political cartoon assignment high school

Analyzing the Purpose and Meaning of Political Cartoons

• Resources & Preparation
• Instructional Plan
• Related Resources

The decisions students make about social and political issues are often influenced by what they hear, see, and read in the news. For this reason, it is important for them to learn about the techniques used to convey political messages and attitudes. In this lesson, high school students learn to evaluate political cartoons for their meaning, message, and persuasiveness. Students first develop critical questions about political cartoons. They then access an online activity to learn about the artistic techniques cartoonists frequently use. As a final project, students work in small groups to analyze a political cartoon and determine whether they agree or disagree with the author's message.

Featured Resources

It’s No Laughing Matter: Analyzing Political Cartoons : This interactive activity has students explore the different persuasive techniques political cartoonists use and includes guidelines for analysis.

From Theory to Practice

• Question-finding strategies are techniques provided by the teacher, to the students, in order to further develop questions often hidden in texts. The strategies are known to assist learners with unusual or perplexing subject materials that conflict with prior knowledge.
• Use of this inquiry strategy is designed to enhance curiosity and promote students to search for answers to gain new knowledge or a deeper understanding of controversial material. There are two pathways of questioning available to students. Convergent questioning refers to questions that lead to an ultimate solution. Divergent questioning refers to alternative questions that lead to hypotheses instead of answers.

Common Core Standards

This resource has been aligned to the Common Core State Standards for states in which they have been adopted. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, CCSS alignments are forthcoming.

State Standards

This lesson has been aligned to standards in the following states. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, standard alignments are not currently available for that state.

NCTE/IRA National Standards for the English Language Arts

• 1. Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
• 6. Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.
• 8. Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
• 11. Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.

Materials and Technology

• Computers with Internet access and printing capability
• Several clips of recent political cartoons from a local newspaper
• Overhead projector or computer with projection capability
• Editorial Cartoon Analysis
• Presentation Evaluation Rubric

Preparation

Student Objectives

Students will

• Develop critical question to explore the artistic techniques used in political cartoons and how these techniques impact a cartoon's message
• Evaluate an author or artist's meaning by identifying his or her point of view
• Identify and explain the artistic techniques used in political cartoons
• Analyze political cartoons by using the artistic techniques and evidence from the cartoon to support their interpretations

Session 2 (may need 2 sessions, depending on computer access)

Sessions 3 and 4

• Daryl Cagle's Professional Cartoonist Index and The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists: Cartoons for the Classroom both provide additional lesson plans and activities for using political cartoons as a teaching tool. Students can also access these online political cartoons for additional practice in evaluating their meaning, message, and persuasiveness.
• Students can create their own political cartoons, making sure to incorporate a few of the artistic techniques learned in this lesson. Give students an opportunity to share their cartoons with the class, and invite classmates to analyze the cartoonist's message and voice their own opinions about the issue.
• This lesson can be a launching activity for several units: a newspaper unit, a unit on writing persuasive essays, or a unit on evaluating various types of propaganda. The ReadWriteThink lesson "Propaganda Techniques in Literature and Online Political Ads" may be of interest.

Student Assessment / Reflections

Assessment for this lesson is based on the following components:

• The students' involvement in generating critical questions about political cartoons in Lesson 1, and then using what they have learned from an online activity to answer these questions in Lesson 2.
• Class and group discussions in which students practice identifying the techniques used in political cartoons and how these techniques can help them to identify an author's message.
• The students' responses to the self-reflection questions in Lesson 4, whereby they demonstrate an understanding of the purpose of political cartoons and the artistic techniques used to persuade a viewer.
• The final class presentation in which students demonstrate an ability to identify the artistic techniques used in political cartoons, to interpret an author's message, and to support their interpretation with specific details from the cartoon. The Presentation Evaluation Rubric provides a general framework for this assessment.
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I can’t imagine teaching civics and government without political cartoons—they are  essential  to the subject. 

They make the best entry point for introducing concepts and diving deeper into diverse viewpoints on political issues. 

Head over to my blog post,  How to Teach Political Cartoons , where I detail the POPES process I’ve used for years. Then, download your  FREE lesson kit  to get started.

This analysis strategy works well for bell ringers to cover current political news and as part of the main lesson to teach civics concepts. 

Certain topics, I’ve found over the years, are perfect for using cartoons to teach. So here I’ve outlined some activity ideas for using them to help you teach five key government concepts.

Finding Great Political Cartoons

First, though, we need to find some good cartoons! 

I don’t link to any specific cartoons in this blog post simply because the second I do, they’re dated! 

Usually, only a few cartoons are perennial enough to use the following year, and I’m constantly swapping in fresh ones my students can best relate to. You’ll want to do this as well.

Here are my go-to spots for grabbing high-resolution current and historical political cartoons:

Daryl Cagle’s  searchable database of current cartoons

The Week’s  and   US News’s  collections of recent cartoons

Library of Congress’s collection of over  800 cartoons from throughout American history    and their dedicated  Herbert Block collection  that spans much of the late 1900s

Wikimedia Commons’ collection of  Puck  and  Judge  magazine covers from the late 1800s and early 1900s

Teaching How to Analyze Cartoons

As I said above, I use the POPES method I’ve developed over the years. Before using cartoons to teach content, students need to have the skills to understand them. 

Be sure to spend time teaching how to analyze political cartoons before your first lesson that uses them! My  FREE Political Cartoon Analysis Kit  is a complete how-to lesson that does this for you.

Okay, now that’s all taken care of, let’s dive into civics concepts that are perfect for using political cartoons to teach. I’ve never found a shortage of cartoons to help students learn and develop claims on these five topics.

Principles of the Constitution

After introducing the  different principles of the US Constitution ,  I have my students identify them in political cartoons depicting events that relate to each. 

For example, I’ll pick a cartoon of the President and Congress at odds over a recent veto to illustrate checks and balances. Or a cartoon dealing with Election Day for popular sovereignty. 

You can search using the principles themselves, but you don’t want the cartoon actually to  say  the principle. That’s why I also search for recent events that have involved the concept. 

I’ll post these cartoons around the room as stations. Students first analyze them and then identify which principle each best depicts. 

Different Forms of Governments

I do an almost identical lesson sequence when we learn the  different types of government systems .

Here, it’s helpful to use countries I’ve already given as examples of the various types when I first defined them. 

For example, a cartoon of the UK’s King Charles trying to fill the shoes of his mother to illustrate  monarchy . 

I like how the  Cagle database  includes international cartoonists, to which you can limit your search.  

Find cartoons depicting each system of government that your students need to learn and make matching cards for formative practice. 

Voting Issues & Attitudes

During my  Voting & Election Unit , I search terms like “voting” or “Election Day” or, even more specifically, for issues like “voter turnout” or “vote by mail.”

You should have no problem finding a variety of cartoons that illustrate attitudes about the upcoming election and voting rights and access. 

Use cartoons from across the nation to introduce voting issues affecting different states. This helps emphasize how, while voting is a federal right, how we vote is handled at the state level. 

If your state is vote-by-mail only, share cartoons depicting long voter lines, for example. 

You can also have students agree or disagree with the cartoons’ punchline, providing evidence from what they’ve learned to support their position. 

For example, select cartoons that argue things like voter apathy among young people or that voting is unnecessarily complicated.

Three Branches

While covering each of the  Three Branches , it’s a no-brainer to use cartoons to familiarize students with current issues with each branch. 

Pull a few cartoons that depict both hyper-current and more perennial issues, like gridlock in Congress, the President struggling with sagging popularity, or the Supreme Court announcing a controversial decision. 

As important as it is to teach the Constitutional logistics of each branch, it is to teach the issues of how those branches operate in real life, and cartoons are perfect for this!

During this unit, cartoons like these make perfect bell ringer activities.

Amendments & Civil Liberties 

In my  Civil Liberties unit , I use cartoons in a few ways. First, historical cartoons are a great way to illustrate that so many essential rights have not always been granted. 

Cartoons pushing for or celebrating the ratification of various amendments make excellent source material: the 17 th Amendment to popularly elect senators, the 19 th  Amendment to grant women the right to vote, and the 26 th Amendment to lower the voting age to 18. 

These make an easy matching activity for students to pair to the amendment they are dealing with. 

Or, as you are exploring the Supreme Court’s current docket, pull some cartoons that deal with these court cases. They help show the dilemma and controversy of rights involved. 

I hope these ideas have sparked activity ideas for using political cartoons to support learning in your Civics or Government class. Grab my  FREE   Political Cartoons Analysis Kit for a done-for-you starter kit to get going with teaching with cartoons!

Feature image photo credit: Bank Phrom

Make the Citizenship Test the Best Part of Your Civics Class

5 ways to use political cartoons in your civics class.

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Using Political Cartoons in the Classroom

by Roy Winkelman | Using Digital Content

I had some wonderful high school teachers who made history come alive. In addition to learning the facts, dates, and figures, we got a feel for the times we were studying by activities such as reading Civil War poetry or singing our way through a couple of World Wars. We were also exposed to innumerable political cartoons along the way to increase our understanding of the culture and issues of the day. The drawing of original cartoons was sometimes used as a comprehension check as well. I particularly remember one I drew about colonial Philadelphia as a homework assignment. That was, ahem, well over 50 years ago. While I can’t guarantee that using political cartoons in history classes will make all your homework assignments memorable a half century from now, I can promise that political cartoons have the potential to engage students with the significant issues of any period.

It doesn’t take much imagination to realize how any of the following examples could be effectively used in the classroom.

“But wherever would we find such an exciting collection of political cartoons?” you might ask. Well, you’re in luck. The ClipArt ETC website offers over 300 political cartoons for classroom use. Although you may have to do a little searching to find specific topics, many of the cartoons have been tagged with specific time periods or topics:

• All political cartoons
• Cartoons by Thomas Nast
• Election of 1868
• Grant Administration
• Election of 1872
• Election of 1876
• Election of 1880
• Election of 1884
• Cleveland Administration
• Election of 1892
• Native American Suffrage
• Woman Sufffrage
• World War I

Since FCIT’s political cartoon collection is mainly from the late 1800s, you may also want to search the National Archives or the Library of Congress for additional cartoons from earlier or later periods. The following LOC collections are of particular interest:

• American Cartoon Prints
• Cartoon Drawings
• Herblock Collection

The National Archives and the Library of Congress have also created helpful guides for analyzing cartoons as a classroom activity:

Teacher's Guide: Analyzing Political Cartoons

This one-page PDF from the Library of Congress includes many questions for students to consider when responding to a political cartoon.

Analyze a Cartoon (Younger Students)

This one-page PDF from the National Archives takes younger students through the four steps of analyzing a political cartoon.

Cartoon Analysis Guide

This two-page PDF from the Library of Congress identifies the persuasive techniques used in political cartoons.

Analyze a Cartoon (Older Students)

This one-page PDF from the National Archives takes older students through the four steps of analyzing a political cartoon.

I hope you’ll find the above resources a help in utilizing political cartoons as windows into various time periods. And just maybe, fifty years from now, one of your students will be writing about how memorable your classes were way back in the 2023-2024 school year.

Roy Winkelman is a 40+ year veteran teacher of students from every level kindergarten through graduate school. As the former Director of FCIT, he began the Center's focus on providing students with rich content collections from which to build their understanding. When not glued to his keyboard, Dr. Winkelman can usually be found puttering around his tomato garden in Pittsburgh. Questions about this post or suggestions for a future topic? Email me at [email protected] . To ensure that your email is not blocked, please do not change the subject line. Thank you!

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The Learning Network | Drawing for Change: Analyzing and Making Political Cartoons

Drawing for Change: Analyzing and Making Political Cartoons

Updated, Nov. 19, 2015 | We have now announced the winners of our 2015 Editorial Cartoon Contest here .

Political cartoons deliver a punch. They take jabs at powerful politicians, reveal official hypocrisies and incompetence and can even help to change the course of history . But political cartoons are not just the stuff of the past. Cartoonists are commenting on the world’s current events all the time, and in the process, making people laugh and think. At their best, they challenge our perceptions and attitudes.

Analyzing political cartoons is a core skill in many social studies courses. After all, political cartoons often serve as important primary sources, showing different perspectives on an issue. And many art, history and journalism teachers take political cartoons one step further, encouraging students to make their own cartoons.

In this lesson, we provide three resources to assist teachers working with political cartoons:

• an extended process for analyzing cartoons and developing more sophisticated interpretations;
• a guide for making cartoons, along with advice on how to make one from Patrick Chappatte, an editorial cartoonist for The International New York Times ;
• a resource library full of links to both current and historic political cartoons.

Use this lesson in conjunction with our Editorial Cartoon Contest or with any political cartoon project you do with students.

Materials | Computers with Internet access. Optional copies of one or more of these two handouts: Analyzing Editorial Cartoons ; Rubric for our Student Editorial Cartoon Contest .

Analyzing Cartoons

While political cartoons are often an engaging and fun source for students to analyze, they also end up frustrating many students who just don’t possess the strategies or background to make sense of what the cartoonist is saying. In other words, understanding a cartoon may look easier than it really is.

Learning how to analyze editorial cartoons is a skill that requires practice. Below, we suggest an extended process that can be used over several days, weeks or even a school year. The strength of this process is that it does not force students to come up with right answers, but instead emphasizes visual thinking and close reading skills. It provides a way for all students to participate, while at the same time building up students’ academic vocabulary so they can develop more sophisticated analyses over time.

Throughout this process, you might choose to alternate student groupings and class formats. For example, sometimes students will work independently, while other times they will work in pairs or small groups. Similarly, students may focus on one single cartoon, or they may have a folder or even a classroom gallery of multiple cartoons.

Open-Ended Questioning

We suggest beginning cartoon analysis using the same three-question protocol we utilize every Monday for our “ What’s Going On in This Picture? ” feature to help students bring to the surface what the cartoon is saying:

• What is going on in this editorial cartoon?
• What do you see that makes you say that?
• What more can you find?

These simple, open-ended questions push students to look closely at the image without pressuring them to come up with a “correct” interpretation. Students can notice details and make observations without rushing, while the cyclical nature of the questions keeps sending them back to look for more details.

As you repeat the process with various cartoons over time, you may want to ask students to do this work independently or in pairs before sharing with the whole class. Here is our editorial cartoon analysis handout (PDF) to guide students analyzing any cartoon, along with one with the above Patrick Chappatte cartoon (PDF) already embedded.

Developing an Academic Vocabulary and a Keener Eye

Once students gain confidence noticing details and suggesting different interpretations, always backed up by evidence, it is useful to introduce them to specific elements and techniques cartoonists use. Examples include: visual symbols, metaphors, exaggeration, distortion, stereotypes, labeling, analogy and irony. Helping students recognize and identify these cartoonists’ tools will enable them to make more sophisticated interpretations.

The Library of Congress (PDF) and TeachingHistory.org (PDF) both provide detailed explanations of what these elements and techniques mean, and how cartoonists use them.

In addition to those resources, three other resources that can help students develop a richer understanding of a cartoon are:

• The SOAPSTone strategy, which many teachers use for analyzing primary sources, can also be used for looking at political cartoons.
• This student handout (PDF) breaks up the analysis into two parts: identifying the main idea and analyzing the method used by the artist.
• The National Archives provides a cartoon analysis work sheet to help students reach higher levels of understanding.

Once students get comfortable using the relevant academic vocabulary to describe what’s going on in a cartoon, we suggest returning to the open-ended analysis questions we started with, so students can become more independent and confident cartoon analysts.

Making an Editorial Cartoon

The Making of an Editorial Cartoon

Patrick Chappatte, an editorial cartoonist for The International New York Times, offers advice on how to make an editorial cartoon while working on deadline.

Whether you are encouraging your students to enter our Student Editorial Cartoon Contest , or are assigning students to make their own cartoons as part of a history, economics, journalism, art or English class, the following guide can help you and your students navigate the process.

Learn from an Editorial Cartoonist

We asked Patrick Chappatte, an editorial cartoonist for The International New York Times, to share with us how he makes an editorial cartoon on deadline, and to offer students advice on how to make a cartoon. Before watching the film above, ask students to take notes on: a) what they notice about the process of making a cartoon, and b) what advice Mr. Chappatte gives students making their own cartoons.

After watching, ask students to share what information they find useful as they prepare to make their own editorial cartoons.

Then, use these steps — a variation on the writing process — to help guide students to make their own cartoons.

Step 1 | Brainstorm: What Is a Topic or Issue You Want to Comment On?

As a professional cartoonist, Mr. Chappatte finds themes that connect to the big news of the day. As a student, you may have access to a wider or narrower range of topics from which to choose. If you are entering a cartoon into our Student Editorial Cartoon Contest, you can pick any topic or issue covered in The New York Times, which not only opens up the whole world to you, but also historical events as well — from pop music to climate change to the Great Depression. If this a class assignment, you may have different instructions.

Step 2 | Make a Point: What Do You Want to Say About Your Topic?

Once you pick an issue, you need to learn enough about your topic to have something meaningful to say. Remember, a political cartoon delivers commentary or criticism on a current issue, political topic or historical event.

For example, if you were doing a cartoon about the deflated football scandal would you want to play up the thought that Tom Brady must have been complicit, or would you present him as a victim of an overzealous N.F.L. commissioner? Considering the Republican primaries , would you draw Donald Trump as a blowhard sucking air out of the room and away from more serious candidates, or instead make him the standard- bearer for a genuine make-America-great-again movement?

You can see examples of how two cartoonists offer differing viewpoints on the same issue in Newspaper in Education’s Cartoons for the Classroom and NPR’s Double Take .

Mr. Chappatte explains that coming up with your idea is the most important step. “How do ideas come? I have no recipe,” he says. “While you start reading about the story, you want to let the other half of your brain loose.”

Strategies he suggests for exploring different paths include combining two themes, playing with words, making a joke, or finding an image that sums up a situation.

Step 3 | Draw: What Are Different Ways to Communicate Your Ideas?

Then, start drawing. Try different angles, test various approaches. Don’t worry too much about the illustration itself; instead, focus on getting ideas on paper.

Mr. Chappatte says, “The drawing is not the most important part. Seventy-five percent of a cartoon is the idea, not the artistic skills. You need to come up with an original point of view. And I would say that 100 percent of a cartoon is your personality.”

Consider using one or more of the elements and techniques that cartoonists often employ, such as visual symbols, metaphors, exaggeration, distortion, labeling, analogy and irony.

Step 4 | Get Feedback: Which Idea Lands Best?

Student cartoonists won’t be able to get feedback from professional editors like Mr. Chappatte does at The International New York Times, but they should seek feedback from other sources, such as teachers, fellow students or even family members. You certainly can ask your audience which sketch they like best, but you can also let them tell you what they observe going on in the cartoon, to see what details they notice, and whether they figure out the ideas you want to express.

Step 5 | Revise and Finalize: How Can I Make an Editorial Cartoon?

Once you pick which draft you’re going to run with, it’s time to finalize the cartoon. Try to find the best tools to match your style, whether they are special ink pens, markers or a computer graphics program.

As you work, remember what Mr. Chappatte said: “It’s easier to be outrageous than to be right on target. You don’t have to shoot hard; you have to aim right. To me the best cartoons give you in one visual shortcut everything of a complex situation; funny and deep, both light and heavy; I don’t do these cartoons every day, not even every week, but those are the best.” That’s the challenge.

Step 6 | Publish: How Can My Editorial Cartoon Reach an Audience?

Students will have the chance to publish their editorial cartoons on the Learning Network on or before Oct. 20, 2015 as part of our Student Contest. We will use this rubric (PDF) to help select winners to feature in a separate post. Students can also enter their cartoons in the Scholastic Arts & Writing Awards new editorial cartoon category for a chance to win a national award and cash prize.

Even if your students aren’t making a cartoon for our contest, the genre itself is meant to have an audience. That audience can start with the teacher, but ideally it shouldn’t end there.

Students can display their cartoons to the class or in groups. Classmates can have a chance to respond to the artist, leading to a discussion or debate. Students can try to publish their cartoons in the school newspaper or other local newspapers or online forums. It is only when political cartoons reach a wider audience that they have the power to change minds.

Where to Find Cartoons

Finding the right cartoons for your students to analyze, and to serve as models for budding cartoonists, is important. For starters, Newspaper in Education provides a new “ Cartoons for the Classroom ” lesson each week that pairs different cartoons on the same current issue. Below, we offer a list of other resources:

• Patrick Chappatte
• Brian McFadden

A Selection of the Day’s Cartoons

• Association of American Editorial Cartoonists
• U.S. News and World Report

Recent Winners of the Herblock Prize, the Thomas Nast Award and the Pulitzer Prize

• Kevin Kallaugher in the Baltimore Sun
• Jen Sorensen in The Austin Chronicle
• Tom Tomorrow in The Nation
• Signe Wilkinson in the Philadelphia Daily News
• Adam Zyglis in The Buffalo News
• Kevin Siers in The Charlotte Observer
• Steve Sack in the Star Tribune

Historical Cartoonists

• Thomas Nast
• Paul Conrad

Other Historical Cartoon Resources

• Library of Congress | It’s No Laughing Matter
• BuzzFeed | 15 Historic Cartoons That Changed The World

Please share your own experiences with teaching using political cartoons in the comments section.

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Analyzing the Purpose and Meaning of Political Cartoons

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Identify and/or explain stated or implied main ideas and relevant supporting details from a text.

Note: Items may target specific paragraphs.

Explain, interpret, compare, describe, analyze, and/or evaluate plot in a variety of nonfiction:

Note: Plot may also be called action.

• elements of the plot (e.g. exposition, conflict, rising action, climax, falling action, and/or resolution)
• the relationship between elements of the plot and other components of the text
• how the author structures plot to advance the action

Explain, interpret, compare, describe, analyze, and/or evaluate voice, tone, style, and mood in a variety of nonfiction:

• the relationship between the tone, style, and/or mood and other components of the text
• how voice and choice of speaker (narrator) affect the mood, tone, and/or meaning of the text
• how diction, syntax, figurative language, sentence variety, etc., determine the author’s style
• Big Ideas Comprehension requires and enhances critical thinking and is constructed through the intentional interaction between reader and text Information to gain or expand knowledge can be acquired through a variety of sources.
• Concepts Essential content, literary elements and devices inform meaning Informational sources have unique purposes. Textual structure, features and organization inform meaning Validity of information must be established.
• Competencies Analyze and evaluate information from sources for relevance to the research question, topic or thesis. Critically evaluate primary and secondary sources for validity, perspective, bias, and relationship to topic. Evaluate information from a variety of reference sources for its relevance to the research question, topic or thesis. Evaluate the characteristics of various genre (e.g. fiction and nonfiction forms of narrative, poetry, drama and essay) to determine how the form relates to purpose. Evaluate the effectiveness of the author’s use of literary devices in various genre Evaluate the effects of inclusion and exclusion of information in persuasive text Evaluate the presentation of essential and nonessential information in texts, identifying the author’s implicit or explicit bias and assumptions Identify and evaluate essential content between and among various text types Identify the use of bias, stereotype, and propaganda where present Interpret and analyze the effect of literary devices within and among texts (e.g. personification, simile, alliteration, metaphor, symbolism, imagery, hyperbole, foreshadowing, flashback, allusions, satire, and irony) Summarize, draw conclusions, and make generalizations from a variety of mediums Synthesize information gathered from a variety of sources. Use and cite evidence from texts to make assertions, inferences, generalizations, and to draw conclusions

Description

The decisions students make about social and political issues are often influenced by what they hear, see, and read in the news. For this reason, it is important for them to learn about the techniques used to convey political messages and attitudes. In this lesson, high school students learn to evaluate political cartoons for their meaning, message, and persuasiveness. Students first develop critical questions about political cartoons. They then access an online activity to learn about the artistic techniques cartoonists frequently use. As a final project, students work in small groups to analyze a political cartoon and determine whether they agree or disagree with the author's message.

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ReadWriteThink

Here at  ReadWriteThink , our mission is to provide educators, parents, and afterschool professionals with access to the highest quality practices in reading and language arts instruction by offering the very best in free materials.

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A Visual Guide to the Cold War

This unique digital resource was designed for middle- and high school educators and students who wish to explore the Cold War through visual primary sources. The materials are intended to enrich classroom and extracurricular learning and illustrate both the American and Soviet perspectives on the Cold War. Ranging from the end of WWII to the fall of the Soviet Union, the materials encompass a wide range of photographs, cartoons, posters and movie clips. Use the menu bar to browse by decade, theme, or material type.

A Quick Look

political cartoons by American editorial cartoonists.

(Krokodil/Crocodile) to rival the US-produced images in the Library of Congress.

Moscow Olympics, attended by 80 countries. 66 others did not participate due to a US-initiated boycott and economic reasons.

Origins of the Cold War

Cold War in the 1980s

Shortly after the end of World War II, the USSR and the USA entered into a 43-year-long (1946-1989) global competition called the Cold War. Both governments shared the idea that the world was divided into two, distinct spheres. Soviet leader Joseph Stalin saw the world divided into two camps: the capitalist/imperialist states and the communist/progressive states. In his 1947 Truman Doctrine, US President Harry Truman outlined a reverse dichotomy: that of the freedom-loving states (led by the United States) and those bent on subjugating other nations (led by the Soviet Union).

By the mid-1950s, however, both Moscow and Washington accepted the idea of peaceful coexistence on their own terms, while ironically developing massive nuclear arsenals as guarantors of that peace. The Cold War increasingly took place in proxy wars, the Space Race, the Olympics, and propaganda. Both states thus found any and all means short of direct confrontation to fight this global battle. The various divisions and means of waging the Cold War are abundantly represented in this visual guide.

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Flickr user aleriy osipov, Creative Commons

• English & Literature
• Grades 9-12
• Comics & Animation

Drawing Political Cartoons How do political cartoons convey messages about current events?

In this 9-12 lesson, students will analyze cartoon drawings to create an original political cartoon based on current events. Students will apply both factual knowledge and interpretive skills to determine the values, conflicts, and important issues reflected in political cartoons.

Get Printable Version   Copy to Google Drive

Lesson Content

• Preparation
• Instruction

Learning Objectives  

Students will: 

• Analyze visual and language clues to determine the meaning of contemporary and historical political cartoons.
• Research and gather information to plan a visual story. 
• Create a political cartoon based on a current event.

Standards Alignment

National Core Arts Standards National Core Arts Standards

VA:Cr1.2.Ia Shape an artistic investigation of an aspect of present-day life using a contemporary practice of art or design.

VA:Cr3.1.Ia Apply relevant criteria from traditional and contemporary cultural contexts to examine, reflect on, and plan revisions for works of art and design in progress.

VA:Re.7.1.Ia Hypothesize ways in which art influences perception and understanding of human experiences.

VA:Re.7.2.Ia Analyze how one’s understanding of the world is affected by experiencing visual imagery.

VA:Cn11.1.Ia Describe how knowledge of culture, traditions, and history may influence personal responses to art.

MA:Re7.1.Ia Analyze the qualities of and relationships between the components, style, and preferences communicated by media artworks and artists.

MA:Re7.1.Ib Analyze how a variety of media artworks manage audience experience and create intention through multimodal perception.

MA:Cn11.1.Ia Demonstrate and explain how media artworks and ideas relate to various contexts, purposes, and values, such as social trends, power, equality, and personal/cultural identity.

Common Core State Standards Common Core State Standards

ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.8 Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.8 Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.

Recommended Student Materials

Editable Documents: Before sharing these resources with students, you must first save them to your Google account by opening them, and selecting “Make a copy” from the File menu. Check out Sharing Tips or Instructional Benefits when implementing Google Docs and Google Slides with students.

• Rubric: Drawing Political Cartoons
• Vocabulary: Drawing Political Cartoons
• Political Cartoon Analysis
• PBS News Hour
• The Cartoon
• Daryl Cagle's Political Cartoon Trends
• The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists
• The Week Cartoons
• Politico Cartoons

Teacher Background

Teachers share articles or a list of media resources that are appropriate for their class in order to read current events. Teachers will need to find a variety of political cartoons, preferably displaying opposing sides of an issue. Carefully review each cartoon prior to sharing them with students. Optional articles to discuss include: How Women Broke Into the Male-Dominated World of Cartoons and Illustrations , What is a Cartoonist? , and Cartoonists - left, right, and center - have their say on Texas freeze and power outage .

Student Prerequisites  

Students should have familiarity with current events and strategies for analyzing and interpreting events.

Accessibility Notes

Modify handouts, text, and utilize assistive technologies as needed. Allow extra time for task completion.

• Display a variety of cartoons about a current event that the students are familiar with as an introduction. Be sure that the cartoons represent opposing positions about the same topic. Explain to the students that political cartoons are biased because they represent the artist’s point of view, as does an editorial. They are intended to be controversial and characterized in nature. Their meaning is conveyed by both visual and verbal clues.
• Read the following quote to the class: “A cartoonist is a writer and artist, philosopher, and punster, cynic and community conscience. He seldom tells a joke and often tells the truth, which is funnier. In addition, the cartoonist is more than an asocial critic who tries to amuse, infuriate, or educate. He is also, unconsciously, a reporter and historian. Cartoons of the past leave records of their times that reveal how people lived, what they thought, how they dressed and acted, what their amusements and prejudices were, and what the issues of the day were.” (Ruff and Nelson, p. 75.)
• Tell students that they are going to analyze political cartoons and create one of their own based on a current event. Have students create a variety of political cartoons displaying contrasting viewpoints. Share the following websites with students: Daryl Cagel's Political Cartoon Trends , The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists , The Week Cartoons , GoComics , and Politico Cartoons . 
• Distribute and review the resource, Vocabulary: Drawing Political Cartoons . Discuss with students some of the elements present in the cartoons: caption, caricature, symbolism, the proportional size of objects and people, and personification . Help students identify the personalities in the cartoons you have displayed and ask them what issue or event they think the cartoon is about. Ask the students what details they used to make an inference.
• Divide students into small groups. Distribute a political cartoon to each group and ask them to identify the elements and context of the cartoon. Students can utilize the following, Read, Write, Think resource to assist with the research and planning of their drawing: Political Cartoon Analysis . Teachers should encourage the class to brainstorm ideas to evoke different responses. Divergent answers should be accepted. Interpretation must be open-ended.
• Have each group summarize their political cartoon analysis. The rest of the class should have an opportunity to weigh in about whether or not they agree with the group’s analysis of the cartoon.
• Introduce print and web new resources with students to identify political topics. PBS News Hour , Newsela , NPR are examples of media organizations that share current events. 
• Have students create their own political cartoon depicting their opinion about a current issue. Review the Criteria for Success: Political Cartoons resource with students and discuss examples of each criterion. Allow time for students to create their political cartoon.  
• Have students share their political cartoon with the class, briefly describing the issue involved and key elements used during the cartoon-making process.
• Assess the students’ knowledge of drawing political cartoons with the Rubric: Drawing Political Cartoons .
• Have students read The Cartoon by Herb Block , one cartoonist’s take on the role played by political cartoons. Ask students: Why would Lucy, the character from Peanuts, have made a good cartoonist according to Block? What does Block mean when he says that the political cartoon is a means for “puncturing pomposity?” How do political cartoonists help “the good guys?” How do political cartoonists’ relationships with their newspapers differ? What does Block say about the “fairness” of political cartoons? What different opinions about this are held?
• Analyze the differences between cartoons and comics. Have students explore contemporary webcomics: Huda Fahmy , Alec With Pen , Aditi Mali , Brown Paperbag Comics , and Christine Rai . 

Original Writer

Daniella Garran

Diane Dotson

JoDee Scissors

July 22, 2021

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• English Language Arts
• Rhetorical Analysis
• Visual Argument

Education Standards

Wyoming standards for english language arts.

Learning Domain: Reading for Informational Text

Standard: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term or terms over the course of a text (e.g., how Madison defines faction in Federalist No. 10).

Standard: Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of the structure an author uses in his or her exposition or argument, including whether the structure makes points clear, convincing, and engaging.

Standard: Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power, persuasiveness, or beauty of the text.

Maryland College and Career Ready English Language Arts Standards

Standard: Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power, persuasiveness, or beauty of the text.

Common Core State Standards English Language Arts

Cluster: Craft and Structure.

Checklist for Political Cartoons Assignment

Political cartoons, argument in political cartoons.

This lesson involves students exploring political cartoons and analyzing the argument being made.  Students will work in groups to build skills, then they will get an assignment to practice the skill on their own.

The teacher can choose to make this activity an in-person discussion or an online one.  In either case, it may be helpful to begin with small groups, then expand to the whole class discussion so that more students have an opportunity to answer.

Here are some answers to the discussion questions:

Also known as an “editorial cartoon” (b/c it is traditionally found next to the editorial)

Gives the artist’s opinion on a current issue

Uses hyperbole (exaggeration), satire to draw attention to an issue

Attempts to persuade people to agree with an opinion

Often has well-known people, trends, or issues

Artists use techniques to persuade the viewer to agree with their point of view

What do you know about political cartoons?  What are they? What is their purpose? Where are they found?  What are they about?  What techniques do the cartoonists use?

Brainstorm a list of answers to these questions as a class.

Have students work with a partner and note their answers to the questions in the lesson.  When groups are finished, you can save some time and repetition by having certain groups discuss the first cartoon, others discuss the second, and still others discuss the third.

Be sure to give groups feedback about how accurately they responded.  In addition, make sure students explain their responses thoroughly so that you can tell when they are ready to do the independent practice on the next page.

Studying political cartoons is a great way to begin to think about visual arguments.  These cartoons are making an argument.  Look at the three cartoons in the attachment and, with a partner, analyze that argument by answering these questions.

• What ‘action’ is happening?
• What people, objects, or things are in the cartoon?
• What symbols are being used?
• What is the tone? (positive, negative)
• Does it show a ‘kind of globalization’? (social, political, economic, cultural, technological)
• What is the overall message and do you agree with it? Explain.

When you and your partner are finished, you will be sharing your responses with the class.

This assignment works well as a formative assessment that will tell you if students are ready to write a rhetorical analysis of a visual argument or if they need additional practice before they can write a formal paper.   

Use the attached checklist to assess whether students are ready to move on to the next lesson.  Items should only be checked off if the student has responded accurately and completely.  Students can be asked to resubmit their work if it does not meet the teacher's requirements.

The list of discussion questions was taken from this website:   Source

Now that you have practiced and received feedback, your assignment is to find a political cartoon of your own to analyze.  Copy the picture into a document and answer each of the questions.  Cite your source using the method your teacher assigns.

Questions for Analysis:

Version History

Political Cartoons: Then and Now

Students will analyze and share the history of a political cartoon and then create their own cartoon about a current event..

Apps: Wixie ® , Pixie ® , or Share ™

For over 250 years, political cartoons have used humor and exaggeration to reach people on a variety of topics, even if they can't read. Learn how to use this powerful communication tool as you explore a political cartoon from the past, share the history of its conception, and use what you have learned to create your own cartoon based on a current event.

Students have most likely seen a political cartoon, though they may confuse political cartoons with a single-panel illustration designed simply for humor. More than just a funny drawing, a political cartoon is a pointed commentary on a current event or the actions of a person or group in politics.

Show students Ben Franklin's “ Join or Die ” cartoon, but don't explain its meaning or origin.

Ask them if they have seen this image before. What do they think it might mean? Bring up Ben Franklin or the early American Colonies and see if that helps them recognize that the initials in the image represent colonies.

Franklin's “Join or Die” is generally acknowledged as the first political cartoon in America, published first on May 9, 1754 in Franklin's Pennsylvania Gazette. Franklin drew this image to generate support at the Albany Congress for his idea of an intercolonial association to respond to the threat of the Iroquois. “Join or Die,&rdquo and this image of the snake, quickly became symbolic of the cause of colonial unification.

Select a current political cartoon that reflects a recent topic or event your students are familiar with. You may also want to ask students to locate a political cartoon in a local paper or using an online source as a homework assignment. Project or distribute the cartoon so all students can view it. What historical moment does the comic depict? Ask students to share additional information they know or research about the topic or event.

What visual elements are present in the cartoon? Discuss what students can see and read in the cartoon. Explore how the cartoon uses caricature to enhance the meaning.

Provide students with analytical tools and questions they can use to decode and understand other political cartoons. The Library of Congress has a great cartoon analysis guide that discusses how political cartoonists use symbolism, exaggeration, labeling, analogy, and irony to communicate their point of view and message.

Have each student choose a time in history that interests them. Task them with the job of searching the web or exploring sites like Cartoons for the Classroom and About.com's Political Humor to find a specific cartoon they want to examine and analyze. If you are concerned about students' ability to analyze on their own, or if you want to provide additional support to students, have them work in small teams to choose and analyze a cartoon.

Distribute the National Archives Cartoon Analysis Guide to each student to help direct their analysis.

Have students use the information from the completed worksheet to create a 1-3 paragraph analysis of their political cartoon that could be used to help other students make sense of the illustration and the subject it depicts.

Have students launch Share and open the Cartoon Scrapbook template (Project>New>Templates>Social Studies). Students can click and drag the cartoon onto the image placeholder to add to the page. Once the image is added, they can use the resize handles to adjust its appearance. They can type or copy and paste their written analysis into the text box. You can also search for “political cartoon” in Wixie and assign this activity to your students.

The template also provides a page for students to draw their own political cartoon. You may choose to have them create another political cartoon depicting the same time period or select a current event or person as the subject for their satirical illustration. Students can use the clip art and drawing tools to make their caricatures and scene or import an image they illustrate on paper.

Students can use the text box below the image to summarize their work or to create a caption that supports the illustration.

You could also use political cartoons to explore a single historical period in greater depth. Instead of having individual students create their own scrapbooks, locate and assign a selection of political cartoons and have students work individually or in small teams to complete an analysis. Have students compile their work on the “example” page of the Share template and then click the Share button on the toolbar to combine everyone's work into a single class book!

Give each student or team an opportunity to present their analysis to the entire class or to small groups of students. You can also export student work as as ePubs you can share as a resource for other students. Click the Project button, Export as an ePub, and upload the files to your iBooks or Google Drive for distribution. If you don't use eReaders, you can instead export students' work as PDF files for easy sharing.

You can assess student's prior knowledge and analytical skills as you begin discussing Franklin's “Join or Die” cartoon. You can continue to evaluate their ability as you ask questions during their analysis of a current event and examine their individual exploration using the Cartoon Analysis worksheet from the National Archives.

Be sure to ask clarifying questions to ensure that students understand how author's/illustrator's use symbolism, exaggeration, analogy, and/or irony. You may find it necessary to revisit these terms, their definitions, and their applications.

During students' presentations of the completed analyses, ask the class to serve as evaluators of success. After a few students have shared, talk as a class about what makes a great cartoon and what constitutes an effective analysis.

Stephen Hess and Sandy Northrup. American Political Cartoons: The Evolution of a National Identity, 1754-2010 ISBN: 1412811198

THE CARTOON: By Herb Block

Political Cartoon Collection: About.com

The National Archives Cartoon Analysis Guide

Library of Congress: Political Cartoons in U.S. History

Library of Congress: It's No Laughing Matter

Cartoons for the Classroom: The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists

Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts Grades 6-8

Key Ideas and Details

2. Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.

Craft and Structure

6. Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author's point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

7. Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.

8. Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.

ISTE NETS for Students 2016:

6. Creative Communicator Students communicate clearly and express themselves creatively for a variety of purposes using the platforms, tools, styles, formats and digital media appropriate to their goals. Students:

a. choose the appropriate platforms and tools for meeting the desired objectives of their creation or communication.

b. create original works or responsibly repurpose or remix digital resources into new creations.

c. communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively by creating or using a variety of digital objects such as visualizations, models or simulations.

d. publish or present content that customizes the message and medium for their intended audiences.

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Political cartoon websites.

I.Political Cartoon Assignments:

When you are asked to submit a political cartoon for current events, there are always two questions you must answer:

1.  What is the issue presented in the cartoon?

2.  What is the cartoonists point of view?

II.Where to find political cartoons online:

About Political Humor:

http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/economiccartoons/

Mark Fiore's Animated Political Cartoons:

http://www.markfiore.com/animation/gaymarriage.html

New York Times Political Cartoons:

http://www.nytimes.com/pages/cartoons/

Cox and Forkum Political Cartoons:

http://www.coxandforkum.com/

III. For Your Information:

Additional websites on the history of cartoons as a political medium as well as very famous cartoons in American history are available under "My Favorite Links" on the navigation bar.

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Analyzing political cartoons -- middle grades.

Political cartoons are an excellent way to assess the popular culture of a particular time period. This lesson will combine history and language arts by asking students to examine various political cartoons in order to analyze point of view, symbolism, analogy, captions/labels, and irony, as is recommended in Pennsylvania’s Core Standards.

This lesson also will help students use their critical thinking skills to understand various historical events and, at the end of the lesson, students will have the opportunity to create their own cartoon. HSP has hundreds of political cartoons so if you find that you would like to use more, feel free to contact us for a full list of age appropriate cartoons for your classroom.

Essential Questions

Students will:

• Learn how to analyze political cartoons.
• Apply figures of speech such as Exaggeration, Irony, Analogy, and Symbolism.
• Understand the author’s point of view.
• Determine the importance of the historical moment.

Other Materials

Common Uses of Symbolism in Political Cartoons Workshee t Political Cartoon Analysis Worksheet

Suggested Instructional Procedures

1. To begin this lesson, it is important to discuss each of the vocabulary for analysis. These vocabulary words are set up to help your students determine the author’s point of view. You can use the examples given or come up with your own as you see fit. If your students have never seen some of the vocabulary words, this will probably take a little longer, yet for students who are already familiar with the terms this will work as a refresher.

2. Next, go over with the students the vocabulary for historical context. These are people or terms that will show up in the political cartoons; therefore, they should at least know the bare minimum. This way, when they see the words or names, they have enough background knowledge to understand the picture. It will be best for each student to be given a handout with the historical content necessary so that he or she can refer to it while observing the cartoons.

3. Now, explore the Common Symbolism worksheet with students. This will help them grasp common themes that will pop up in political cartoons, such as donkeys representing the Democratic Party, elephants representing the Republican Party, and rats representing dirt or filth, etc.

4. Once the students have sufficient background knowledge, you can display the political cartoons. Have the students take out their Political Cartoons Analysis worksheet and fill out a row for each cartoon. Make sure to walk students through the first cartoon, pointing out how each of the vocabulary is used in the cartoon.

5. By cartoon two or three, begin to let students write out on their own the symbolism, irony, point of view, exaggeration, and analogy that they find in the cartoons. By the end, they should be able to work independently to figure out what the cartoon is depicting, using their vocabulary and common symbolism worksheets as a guide. After students finish their independent assessment of a couple cartoons, present the findings with the class to make sure students understood.

6. As a final objective, ask students, individually or in pairs, to create a cartoon of their own which expresses their point of view on a specific topic. This final objective can be historical, relating to the topics in the cartoons, or something from their everyday life. For example, ask them how they would use symbolism to show things in their everyday life, such as “Cleaning their room,”  “Lunchtime at school,” or “Snow Day,” just to give a couple of topic examples.  Also, you could ask them to create a cartoon that talks about a specific topic in history that was being discussed such as the Civil War or a Presidential election etc.

Vocabulary needed for analysis: Symbolism: Something that stands for something else. For example, a heart can be a symbol for love. Irony : Words that mean that opposite of their usual meaning, for Example, a bald man named “Harry.” Analogy: Comparison between two different things that may have similar characteristics. For example, he is as loyal as a dog or she runs as fast as a cheetah. Exaggeration: Making something seem more that it really is, for example, telling your parents that if you do not get the toy you want, it will be the ‘end of the world.’ Inference: Conclusions reached based upon reasoning and evidence.  For example, if I draw a picture of a bug with a big red X over it, based on the evidence from the picture you could infer that I do not like bugs.

Vocabulary for Historical Context : Abraham Lincoln: 16th president of the United States (1861-65). He was the president during the Civil War and he signed the Emancipation Proclamation that emancipated the slaves. Jefferson Davis: President of the South (confederacy) during the Civil War from 1861-65. William Taft: President of the United States from 1909-1913. Known for being a very large man. Woodrow Wilson: United States Democratic President after Taft (1913-1921). He is sometimes depicted as weak in political cartoons due to his views on maintaining neutrality rather than entering World War I. George McClellan: A General for the North during the Civil War. He believed in preserving the union first. Inauguration: A ceremony that begins a president’s term in office. Secession: Withdrawing or removing yourself from membership, usually withdrawing from membership in a government. For example, the southern states seceded from the Union during the civil war to form the Confederate States of America. Garfield: President of the United States (1881), yet only briefly because he was assassinated.  

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Alicia Parks, Education Intern, Historical Society of Pennsylvania

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Social Science Teacher Pitman High School 2024-25 at Turlock Unified School District

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9/9/2024 5:00 PM Pacific

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The Turlock Unified School District is located in the heart of the Central Valley in Turlock, CA, and was established over a hundred years ago in 1906. With 14,000+ students in TUSD and nearly 1,500 staff, our strength is in our diverse, neighborhood schools. Each school engages our learners in variety of unique and innovative ways including Two-Way Immersion Academies, Career Technical Education, NJROTC, Advanced Placement, GATE, music, STEM/STEAM, and much more. We look forward to sharing our unique TUSD story with you and encourage you to explore our website and follow us on social media.

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