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Causes
of the American Revolution:
Interpreting Political Cartoons
Project URL:
www.ccsd.edu/web/elementary/link/LMS/RocklandRev/
rockland_county_during_the_revol.htm
How it works:
This project is unique because students analyze historical documents
and interpret political cartoons from the American Revolutionary War
period to determine the causes of the conflict. They access websites
for background information and learn how to interpret political
cartoons. The students use higher-order thinking skills to determine
if the information presented in the cartoons is accurate, what the
colonists thought about the events of the period, and how political
cartoons were used to inflame the citizens. This DBQ (Document-Based
Question) project
illustrates how the founding fathers used propaganda to persuade and
incite the colonists to revolt against England.
Standards addressed:
Students listen, speak, read, and write for information and
understanding as well as critical analysis and evaluation; use a
variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of
major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in the
history of the United States and New York State; and access, generate,
process, and transfer information using appropriate technologies.
Materials
used:
A computer with Internet access and word processing software is
required.
The students:
Causes of the American Revolution: Interpreting Political
Cartoons is designed for fourth grade social studies students
of various levels of achievement and learning abilities. It can easily
be
extended to higher grade levels. Prior to beginning, students should be familiar with navigating the Internet and working with word-processing
applications. The students can work independently, cooperatively, or
as a class.
Overall value:
Students use primary sources to determine the causes leading up to the
events of a critical period in American history and use critical
thinking skills to interpret and analyze political cartoons. The
students realize the importance of primary sources in writing accurate
accounts of history. They access websites for background information.
In addition, this project prepares students for the Document-Based
Question portion of the New York State Fifth Grade Social Studies
Assessment.
Tips:
Prior to presenting this project, teachers should give a mini-lesson on the
purpose of political cartoons and how to interpret them.
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About the teacher:
Dorothea A. Johnson, Library Media Specialist, has been teaching
grades K-5 at Link Elementary School for nine years. She is also an
educational technology instructor in the Clarkstown School District.
Her background in library science, broadcast news, and social studies
education enables her to design information literacy lessons that are
creative and stimulate students to think critically.
E-mail:
djohnson@ccsd.edu
Subject Areas:
Social Studies
Language Arts
Technology
Grade Levels:
4-11
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