Teaching the Cold War Era Through Political Cartoons

Leadership and Change

TEACHING THE COLD WAR ERA THROUGH POLITICAL CARTOONS

Amanda Dargan, City Lore, and

Julie Maurer, Gotham Center for NYC History, presenters

Leadership and Change is a Teaching American History Grant from the U.S. Department of Education awarded to the New York City Department of Education. Cultural partners include City Lore, Gotham Center for NYC History, Museum of the City of New York, and New York Public Library. Brian Carlin, Project Director

CARTOON CAPTION CONTEST:

ANALYZING COLD WAR ERA POLITICAL CARTOONS

OVERVIEW: This workshop is inspired by The New Yorker magazine’s cartoon caption contest. Working in pairs, participants will analyze and interpret a political cartoon from the Cold War Era in the United States. They will identify the message and persuasive techniques used by the cartoonist and write a caption that expresses the cartoon’s central message and point of view.

COMMON CORE STANDARDS ADDRESSED

Key Ideas and Details:

1.  Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.

2.  Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source.

Craft and Structure:

6. Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author’s point of

view.

LEARNING GOALS:

·  Participants will practice skills of observation and interpretation by analyzing Cold War Era political cartoons

·  Participants will site textual evidence to support their analysis of the persuasive strategies used by the cartoonist to express his/her point of view

MATERIALS

·  selected Cold War Era political cartoons

·  cartoon analysis instructions

·  cartoon analysis worksheets

·  chart paper, post-it notes

INSTRUCTIONAL PLAN

Step 1. Model Analysis of a Cold War Era political cartoon (15 min.)

-- Whole group analyzes a political cartoon, identifies main

message, persuasive techniques

-- Small Groups (each table) table offers a possible caption

Step 2. Analyze a Cold War Era political cartoon (15 min.)

-- Pairs select a Cold War Era political cartoon from the

packet to observe and analyze.

-- Using the Cartoon Analysis Worksheets, pairs observe

the cartoon carefully and identify the persuasive

techniques used, supported by evidence from the cartoon.

-- Participants respond to questions in the Cartoon Analysis

Worksheets and make inferences supported by evidence from the

the cartoon about cartoonist’s central message and point of view.

Step 3. Write a caption that expresses the central message and

point of view of the cartoon. (20 min.)

-- Pairs write a caption or title on a post-it note that conveys

the cartoon’s central message.

-- Pairs share their captions with the whole group and discuss

possible uses in the classroom. Possible discussion questions:

-- What did we learn from this activity?

-- What skills were required to do this activity successfully?

-- In what ways did our focus on persuasive techniques shape your

observation and analysis of the cartoon?

-- In what ways did writing your own caption before reading the

original caption shape your analysis and interpretation of the

cartoon?

-- How might you adapt this to your social studies content or to your

students?

-- How might you extend this activity in another lesson?

Step 4. Gallery Walk (10 min.)

-- Pairs post their captions on the poster paper with the

corresponding cartoon.

-- All participants take a gallery walk to read the captions for

each cartoon, putting a check mark next to the one that

they feel best expresses the cartoon’s message.

-- Facilitator reads the posted captions and original caption for

each cartoon. Announces caption contest winners.

CARTOON CAPTION INSTRUCTIONS

1.  Working in pairs, select a Cold War Era political cartoon from the envelope on your table.

2.  Using the Cartoon Analysis Guide and Worksheet, look at the cartoon carefully and identify the persuasive strategies used by the cartoonist with an example of each strategy.

3.  Respond to the remaining questions on the worksheet.

4.  Write a caption or title on a post-it note that conveys the cartoon’s message. A good caption is concise and should enhance the cartoon’s message.

5.  Write your names on the back of the post-it and post your caption on the appropriate poster for your cartoon.

6.  Read the posted captions for each cartoon and check the one that you feel best expresses the cartoon’s main message.

Cartoon Analysis Questions

1.  What persuasive techniques does the cartoonist use? Include evidence for each technique you identify.

2. What subject or issue does the cartoon address?

3.  What can you infer about the cartoonist’s opinion, or point of view, on this issue?

4.  What is the central message of the cartoon?

5.  What other opinion can you imagine another person having on this issue?

6.  Did you find this cartoon persuasive? Why or why not?

Adapted from a Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Documents lesson:

www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/activities/political-cartoon/

POLITICAL CARTOONS FROM THE COLD WAR ERA

www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/herblock/

www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/valtman/presentation/html

www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/herblock/

www.multimedialearningllc.wordpress.com/category/teacher-resources/political-cartoon-classroom-resources/

www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/herblock/

POLITICAL CARTOON RESOURCES

Books

John Adler. Doomed by Cartoon: How Cartoonist Thomas Nast and the New York Times Brought Down Boss Tweed and His Ring of Thieves.

Morgan James, 2008.

Donald Dewey. The Art of Ill Will: The Story of American Political Cartoons. NYU Press, 2008.

Roger Fischer. Them Dammed Pictures: Explorations in American Political Cartoon Art. Archer Books, l996.

Stephen Hess. American Political Cartoons, l754-2010: The Evolution of a National Identity. Transaction Publishers, 2010.

J. G. Lewin. Lines of Contention: Political Cartoons of the Civil War. Harper Paperbacks, 2007.

Web

www.harpweek.com

www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/herblock/

“It’s No Laughing Matter: Analyzing Political Cartoons”

www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/activities/political-cartoon/

Victor S. Navasky. “Why are Political Cartoons Incendiary?”

www.nytimes.com/2011/11/13/opinion/sunday/why-are-political-cartoons-incendiary.html

www.teachinghistory.org