting you should make sure that you look for opportunities to edit your work. Consider word choice, look for misspellings, find ways to express something more clearly, etc.

Opinion Section:

 In this section you should express whether or not you agree with the author’s perspective or not.

 Be specific in stating that you agree or disagree with his perspective and why.

CAVEATS FOR USE BY TEACHERS

 Model what you want! (student example, teacher example)

 Provide background information about the topics. That way you know they had all the tools they needed.  You will be assessing the ability to analyze not just if they know any current events.

 Big decision – teacher selected or student selected?

 Adapt to clientele.

 CREDIT

Heather McCurdy, Ed,D.
hmccurdy@d220.org or heathermccurdy@comcast.net
Reavis High School
Burbank, IL