Drawing the news Year level: 5 6

Transcription

1 Drawing the news Year level: 5 6 R9983 'Dr Jekyll and Mrs Hyde' by Judy Horacek, With permission of Judy Horacek. Artwork by Judy Horacek. About the unit Unit description In this unit of work, students identify and explain the subject, target, style, symbol, tone and captioning components of various political cartoons. They recognise points of view, themes and issues as explored by different Australian cartoonists. Students use digital and traditional learning tools to creatively and critically respond to situations, people and events as they are represented in Australian political cartoons. Knowledge, understandings, skills, values Students identify, describe and explain the key features of a political cartoon. Students explain the themes and issues presented in a range of political cartoons and recognise their points of view. Students use ICT-based activities and speaking, writing and composing activities to demonstrate their understanding of political cartoons. Focus questions What are the features of a political cartoon? What themes and issues can political cartoons explore? Who are influenced by political cartoons? Drawing the news 1

2 Resources Digital curriculum resources A collection of cartoons for the introductory student activity: R10021 'Kevin 07' cartoon by Mark Knight, 2007 R10011 'Jack and Jill' cartoon by Judy Horacek, 1992 R10008 'Nice Day at the Beach' cartoon by John Tiedemann, 2005 R10216 'The Bali ten & eleven' cartoon by Matt Golding, 2006 R9983 'Dr Jekyll and Mrs Hyde' by Judy Horacek, 1991 R10015 'Bananas' cartoon by John Farmer, 2006 R10230 'Stop' cartoon by Simon Letch, 2007 R10214 'Castles in the air' cartoon by Paul Newman, 2007 Internet sites Information and images Cartoonist Alan Moir s site with ten free cartooning lessons: National Museum of Australia website: (search for political cartoons ) Picture Australia website: (search for political cartoons ) Interview with cartoonist Geoff Pryor: (search for political cartoons Geoff Pryor interview ) Interviews and examples of current political cartoons on the ABC TV Insiders program: (select the Talking pictures link) Interview with politician Joe Hockey about the impact cartooning has on the subject and the target: (search for Joe Hockey ) Interview with cartoonist Bruce Petty about techniques when drawing Australian political figures: (search for Bruce Petty cartooning techniques ) Interview with cartoonist Bruce Petty about the effects of satire and cartoons: (search for the effect of cartoons ) Interview with cartoonist David Pope about turning an idea into a cartoon: (search for developing cartoon themes ) Interview with cartoonist David Pope about the role and influence of political cartoons: (search for the role of cartoons ) Interview with cartoonist David Pope explaining the process of developing his cartoon The environmental bandwagon : (search for the environmental bandwagon ) Drawing the lines cartooning competition run by the National Museum of Australia: (search for drawing the lines) Drawing the news 2

3 Online tools and applications Collaborative audio tool such as VoiceThread: Online survey-making tool such as Survey Monkey: Online tool to create your own cartoon such as ToonDoo: Online interactive poster-making tool that captures image, text, video and audio, such as Glogster: Software Image editing tool such as IrfanView, GIMP, Photoshop, Picasa, Picnik or Paint Attached resources The following learning resources referred to in the unit of work are available for you to modify, print and use in your own teaching and learning context. Printable resources Key elements of a political cartoon Subject: asylum seekers Target: Peter Garrett Symbol Annotating a cartoon Survey PowerPoints What is a political cartoon? Caricature Style Symbol Drawing the news 3

4 Teaching the unit Setting the scene Resources A collection of cartoons for introductory student activity (as listed on page 2) What is a political cartoon? (PowerPoint) Caricature (PowerPoint) Key elements of a political cartoon (page 11) Interview with cartoonist David Pope about turning an idea into a cartoon: (search for developing cartoon themes ) Cartoonist Alan Moir s site with ten free cartooning lessons: Teaching and learning activities What is a political cartoon? Break the class into small groups and give each group a different cartoon from the list of resources on page 2. Ask students to note the who, what, when, where and why of the cartoon and share their findings with the class. Students can verbally report their findings or annotate an image of the cartoon using an IWB, depending on available resources. Ask students to work in pairs to answer the question What is a cartoon?. Pair responses should be shared with the class. Explain that this unit of work is going to explore a particular type of cartoon: the political cartoon. Students visit the Screen Australia digital learning website and view the two-minute David Pope interview about turning an idea into a cartoon: (search for developing cartoon themes ). Use the What is a political cartoon? PowerPoint to discuss the following questions as a whole class. What is a political cartoon? Where do we find political cartoons? What functions do political cartoons serve? Have students discuss and describe cartoon 1 (description notes included in the What is a political cartoon? PowerPoint). Hand out Key elements of a political cartoon (page 11). Read through it with the class or revisit it as appropriate in the investigating phase of this unit of work. Using the Caricature PowerPoint, have students deconstruct and analyse different caricatures of former prime minister Kevin Rudd as an explicit teaching strategy. After all caricatures have been examined, discuss which is the best caricature. Why? Have students select an Australian identity. Ask them to draw a caricature of that person and annotate their drawing, explaining the choices they have made. Drawing the news 4

5 Extension activities Have students visit Alan Moir s website and complete his ten free cartooning lessons. Students can select current issues to present in cartoon form. Assessment Student responses to annotating a caricature would be good material for formative assessment. Investigating Resources Style (PowerPoint) Symbol (PowerPoint) Subject: asylum seekers (page 12) Target: Peter Garrett (pages 13 15) Symbol (pages 16 18) Interview with politician Joe Hockey about the impact cartooning has on the subject and the target: National Museum of Australia interactive activities: (search for political cartoons: interactive activities ) Collection of political cartoons: Interviews and examples of current political cartoons: Teaching and learning activities Analysing key features of a cartoon Subject Class reviews the definition of subject as provided in Key elements of a political cartoon (page 11). In Subject: asylum seekers (page 12), the teacher can use the first cartoon to explicitly model a simple sentence structure answer. Students can then work in pairs to closely examine the second cartoon on the sheet and identify what the cartoonist is saying about the subject. The whole class can then participate in a short teacher-led discussion about which cartoon communicates its idea or perspective more effectively. Target As a class, review the concept of target as provided in Key elements of a political cartoon (page 11). Then students can view the Satire and democracy clip from the Screen Australia Digital Resource Finder, in which politician Joe Hockey talks about the impact cartooning has on the subject and the target. (Go to: and search for Joe Hockey.) Students use Target: Peter Garrett (pages 13 15) to practise identifying and writing about some of the key elements of a political cartoon. Teachers may decide, through informal assessment of students, to model writing about the first of the three cartoons presented on the worksheet. Drawing the news 5

6 Style Show students each cartoon in the Style PowerPoint and discuss their context. Ask students to select words to describe the drawing style of each cartoon. Then lead the students in a discussion. Do you think the drawing style is important to a cartoon? How might the style reinforce or alter the message of the cartoonist? Symbolism Use the Symbol PowerPoint to model analysing and writing about symbol in cartoons. Use the printable resource Symbol (pages 16 18) for semi-scaffolded and independent work opportunities for students. Analysing more cartoons Use the National Museum of Australia interactive activities: (search for political cartoons: interactive activities ). This activity looks at the context and the source of different cartoons and asks students to categorise them according to their focus, style, attitude, mood, target, symbolism, caricature and scale. Extension activities In small groups, students compile a list of what they believe to be effective cartoons. Students visit the Picture Australia website and use its tag feature to collect cartoons. (Go to and search for political cartoons.) Students can research current political cartooning in Australia by visiting the ABC TV Insiders program website and viewing the latest political cartooning segment of the show Talking pictures. Students go to Assessment Formative assessment can occur through informal teacher observation of class discussions and independent work and also through scaffolding work for students and providing one-on-one assistance where required. Bringing it all together Resources An interview with cartoonist Bruce Petty in which he demonstrates cartooning techniques when drawing Australian political figures: (search for Bruce Petty cartooning techniques ) Annotating a cartoon (page 19) Teaching and learning activities As a class, view the Bruce Petty cartooning techniques clip from the Screen Australia Digital Resource Finder. (Go to: and search for Bruce Petty cartooning techniques.) Drawing the news 6

7 Using Annotating a cartoon (page 19), discuss the cartoon Peak oil. Focus questions to prompt discussion could include the following. Who are the figures supposed to represent? What are the figures carrying in their hands? Why have they left their car? What is the car a symbol of? Why has it stopped? What is the road a symbol of? Why are there so many signs? Why do you think the cartoonist has chosen that particular backdrop/landscape? Drawing conclusions Resources Survey (pages 21 22) Interview with cartoonist David Pope about the role and influence of political cartoons: (search for the role of cartoons ) Interview with cartoonist Bruce Petty about the effects of satire and cartoons: (search for the effect of cartoons ) Online survey-making tool such as Survey Monkey: Teaching and learning activities Do cartoons influence people? As a class, view The role of cartoons clip from the Screen Australia Digital Resource Finder, in which cartoonist David Pope talks about the role and influence of political cartoons. (Go to and search for the role of cartoons.) As a class, view The effect of cartoons clip from the Screen Australia Digital Resource Finder, in which cartoonist Bruce Petty talks about the effect of political satire and cartooning. (Go to and search for the effect of cartoons.) Writing a persuasive letter Students prepare a letter to the editor arguing either for or against the statement That cartoons are harmful to Australian democracy. Students could illustrate their letter with a cartoon they source from the newspaper, or with a cartoon they have drawn themselves. Researching and surveying Do political cartoons influence people? Using Survey (pages 21 22), students prepare and conduct a survey on whether people are influenced by political cartoons. Students could use online tools such as to help them prepare the survey. Extension activities Cartoons and important issues and events. Drawing the news 7

8 Do cartoonists try to influence people to support one side or the other? Here are a variety of ways to investigate this issue further. Select one cartoonist and over a period of time collect as many cartoons of theirs as you can about an important current issue or event, such as a federal election. See if you can identify a particular attitude or opinion that the cartoonist keeps communicating. Gather as many cartoons as possible about an issue or event from a variety of sources. Compare the cartoonists ideas, approaches and emphases. Communicating Resources Online tool to create your own cartoon such as ToonDoo: Interview with cartoonist Geoff Pryor: (search for political cartoons Geoff Pryor interview ) Interview with cartoonist David Pope explaining the process of developing his cartoon The environmental bandwagon : (search for the environmental bandwagon ) Drawing the lines cartooning competition run by the National Museum of Australia: (search for drawing the lines) Collaborative audio tool such as VoiceThread: Online interactive poster-making tool that captures image, text, video and audio such as Glogster: Image-editing tool such as IrfanView, GIMP, Photoshop, Picasa, Picnik or Paint Teaching and learning activities The following three activities can all be used as classroom tasks, cumulative assessment pieces or extension activities. Teachers could: ask students to individually complete both task one and three (students could work in small groups to complete the Talking about cartoon task) select one of the tasks as a piece of cumulative assessment ask students to select one of the tasks as a piece of cumulative assessment. Creating a cartoon Students research the process of creating a political cartoon. Ask them to view The environmental bandwagon clip from the Screen Australia Digital Resource Finder. (Go to and search for the environmental bandwagon ). In the clip cartoonist David Pope explains the process of developing his cartoon The environmental bandwagon. They can also read an interview transcript with cartoonist Geoff Pryor at (search for political cartoons Geoff Pryor interview ). Students identify an issue in the news and note aspects of that issue that they could comment on or satirise. Drawing the news 8

9 Students draft and create a pencil drawing of their cartoon. They scan it into a computer and complete their cartoon with software such as Photoshop. Alternately, students could access a cartooning tool online such as ToonDoo ( to develop their cartoon and ideas. Students could enter their cartoon in a student cartooning competition such as the National Museum of Australia s political cartooning competition Drawing the lines. (Visit and search for drawing the lines for details about the current competitions.) Talking about cartoons Students could take their finished cartoon, or a cartoon they have collected, upload it to VoiceThread and create a verbal and visual group annotation of their cartoon. Students could ask classmates to contribute to the VoiceThread conversation, and allocate a topic or two to each person. Example topics include the following. The context of my cartoon Describe the style of my drawing. Do you like it? Do you think it helps to communicate my message? What do you think the subject of my cartoon is? Could I have made it clearer? Who do you think the target of my cartoon is? Do you think I make a fair point? Describe any caricature I have used in my cartoon. Are the people recognisable? Is it realistic? Does my captioning make the issue easier to understand? What symbolism can you see in my cartoon? Share your poster online Have students use Glogster to create a poster that presents a cartoon they have created and annotated. Students should use the model provided in the whole class annotation activity in the Bringing it all together section of this unit to develop subheadings for their poster. This poster will be displayed in the classroom and through the school website. Drawing the news 9

10 Writer: Angela Casey, National Museum of Australia Some of the content in this unit of work draws on material jointly owned by National Museum of Australia and Ryebuck Media. The material in this unit of work may contain links to internet sites maintained by entities not connected to Education Services Australia Ltd and which it does not control ( Sites ). Education Services Australia Ltd: provides the links for ease of reference only and it does not sponsor, sanction or approve of any material contained on the Sites; and does not make any warranties or representations as to, and will not be liable for, the accuracy or any other aspect of the material on the Sites or any other matter connected to the use of the Sites. While the material in this unit of work is not remunerable under Part VB of the Copyright Act 1968, material on the Sites may be remunerable under Part VB of the Copyright Act It is your responsibility to read and comply with any copyright information, notices or conditions of use which apply to a Site. Drawing the news 10

11 Key elements of a political cartoon Name Class Date There are four key elements that need to be considered when you are responding to and analysing a political cartoon. Context Context is the circumstance in which the cartoon was created. Viewers need to recognise the context of the situation in order to make sense of the cartoon. Usually this involves a current situation, but it may also involve a culturally recognisable element from the past for example, most viewers would recognise a cartoon using the figure of the pope, and realise that the cartoon was about a religious situation. Subject The subject of a political cartoon is nearly always a person, event, issue or idea that is in the news. We recognise what the cartoon is about without having to study it too closely. Target Style There is always a clear target in a political cartoon. This may or may not be different to the subject. The target will sometimes be made uncomfortable because of the way the person, idea, issue or situation is presented. So a cartoon is usually critical, and at times even cruel. The style may vary greatly, from the simplest line drawings that present only the barest details, to elaborately drawn pictures that contain a wealth of detail. Cartoons usually only include as much as is needed to make the point clearly. Style also includes the following features Caricature: a deliberate distortion and unflattering emphasis on a person s physical appearance. This helps give a cartoon its humour we laugh at the cartoon before we even look at what it is saying. Symbolism and visual metaphors: symbols (representing something by using something else) and visual metaphors (metaphors that use images) are often employed by cartoonists to express the general through the particular. Tone: the quality that reveals the attitudes of the cartoonist. Cartoons may be humorous, ironic, gentle, savage, bitter, wistful, nostalgic, wry, good natured, mocking, sympathetic, light hearted, etc. Captioning: written words, such as labels or speech bubbles, are often used to make the meaning clear and explicit. Drawing the news 11

12 Subject: asylum seekers Name Class Date Here are two cartoons that are attempting to convey the same message. Each does this in a different way. Both cartoons are about the refusal of the Australian Government to allow what it considered to be illegal asylum seekers to enter Australia. R10224 'D'ya'avagoodweekend?' cartoon by Bill Leak, With permission of Bill Leak. Artwork by Bill Leak. R10228 'Steel borders' cartoon by Sturt Krygsman, With permission of Sturt Krygsman. Artwork by Sturt Krygsman. What do you think the cartoonist is trying to communicate in each cartoon? What idea or approach is common to each cartoon? Do you think that one cartoon has realised or presented the idea more effectively than the other? Explain your reasons Drawing the news 12

13 Target: Peter Garrett Name Class Date One of the most important tasks when interpreting and analysing a political cartoon is to identify the cartoon s target. A target could be a person, an idea, an institution and so on. Here are three cartoons dealing with the same issue. During the federal election campaign of 2007, the former Midnight Oil singer Peter Garrett, once a strong environmental campaigner, was a shadow minister for the Australian Labor Party. He was criticised in the press for seeming to have abandoned many of the beliefs that he had once strongly supported. Complete the summary boxes for each cartoon. Then answer the questions provided. In politics no one can hear you scream by Bill Leak, With permission of Bill Leak. Artwork by Bill Leak. Context During the 2007 federal election campaign, former Midnight Oil singer Peter Garrett, once a strong environmental campaigner, was a shadow minister for the Australian Labor Party. He was criticised in the press for seeming to have abandoned many of the beliefs that he had once strongly supported. Content Target Peter Garrett Message Drawing the news 13

14 Target: Peter Garrett continued ALP Garrett by Peter MacMullin, With permission of Peter MacMullin. Artwork by Peter MacMullin. Context During the election campaign of 2007, the former Midnight Oil singer Peter Garrett, once a strong environmental campaigner, was a shadow minister for the Australian Labor Party. He was criticised in the press for seeming to have abandoned many of those beliefs that he had once strongly supported. Content Target Peter Garrett Message Drawing the news 14

15 Target: Peter Garrett continued The comb-over by David Pope, With permission of David Pope. Artwork by David Pope. Context During the election campaign of 2007, the former Midnight Oil singer Peter Garrett, once a strong environmental campaigner, was a shadow minister for the Australian Labor Party. He was criticised in the press for seeming to have abandoned many of those beliefs that he had once strongly supported. Content Target Peter Garrett Message 1. How is Peter Garrett made the target of the cartoonists? 2. What critical message is each cartoonist communicating about Garrett? Drawing the news 15

16 Symbol Name Class Date R10025 'Damn feminists' cartoon by Judy Horacek, 1997 With permission of Judy Horacek. Artwork by Judy Horacek. This is a cartoon by Judy Horacek about male and female stereotypes in fairy tales and society. 1. What symbol has been appropriated in the cartoon? 2. What comment is the cartoonist making? Drawing the news 16

17 Symbol continued Sorry the first brick by David Rowe, With permission of David Rowe. Artwork by David Rowe. This cartoon is commenting on the apology to the Stolen Generations made by former prime minister Kevin Rudd on behalf of the Australian Government in What symbol has been appropriated in the cartoon? 2. What comment is the cartoonist making? Drawing the news 17

18 Symbol continued Flappity flap by David Rowe, With permission of David Rowe. Artwork by David Rowe. This cartoon makes comment on the Rudd government s attempt to manage the water crisis in the Murray-Darling Basin. 1. What visual metaphor/symbol is at play here? 2. What comment is the cartoonist making? Drawing the news 18

19 Annotating a cartoon Name Class Date Look carefully at and discuss the 2008 cartoon Peak oil why didn't someone warn us?! by Alan Moir. The sharp increase in petrol prices throughout 2008 gave rise to concerns that global oil production had reached its peak. Many cartoonists were quick to comment on the increased price at the bowser and its impact on the Australian public. Others offered a long-term glimpse into a future without fossil fuels. Peak oil why didn t someone warn us?! cartoon by Alan Moir, 2008 With permission of Alan Moir. Artwork by Alan Moir. Using the template provided, annotate the cartoon. Then answer the following questions. What is the final message of this cartoon? Do you think it is a fair and accurate representation? Do you think it is an effective cartoon? Refer to specific features of the cartoon in your answers. Drawing the news 19

20 Annotating a cartoon continued Name Class Date Subject: Tone: Style: Target: Captioning: Peak oil why didn't someone warn us?! cartoon by Alan Moir, 2008 With permission of Alan Moir. Artwork by Alan Moir. Caricature: Symbolism: Drawing the news 20

21 Survey Name Class Date Some people suggest that cartoons go too far and have a negative impact on society and others say they are a funny way of drawing attention to important issues. Here is your chance to find out what impact political cartoons have on people around you. In groups, prepare a survey on whether people are influenced by political cartoons. When you have agreed on the questions for your survey, you might like to use a free online survey-making tool such as to format your survey. Here are some possible questions. You can add, delete or change them after group discussion to decide just what it is that you are trying to discover, and what information is needed to discover these things. How often do you look at political cartoons in newspapers, magazines or online? Every day/sometimes/rarely/never Which newspaper/news source and cartoonist? Name: Why do you look at them? Amusement/information/other Do they influence your opinion? Always/sometimes/never Do you always agree with them? Always/sometimes/never Do they change your opinion? Always/sometimes/never Do you get information and ideas from them? Always/sometimes/never What image of politics and democracy do you think they promote? Generally positive/generally negative/sometimes positive/sometimes negative Drawing the news 21

22 Survey continued How would you rate political cartoons (1 5 where 1 is very low and 5 is very high) for: knowledge, fairness, accuracy, humour, ideas? Any other comment? After you have surveyed as many people as you can you can, analyse your results. To help you analyse your results, you may need to include some discriminators in your survey such as: age gender types of newspapers read amount of political news or comments seen. Make sure you survey a wide range of people. Drawing the news 22