Same Social studies › Reading sources › Photos and political cartoons
How do kids read a political cartoon?
Images are sources too. For any picture, kids use OPTIC: Overview, Parts, Title, Interrelationships and Conclusion. Cartoons add three tools to look for: symbols (a snake for the colonies), labels (words on things) and exaggeration (something drawn bigger or smaller to make a point).
- Look first at the whole image, then the parts.
- Symbols, labels, exaggeration: the cartoonist's tools.
- Conclusion: the message, in one sentence.
Why schools teach it
Visuals carry opinions
Students integrate visual information like photos and charts with what they read (RH.6-8.7, RI.5.7). Political cartoons are especially rich: in one picture, an artist makes an argument about the news of the day.
Ben Franklin's 1754 “Join, or Die” cartoon, a snake cut into pieces labeled with colony names, is a classic first example: the symbol, labels and message are easy to see.
At the kitchen table
What to say, and what to skip
Say this
What do you see first?
OverviewWhat do the labels say?
PartsWhat might this object stand for?
SymbolWhat is the artist trying to convince you of?
Conclusion
Skip this
- Describing the picture without the message.The point is what the artist is arguing.
- Missing the date.Cartoons comment on the news of their time.
- Treating a cartoon as fact.It's an opinion, drawn.
See it in action
OPTIC for “Join, or Die,” 1754
Overview and Parts
A snake cut into eight pieces, each labeled with colony initialsTitle
“Join, or Die”Conclusion
The colonies must unite or they won't survive.
Franklin drew it during the French and Indian War; it was reused during the Revolution.
Free practice sheet
Make an OPTIC cartoon sheet
Loading practice sheet…
Fridge cheat sheets
Social Studies Fridge Cheat Sheets
Every social studies method in one printable book (57 pages): a cheat sheet page like this guide, plus a practice sheet and its answer key for each, in Classic and handwritten Notebook styles. $8 one time, or all 7 subjects for $29.99. See all prices.
Teacher? This method has a classroom pack on TeachersPayTeachers: an anchor chart, a parent letter and practice sheets with answer keys, $4. See the pack
Parents: tell your child's teacher about this guide
Parents also ask
What does OPTIC stand for?
Overview, Parts, Title, Interrelationships, Conclusion.
What's the difference between a symbol and a label?
A symbol stands for something (a snake = colonies). A label is a word written on it.
Do photos have a point of view too?
Yes. The photographer chose what to include, leave out and when to take it.
Where can we find old cartoons?
The Library of Congress has thousands of free historical cartoons online.