Introduction
In today's lesson, we are diving into World War Two Poster Propaganda and how it played a big role on the home front during the war!
We'll start by exploring some key questions: How did posters during World War II help shape the way Americans thought and acted? What kind of messages did these posters send, and how did they encourage people to support the war, whether by joining the military, conserving resources, or working in war industries? And for full points, make sure to go into extreme detail regarding how exactly the propaganda posters helped win the war with the hidden meaning behind each one. By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to analyze these posters, understand the techniques they used to influence the public, and think about the impact they had on society at the time. These learning objectives connect to Florida’s state standards by focusing on how to examine historical sources and events while also encouraging us to analyze and evaluate these posters using different levels of thinking, from understanding to critical analysis. This lesson will help you appreciate the power of propaganda and its lasting effects during World War Two.
Task
For the tasks, students will work in small groups to create a narrated PowerPoint presentation focused on World War II propaganda posters and their impact on the American nation. every group will choose war posters such as recruitment, rationing, or women in the workforce and analyze how these posters influenced change during the war. The PowerPoint will include at least five propaganda posters, each with a brief description of the visual elements, the message being conveyed, and an analysis of how the poster aimed to persuade or inform the public. Students will also provide information for all of their posters, explaining their historical significance and connection to the war. The group will present the presentation, with each member contributing to the discussion of different posters and themes. The Work description on each poster should be mainly focused on the symbolism behind every poster while going into detail about each one. This project encourages collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity while allowing students to apply their understanding of propaganda and their learning style, whether it is by using graphs to show statistics based off of a certain poster, or even by giving a reading segment to help convey images using words rather than a chart or a graph. The final presentation will be shared with the class, giving students a chance to showcase their findings and learn from their peers. This project also aligns with Florida's State Standards by developing historical skills and understanding on how propaganda can shape social attitudes while simultaneously following/using Bloom’s taxonomy by using analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of historical materials.
Process
For the Step-by-Step instructions,
1. The first step will be to form a group and pick a certain style of World War Two posters they would like to use.
2. The second step is to assign roles.
This would be the Researchers (Usually two people). The researchers will be responsible for getting all of the information for the project based on the propaganda posters they pick. Then you have the designers, who take the Researchers' information and put it into the PowerPoint slides (One person). The Designer's job is to not only take the information and type it out but also to reread all of the information on the assignment to make sure everything is correct. Finally, you will choose two people from your group to present the project. The people your group picked to present will show the class the final product while explaining all points of the provided project to their classmates.
3. The last step will be to use these links to gather information for your group project!
You must use government sites to gather information for this project. If you find other websites that you believe have crucial information to the assignment, make sure to link the site your group used at the end of the PowerPoint.
Evaluation
Research 3-0 points
3 points. The group met all of the criteria and completed all of the work listed in the instructions.
2 points. The group missed some information but still had some supporting information.
1 point. The group failed to execute everything in detail but had at least one poster finished.
0 points. The group did not meet the requirements of the assignment.
Design Features 3-0 points
3 points. The group made a beautiful outline on PowerPoint by bringing color and visual elements to their information on their posters following all requirements of the project.
2 points. The group finished the majority of the designs but missed some details or some elements to give the assignment some flare.
1 point. The group did the bare minimum by not putting any effort into the design and only added pre-made backgrounds while not incorporating the posters.
0 points. The group did not follow the guidelines and didn't fulfill the requirements for the design portion of the assignment.
Presentation 3-0 points
3 points. The group perfectly got their message across by speaking loud and clear during the presentation. The group followed the outline perfectly and created a masterpiece of a presentation.
2 points. The group did a good job creating some images on their points but skipped over some information or they did not fully complete their speech.
1 point. The group did not follow the outline but still had some information, and they didn't speak clearly.
0 points. The group did not follow the outline and had very little to no information to present.
Peer Evaluation 3-0 points
For this section it will come down to each member of the group rating each other on their parts of the assignment comparing one another and they will all rate each other. I will take the mean rating of each participant and use that for this grading section.
Understanding and execution 3-0 points
3 points. The group explained every single piece of propaganda they chose in perfect detail by accurately describing them and conveying images and meanings with them.
2 points. The group explained the images in a good amount of detail but missed certain key details throughout it.
1 point. The group did the bare minimum by only conveying one or two pieces of information on some of the propaganda posters they picked.
0 points. The group did not follow the outline, and they did not give any detail regarding the pieces they chose.
Total maximum points 15/15
Followed the outline perfectly in every department by going above and beyond for this assignment!
Lowest possible points achievable 0/15
Didn't follow the outline in any department and they didn't do any of the work in the assignment.
Conclusion
In this WebQuest, students will be able to find all the information needed for the assignment. This WebQuest provides everything such as Instructions on creating a PowerPoint presentation, The task at hand regarding using the elements of learning to convey messages on Poster Propaganda from World War Two, and a rubric to follow yourself throughout the whole assignment. This lesson will help you appreciate the power of propaganda and its lasting effects during World War Two by the time your group finishes it.
For the enrichment activity, I believe that my students should use Canva, which is a platform where you can create your own posters, to give the students a feeling of what goes into the meanings of creating and viewing each poster from World War Two.
This assignment is worth 20% of the class's grade, so if you don't do this assignment, the highest grade you will be able to achieve in this class is 80% B-.