what’s so funny? using political cartoons in the classroom nccss 2015 annemarie walter angela...

What’s So Funny?Using Political Cartoons in the Classroom

NCCSS 2015AnneMarie Walter

Angela JohnsonRachel Tallent

What are Primary Sources?

• An original item or record that has survived from the past and was part of a direct personal experience of a time or event.

Political Cartoons as Primary Sources• An original item or record that has survived from

the past and was part of a direct personal experience of a time or event.

Long ago past

Political Cartoons as Primary Sources• An original item or record that has survived from

the past and was part of a direct personal experience of a time or event.

Recent past

Persuasive Techniques:

• Symbolism the practice of representing

things by symbols, or of investing things with a symbolic meaning or character. – Symbol - - something used

for or regarded as representing something else; a material object representing something, often something immaterial; emblem, token, or sign.

Persuasive Techniques:

• Bias- - a particular

tendency or inclination, especially one that prevents unprejudiced consideration of a question; prejudice.

Persuasive Techniques:

• Irony - - the use of words to

convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning; or undercuts its literal meaning.

Persuasive Techniques:

• Caricature - - a picture, description, or

imitation of a person or thing in which certain striking characteristics are exaggerated in order to create a comic or grotesque effect.

• Stereotype - - A vastly oversimplified

view of a group

Persuasive Techniques:

• Exaggeration • - - magnified beyond

the limits of truth; overstated; represent disproportionately.

Persuasive Techniques:

• Labeling• - - a short word or

phrase descriptive of a person, group, intellectual movement, etc.

Cartoon analysis

http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/activities/political-cartoon/index.html

Hands-on ActivityUse the stickers to point to the persuasive techniques in your cartoon.

What’s So Funny?

• Why do students need to have a body of knowledge about a cartoon’s topic in order to be able to interpret a cartoon?

What’s So Funny?

• What are some of the ways you can support students in obtaining that knowledge?

What’s So Funny?

• Why do you think that we are looking at cartoons from recent history in this activity rather than cartoons from, say, the 18th Century?

What’s So Funny?

• What are some factors that you will use when choosing cartoons for use in your classroom?

Motives for Imperialism

Motives for Imperialism

Motives for Imperialism

Why Use Primary Sources?

• Engage Students– Help student relate in a personal way to events

of the past– Promote deeper understanding of history as a

series of human events– Encourage students to seek additional evidence

through research– First person accounts of events make them

more real.

Why Use Primary Sources?

• Develop Critical Thinking Skills– Requires students to be both critical & analytical– Primary sources are often incomplete and have

little context. Student must use prior knowledge and work with multiple primary sources to find patterns

– Questions of creator bias, purpose and point of view may challenge students’ assumptions.

Why Use Primary Sources?

• Construct Knowledge– Encourage student to wrestle with

contradictions & compare multiple sources, confronting the complexity of the past.

– Form reasoned conclusions based on evidence, connect primary sources to the context, synthesizing information from multiple sources

– Integrate new knowledge with prior knowledge to deepen understanding.

Library of Congress

What’s So Funny?

• AnneMarie Walter awalter@mhu.edu– Summer Institute– Online classes– Workshops at your school

• Rachel Tallent rtallent@lincoln.k12.nc.us• Angela Johnson ajohnson2@lincoln.k12.nc.us

All materials are posted to www.mhu.edu/tps