War Time Propaganda: American Posters of the Great War
This lesson correlates with students' study of the World War I period. In particular, students will examine wartime propaganda, in the form of posters that appeared on the home front digitized in the Documenting the American South's North Carolina and the Great War collection.
A lesson plan for grades 8 and 11–12 Social Studies
Learn more
Related pages
- North Carolina living through photos, then and now: Students will examine historical photographs of North Carolinians at work or in social settings. They will develop and share skills of “reading” photographs. Then they will use these skills to identify “historical clues” in a photo, and draw their own version of the same person or people in North Carolina today.
- Group Presentations-Mid 1800's Reform Era-U.S.: Students will work in groups to present information on the reforms of the mid 1800's. Topics could include the Unitarians, abolition, women's rights, growth in education, treatment of the mentally ill, temperance, and utopian communities.
Related topics
- Learn more about North America and social studies.
Legal
This page copyright ©2008. Terms of use
Learning outcomes
Students will be able to identify propaganda related to World War and discuss its impact on society.
Students will learn more about issues related to the American war effort between 1914 and 1918.
Teacher planning
Time required for lesson
15 minutes
Materials/resources
Copies of the WWI poster handout.
Technology resources
Internet access and a LCD projector overhead transparencies can also be made.
Pre-activities
As a class, determine a working definition of propaganda which includes its purposes and uses.
Activities
Display any number of posters for the class via the Internet connected to a LCD project or on pre-created overheads. Have students complete the handout as they view the posters. Note: The handout has a space for 6 posters.
Assessment
Collect the handouts for a daily, participation grade and/or return to the original definition of propaganda and engage students in a class discussion.
Supplemental information
Ask students to bring in examples of current day propaganda.
Related websites
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
Social Studies (2003)
Grade 8
- Goal 5: The learner will evaluate the impact of political, economic, social, and technological changes on life in North Carolina from 1870 to 1930.
- Objective 5.06: Describe North Carolina's reaction to the increasing United States involvement in world affairs including participation in World War I, and evaluate the impact on the state's economy.
Grades 11–12 — United States History
- Goal 8: The Great War and Its Aftermath (1914-1930) - The learner will analyze United States involvement in World War I and the war's influence on international affairs during the 1920's.
- Objective 8.03: Assess the political, economic, social, and cultural effects of the war on the United States and other nations.
