Exploring political cartoons
Curriculum areas: Australian history, media, arts
Years: 8–12
Key curriculum links: Time, Continuity and Change; Culture; Natural and Social Systems; Investigation, Communication and Participation.
Linked to the National Museum's 2002 political cartooning competition and the exhibition, Bringing the House Down 2002, this unit of work asks students to examine and analyse a number of political cartoons by learning how to 'read' cartoons.
The student activities included in this unit includes the following topics:
- What is a 'political cartoon'?
- Identifying the 'target' of a cartoon
- Analysing the style of a cartoon
- Working out the message of a cartoon
- Should there be a limit to what cartoonists can say?
- The emotional appeal of cartoons
- Cartoons and democracy
- Political cartoons (PDF 706.6 KB)
Black and white
