Day 4: Political Cartoon Analysis

Standards

4 – G4.0.1 Use a case study or story about migration within or to the United States to identify push and pull factors (why they left, why they came) that influenced the migration.
4 – P4.2.2 Participate in projects to help or inform others.

Outcomes

● Students will be able to identify push factors that influenced migration from Detroit in 1967-1974.
● Students will be able to compose a political cartoon of their own.

Assessment

● Students will complete an exit ticket in which they identify 2 push factors from Detroit.
● Students will create a political cartoon using at least one of the artifacts used in previous lessons to express their opinion on an issue in order to share with their peers.

Instructional Sequence

 

Introduction – Engaging Students, Activating Prior Knowledge, and Setting Lesson Goals (10 minutes needed)

Review Previous Lesson(s)

  • Teacher will begin by asking students to recall the content of the previous lessons, focusing primarily on the events we discussed occurring in Detroit. 
    • “Today, we are going to begin to shift our thinking. We have learned a great deal about what has occurred in Detroit in recent years and how that led us to where we are now. Using some new artifacts, we are going to be learning about a tool used to share information and make comments about current events and after hearing from Detroit residents and seeing what they felt about certain redevelopment plans, you will be sharing your own thoughts and personal opinions through a political cartoon about the events in Detroit.”

Introduce KWL Chart

  • Next, pass out the KWL Charts and give time for students to fill out the K column only [What I Know] on political cartoons. Students should complete this column independently. Ask guiding questions including, “Have you ever seen a political cartoon?” “What is the purpose of a political cartoon?” “What does a political cartoon tell its reader?”

Instructional Sequence: Engaging Students in Actively Constructing Deep Understanding (40 minutes needed)

 

What are Political Cartoons?
  • After completing the KWL chart on political cartoons, introduce students to the form of expression through the show YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXeBfG8CrF4 [SKIP 1:55-2:32]
    • “Now that we have brainstormed what we may think political cartoons will be and have identified some things we wonder about them, let’s watch this short clip from VOA news. In the video, we will meet Pulitzer-Prize-winning cartoonist Matt Wuerker who talks about the elements of a political cartoon and what they are used for.”
    • After the video, guide students through filling out the ‘L’ portion of the KWL chart, making sure to point out important points mentioned. Use the below questions to help guide students.
  • Ask students:
  • “Are political cartoons about serious or silly topics?” Serious topics, silly pictures
  • “What is an advantage of political cartoons?” Being able to communicate something quickly
  • “When reading a political cartoon should you focus on the illustrations or the words?” Both! The illustrations in a cartoon matter just as much as the words. Like in a graphic novel.
  • “How can political cartoons be used to tell history?" They can give an insight into opinions about certain events (political or not) happening during the times they were made.
Analyze the Artifacts (Political Cartoon and community flyer)
  •  “For today’s lesson in our Rebirth of Detroit unit, we are going to focus on a development project called University City. The summer after the civil unrest, in 1967, Wayne State University wanted to widen its campus so they began buying damaged or abandoned buildings around the neighborhood. However, this redevelopment process would cause many residents to be kicked out of their homes and forced to relocate in order for the University to complete its plan.”
    • “You may be asking yourselves what political cartoons have to do with our exploration of Detroit and the rebirth movement. Well, you all just told me that they can give us insight into opinions held about certain events at the time they were drawn; so, that’s exactly what we are going to do today! You will use what you learned about political cartoons to analyze one created by residents of Detroit about University City II. You will also analyze a flyer made by the local residents using your artifact-analysis skills you’ve developed throughout the week.”
    • Have the students work in their table groups (4-5 students) to analyze the artifacts. Give each group a copy of each artifact and give each student a copy of the cartoon analysis worksheet. Display on the board other inquiry questions students should discuss while analysing both the cartoon and the flyer. Have students record these findings in their notebooks along with on the worksheet.
  • Further Inquiry Questions:
  1. Who made this document? Who did they make it for?
  2. What is the item?
  3. Where did it come from?
  4. Where was it created?
  5. When was it made?
  6.  Why was it made?
  7. What is this political cartoon telling us?
  8.  What sticks out to you?
  9. What do you find important in this cartoon?
  10. How does the cartoon and flyer connect? Does one help explain the other?

Before students begin working, go over the worksheet and inquiry questions with them. “Using this analysis guide for the political cartoon and the questions displayed on the board, your groups will thoroughly examine the two artifacts and arrive at various conclusions while answering these questions.”

Discussion/Debrief

Call students’ attention back to you using an attention getter/call. In a whole-class discussion format, walk through both artifacts, reviewing student findings and explaining anything they may have missed or misunderstood.

  1. Ask for specific responses to certain questions such as “Why was it made?” or “How does the cartoon and flyer connect?”
  2. Allow students to share their own opinions on the issues covered by the artifacts.
  3. Have students discuss how successful they think the cartoon was with its intended purpose.

Once students have shared all of their ideas, let them know that the artifacts were successful!

  1. “Everything you all have identified throughout your analysis made these artifacts useful in the residents’ fight to save their homes and neighborhoods. Opposition from local community groups forced the development’s scope to change and University City II ultimately fell short of its goals.”
  2. “How cool is it that with a simple cartoon and a basic flyer we were able to learn so much information about the plans for University City II? By looking at the artifacts with a historical lens, you all were able to gain knowledge on the resident’s personal feelings about the development plans and see both sides of the issue. Even though transforming abandoned buildings and expanding Wayne State’s campus sounds like a great idea for students and the city, those buildings are a part of people’s neighborhoods and by expanding it was actually forcing others to move from their homes. Also, as we heard the political cartoonist, Matt Weurker, mention in the video, political cartoons can be very powerful and this one definitely was because the development was never successful due to the residents’ opposition.”
  3.  “Throughout this unit so far we have discussed how migration within Michigan has been shown in the city of Detroit. An aspect of migration is the reasoning behind the movement of people. There are usually reasons why people move from one area to another and we refer to this as push and pull factors. Does anyone have an idea about what these terms mean?
  4. Push factors relate to reasons why people would leave the current place they are in and pull factors describe reasons why they would want to go somewhere else. Using the knowledge you gained from analyzing the political cartoon and the community flyer I want you all to think about the pull factors that played a role in the University City II development plan. Why would some of the residents we discussed leave Detroit, what was the University City II plan going to do that affected the residents?”

Before students move on to the next activity, have them complete the ‘artifact analysis exit ticket’, which will ask them to identify 2 push factors from Detroit to other areas in Michigan using what they learned while analyzing the artifacts.

  1. Look for responses such as:
    • The University was forcing them out of their homes. They were victims of “urban removal.
    • The University was broadening its borders and taking away parts of their neighborhoods.

Their voices were not being heard concerning what they wanted for their neighborhood.

Political Cartoon Activity
  1. “Now, you will work to create your own political cartoon about one of the topics, people, events or issues that we have learned about in class so far. You can use whatever outlet you choose to create your cartoon. I have blank paper, construction paper and graph paper or if you prefer you can use your Chromebooks and create a cartoon digitally.”
  2. “Before we get started let's go over the key elements of a political cartoon:
  • Symbolism - using an object to stand for an idea.
  • Caricature - exaggerating a physical feature or habit: big nose, bushy eyebrows, large ears, baldness.
  • Captioning and labels - used for clarity and emphasis.
  • Analogy - a comparison between two unlike things that share some characteristics.
  • Irony - the difference between the way things are and the way things should be or the way things are expected to be.
  • Juxtaposition - positioning people or objects near each other, side-by-side.
  • Exaggeration - overstating or magnifying a problem.

 “Use what you learned from the video we watched earlier and keep in mind the inquiry questions you were able to answer when analyzing the University City II artifacts. Your cartoons should be able to answer most of them for the topic that you choose. Ok, if you are clear on what we are doing, give me a thumbs up? Great, let’s get started!”

● “Let's take about 15 mins or so to create and then we can share your cartoons. I will be walking around if you need any help.”

 

Closure –Summarizing and Synthesizing Students’ Learning 10 minutes needed


I. Regroup and Share Political Cartoon Activity
“Everyone hold up your political cartoons and let me see them! Those look awesome! Would anyone like to share theirs in front of the class?

“How did you use some key elements we talked about earlier in your work?”

  • Show students the list of key elements discussed during the lesson and allow them to explain it.
  • Allow 3-4 students to share their political cartoons.

II. Compare and Contrast different Political Cartoons

  • “After looking at some different cartoons, did you see anything in common? Did you notice anything different within the 3-4 we saw?”
    • From the students that shared theirs with the class, have the class quickly compare and contrast what is the same in the cartoons and what is different.
  • “Those were some awesome findings in looking at the different political cartoons and pointing out what is the same and what is different. Tomorrow, our big focus will be on the Renaissance Center and Little Caesars Arena in Detroit so keep those good detective eyes open for all the comparing and contrasting we will have to do!”

 

Resources