Tom Toles Editorial Cartoon By US Embassy Sweden [CC BY 2.0  (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0) or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The Basics:

  1. Ask learner if they know what an editorial cartoon is. (Define if needed)
  2. Provide an editorial cartoon
  3. Ask learner questions about cartoon
    1. What is the setting of the cartoon?
    2. Do the characters in the drawing represent famous people, or symbols?  
    3. What is the main point of the cartoon?
  4. Provide additional information about understanding and interpreting editorial cartoons
    1. Find the cartoon’s topic by reading is titles, headline, labels, and dialogue.
    2. Relate the cartoon to a topic in the news.
    3. Visit the Learning Network from the NY times for a lesson on analyzing political cartoons.

The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists is where you can find weekly lessons using current editorial cartoons, from Newspapers in Education and the American Association of Editorial Cartoonists.

For more information and ideas about using editorial cartoons in your lessons, visit Proliteracy Notebook Fall 2018