Download Garnett-Cook Boston Massacre Lesson #1 - Idea-of-Freedom

Andrew Garnett-Cook
Heath School – Brookline
Grade Level: Middle – High School
Boston Massacre Lesson #1: Techniques of Propaganda
Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks:
USI.4 Analyze how Americans resisted British policies before 1775 and analyze the rea­
sons for the American victory and the British defeat during the Revolutionary war. (H)
USI.5 Explain the role of Massachusetts in the Revolution, including important events that
took place in Massachusetts and important leaders from Massachusetts. (H)
A. the Boston Massacre B. the Boston Tea Party C. the Battles of Lexington and
Concord and Bunker Hill D. Sam Adams, John Adams, and John Hancock
Duration: One Hour
Description:
This lesson will focus around learning about techniques of propaganda and how to
identify them in various media. Students will be given propaganda posters from history
and will be asked to identify specific techniques in each.
Goals:
1) Students will be understand how techniques of propaganda work
2) Students will understand how propaganda shapes people’s attitudes and beliefs
Objectives:
1) By looking at examples, students will be able to identify and explain specific
techniques of propaganda
Activity:
1) Activator:
a. Build a whole class working definition of propaganda. It often helps to
begin by seeing what students already know about propaganda. With the
class, build a definition. The definition I usually give to kids is “Biased or
misleading information indented to generate support for cause or idea”.
2) Whole class Discussion: Techniques of Propaganda
a. Hand out the “Techniques of Propaganda” sheet
b. Take a couple of minutes to go through each one and explain their
meaning.
c. You might want to ask students to think about examples they can think of.
3) “Morning in America” Activity:
a. Split class into groups of two or three
b. Play the 1984 Reagan campaign ad “Morning in America”
c. As students watch, have them write down particular parts of the video,
either visuals or words, that they see as examples of techniques of
propaganda
d. When the video finishes, have kids share the examples they came up with
and why they chose them.
e. Each group reports one example back to the whole class
4) “Crop it” Activity:
a. Before class,
i. Make packets of World War II propaganda poster handouts
ii. Prepare one set of “crop it tools” (two pieces of paper cut in an “L”
shape for each student)
b. Hand out a pack of three WWII posters and a set of “crop it” tools to each
student
c. For each poster, ask students, using the crop it tools, to isolate one part of
the poster they think shows a particular technique of propaganda.
i. The Focus questions for each image should be as follows:
1. Crop to one part of the image that shows eye catching
visuals. Think: Why is this eye catching?
2. Crop to one part of the image that shows an appeal to
patriotism. Think: How does this part of the image reflect
patriotism?
3. Crop to one part of the image that appeals to fear. Think:
Why do you think they use fear to encourage support?
4. Crop to one part of the image that has a catchy slogan.
Think: Is the slogan effective? Why or why not?
d. Reflective Writing:
i. Have students decide which of the posters they think is the most
effective example of propaganda. Using at least two details from
the poster you chose, explain why
5) Homework assignment:
a. Read Captain Preston’s account of the Boston Massacre and answer the
questions