Analyzing the stylistic choices of political cartoonists
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=923
A lesson plan for grade 9 English Language Arts
Students evaluate comics and political cartoons in this lesson. After students explore an historical political cartoon as a class, they learn to identify the parts of cartoons using an interactive online comic tutorial. Then, in groups, students analyze the elements of several cartoons and discuss why cartoonists may have used selected techniques. After sharing their analyses with the class, students work independently to complete a political cartoon analysis using technology and resources provided by Readwritethink. The teacher discusses copyright and documentation issues and the importance of including complete citations for the project. Once students have completed the assignment, they work in pairs to evaluate their peers’ work and to revise anything that needs additional explanation. Finally, students meet in small groups to describe the techniques of at least one cartoon and cartoonist they studied. Readwritethink provides links to websites that explain elements of comics, a project assignment sheet, several graphic organizers, and assessment tools. In addition to suggesting extension activities, this lesson offers links to several helpful web resources.
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
English Language Arts (2004)
Grade 9
- Goal 3: The learner will examine argumentation and develop informed opinions.
- Objective 3.04: Demonstrate the ability to read, listen to and view a variety of increasingly complex print and non-print argumentative texts appropriate to grade level and course literary focus, by:
- selecting, monitoring, and modifying as necessary reading strategies appropriate to readers' purpose.
- identifying and analyzing text components (such as organizational structures, story elements, organizational features) and evaluating their impact on the text.
- providing textual evidence to support understanding of and reader's response to text.
- demonstrating comprehension of main idea and supporting details.
- summarizing key events and/or points from text.
- making inferences, predicting, and drawing conclusions based on text.
- identifying and analyzing personal, social, historical or cultural influences, contexts, or biases.
- making connections between works, self and related topics.
- analyzing and evaluating the effects of author's craft and style.
- analyzing and evaluating the connections or relationships between and among ideas, concepts, characters and/or experiences.
- identifying and analyzing elements of argumentative environment found in text in light of purpose, audience, and context.
- Objective 3.04: Demonstrate the ability to read, listen to and view a variety of increasingly complex print and non-print argumentative texts appropriate to grade level and course literary focus, by:
