In 1957, a civil rights organization called Fellowship of Reconciliation created a comic book to teach America's youth about the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Entitled "Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story," the comic book was enormously successful. John Lewis, a young civil rights activist at the time, recalled that the book was…

Comic books and graphic novels are a profitable market for publishers; 2012 sales of comics and graphic novels totaled $680 million in the United States and Canada. Graphic novels can even be found on the pages of The New York Times Best Seller list. The popularity of comic books and graphic novels cannot be denied, the sales of both movies and…

Public protests. Sensational headlines. Scathing editorial cartoons. Sloganeering posters. Are these signs of upheaval and disorder? Or are they evidence of a healthy public debate--one that could lead to legislation dramatically changing American life? In this article, the authors incorporate historical photographs taken by Lewis Hine between…

In this article, the authors explore the timely and sometimes controversial topic of gay civil rights and how the attendant issues might be taught in the social studies classroom. Many teachers shy away from teaching students about gay rights issues for a variety of reasons including personal beliefs, a lack of instructional time as a result of…

The most common activity in a social studies classroom should be the analysis of primary sources. Students are intrigued and engaged by edited and unedited documents, written statements, transcribed speeches, photographs, pictures, charts, graphs, cartoons, and even material objects. Ideally, the goal of social studies teachers is to prepare…

For 53 years, Clifford K. Berryman was a political cartoonist for "The Washington Post" and "The Washington Evening Star". He drew thousands of cartoons commenting on the congressional and presidential candidates, campaigns, issues, and elections of the first half of the twentieth century. Berryman was a Washington institution, and his decades of…

The visual imagery of political cartoons offers teachers the opportunity to explore the presidential election with students from a unique and stimulating angle. In this article, the authors outline the value of using political cartoons in the classroom. Several websites that are useful for educators are also presented. (Contains 2 notes.)

The next American president will likely be the candidate who crafts the best "impression" in the media. It is the job of social studies teachers to help students separate impressions from substance and to understand the role that media play in crafting people's meaning making and shaping their decision making. Social studies teachers can help…

A unit on cartoons was used in a high school economics course. Students studied the symbolism used in cartooning, the background factors that form a basis for the cartoon, techniques and approaches used by various artists, and the validity and significance of messages offered by cartoonists. (AM)

A cartoon for analysis and other learning activities is provided to help students study about peace propaganda, the nuclear freeze, and disarmament. A cartoon analysis worksheet, designed to help students analyze almost any political cartoon, is included. (RM)

A prewriting activity requires elementary and middle school students to compose a political cartoon interpretation by asking questions and helps develop their writing ability. An example shows how the prewriting strategy translates into a specific classroom application. (AM)

Students can learn about the elderly by surveying themselves about their knowledge and attitudes; interviewing elderly people; analyzing cartoons depicting the elderly in our society; investigating volunteer opportunities for people over 65; working in nursing homes; and finding out about associations of elderly people. (AV)

Teaching suggestions are offered for using comic books at the secondary level to motivate students to read, write, and discuss social problems. (JR)

Illustrates how to teach U.S. history through the use of original documents such as Charles Nickerson's cartoon, "Images of the Fifties from Disneyland to Suez." States that the original artwork for this cartoon, which portrays the Eisenhower years, is in the Dwight D. Eisenhower Library in Abilene, Kansas. Provides a pretest, teaching…

Presents a lesson on the reaction of people in the United States to immigrants as expressed in political cartoons from the turn-of-the-century and the early decades of the 20th century. Includes cartoons, teaching ideas, and suggested discussion questions about the cartoons. (DSK)