Newseum
Decoding an Editorial Cartoon
What advantages do political cartoons have over written editorials? Scholars discuss the topic by exploring editorial cartoons. Working in small groups, pupils analyze an Uncle Sam cartoon and complete a worksheet. As a fun extension,...
Curated OER
The U.S. in Afghanistan: Analyzing Political Cartoons
Students take a closer look at the U.S. presence in Afghanistan. For this global issues lesson, students analyze political cartoons related to the War on Terror. Students discuss their impressions of the war and then create their own...
Curated OER
The Gulf Oil Disaster
Students take a closer look at the Gulf oil spill of 2010. In this global issues lesson, students analyze political cartoons related to the crisis. Students discuss their impressions of the crisis and U.S. energy policies.
Curated OER
Energy Crisis: Then and Now
Using political cartoons, scholars analyze the energy crisis of the 1970s and '80s, comparing and contrasting it to current tensions with oil. Display the 6 cartoons (linked) to the class, and demonstrate analysis using the worksheet...
Curated OER
Images of Immigration
Students evaluate how images of immigrants reflected political and social attitudes toward them in the United States. They interpret visual images in the context of historical and political developments.
Curated OER
Political Cartoons: Finding Point of View
Students examine political cartoons. In this colonial America lesson, students analyze political cartoons pertaining to the Stamp Act.
Curated OER
From Zero to Superhero
Students discuss superheroes, focusing first on the details of creating the character of Batman. They work in small groups to develop superheroes for the 1990s, and write stories or cartoons about their superhero's adventures on their own.
Curated OER
Political Cartoons
Learners analyze and interpret political cartoons, then use this knowledge to create their own.
Curated OER
It's a Draw!
Students assess the ways in which editorial cartoons, both current and historic, offer insight into events that shape our world. They create a poster that includes a current editorial cartoon and their explanation of the details of the...
Curated OER
Political Cartoons: Introduction to Symbols
Students make a list of every day symbols they know of and write down what each symbol stands for. Then they are asked to help their knowledge further by considering all the meanings various symbols might have.
Curated OER
Drawing on Terror
Learners assess the ways in which editorial cartoons offer insight into events that shape our world, specifically focusing on the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.
Curated OER
Political Cartoons Illustrating Progressivism and the Election of 1912
Students study a current political cartoon to introduce the ideas of symbolism, humor, exaggeration, and caricature in editorial cartoons. They study cartoons from the past to gain an understanding of the culture of 1912.
Curated OER
Design Your Own Rube Goldberg Machine
Learners design and construct a Rube Goldberg machine that accomplishes a simple task in at least ten steps. They view and discuss various Rube Goldberg designs, identify types of simple machines, and in small groups produce a schematic...
Curated OER
The Power of One
Students study the principles on which Canada was founded. They examine the elements that affect federal and provincial policy making. They identify and evaluate various strategies for influencing public policies. They create a visual...
Curated OER
Air Movers
Students learn about Rube Goldberg machines (complicated devices designed to accomplish simple tasks and then design and build a machine that uses more than six separate steps to move an empty aluminum can. They can either work...
Curated OER
America's Civil Rights Movement
Eleventh graders explore, analyze and study the background to America's Civil Rights Movement through the court system, mass protest, public opinion, political cartoons and legislation. They research Rosa Parks, Brown vs. Board of...
Stanford University
Political Bosses Lesson Plan
Students research the political bosses and the political machine in New York City. In this politics lesson plan, students review the term progressives, political bosses, and political machine. Students study a Tammany cartoon and read...
Curated OER
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: Public Views of Lincoln
Students write a letter in the voice of Abraham Lincoln. In this history lesson, students interpret the way the public viewed Lincoln during various times by examining political cartoons and images. Students write a letter in the voice...
Curated OER
A Medieval Mystery: Can you decode the dark secrets of this cartoon?
Students discover coding in medieval cartoons. In this medieval mystery lesson, students view cartoons from history to see if they can identify the clues or solve the mystery.
Curated OER
Paul Conrad's Perspective on Civil Rights
Students review a political cartoon and discuss desegregation. In this cartoon analysis lesson, 11th graders discuss the impact of a political cartoon and its relation to a Supreme Court case. Students read additional information and...
Curated OER
Interpreting Primary Sources: Cartoons
In this analyzing primary sources worksheet, students examine 3 political cartoons of their choice and respond to 4 short answer questions regarding each of them.
Curated OER
Writing Comics (3+)
Students examine comic strips and evaluate the techniques used to create them. They design their own comics as a continuation of the ones they read, or they create their own characters.
Curated OER
Where's My Funny Paper?
High schoolers identify main idea of passages, reading selections, and cartoons.
Curated OER
Using Political Cartoons and Propaganda in Teaching the Holocaust
Students gain an understanding of the Holocaust through analysis of political cartoons. In this Holocaust instructional activity, students examine propaganda in political cartoons that were used in Nazi Germany.