Grades 6–12
6-12 Sessions Recommended
Media, PersuasiveLessonsStudents will learn about the genre of editorial cartoons and create their own, using symbolism and details to express their opinions on an issue they care about.
KQED is the public media station serving the San Francisco Bay Area. KQED Education Department’s north star is to elevate diverse youth voices by developing young people’s ability to analyze and evaluate information sources, create media that powerfully communicates their ideas, and share their unique voices with a broad public media audience so that they experience being part of the public conversation and gain readiness for civic life. Learn more about KQED Education by visiting https://www.kqed.org/education.
In this lesson, adapted from KQED Education’s Call for Change project, students will choose an issue they care about and use that interest, curiosity, or passion to create an editorial cartoon commentary advocating for change on a local, national or global level.
KQED Education Submission Guidelines:
See materials listed at each step. Additionally, you will need:
Other Support Materials:
KQED’s list of media-making tools, including no-cost access to some web-based tools
Educator Note: Media Making in a Classroom Setting
Before you begin, confirm which digital platforms/tools students can choose from to draft their cartoon in STEP 4. You don’t need to be an expert media producer or artist to help students get started creating. In STEP 4, you’ll find slides to introduce the basics of Adobe Express and Canva—and there’s an entire internet out there of how-to videos and articles on these tools, and others. Your job is to set up students with the basics AND put a media workshop structure in place to help students stay on track.
If your students are new to making media, or if you don’t yet have a workshop structure in place, we recommend KQED’s media workshop guidelines:
1. Establish or reinforce classroom norms and routines for when students are making media in your classroom.
2. Get students signed on to the digital production tool, if you’re using one. Make sure they all have access and know how to log in. Do this whether you are all using the same tool or giving them a choice of tools. This is a great time to practice your media workshop norms and routines!
Some tools like Soundtrap and WeVideo let you create class groups. We recommend each class period be its own group with its own class code.
3. Walk students through the very basics of the tool:
4. For audio and video projects: decide where students will record. One of the biggest challenges with audio and video production in a classroom is finding quiet spaces to record scripts. Perhaps an even bigger challenge is getting middle and high schoolers to record where their friends can see or hear them. Here are suggestions from educators who have solved this issue: Students leave the room individually or in pairs to record in the hallway or a nearby empty classroom. Others record at home. Reserve the library or theater space, if you have one, so students can spread out enough to record. Arrange for students who can’t record at home to record during breaks, lunch or prep periods.
5. Reinforce norms and routines every day you make media in class.
10 Minutes
Why this project? Young people are leading the way as advocates for change on a local, national and global level. The genre of editorial cartoons combines personal experience and/or artistic interpretation with research-based evidence to help young people connect with an audience beyond the classroom and share their ideas for how to make the world a better place.
This project is about choice and voice. Students should choose an issue they care about and use that interest, curiosity or passion as the starting point for their Call for Change project.
10 Minutes
Before giving students the project checklist, share your commentary model and/or talk about why this project is a good fit for your class. These reasons may include:
In addition to your own model commentary, you can share examples of this project from KQED’s youth media showcase or media by or about youth advocates. Note that students will also analyze two youth mentor texts in Step 2. These first examples will instead provide students with an example of the finished product, and offer early inspiration for content ideas.
20 Minutes
Next, distribute copies of the Call for Change Editorial Cartoons: Student Project Checklist that will serve as their road map to the project process, as well as links to key materials they’ll use along the way.
Finally, review the Call for Change Editorial Cartoons Single-Point Rubric together, before you begin the project, so students know what success looks like from the start.
30-60 Minutes
Show students slides 1-4 in What is persuasive commentary? and work together to analyze peer-created Call for Change editorial cartoons. This guided activity is essential because it will show students what they’ll be making and help them practice media analysis and listening skills.
Approach the analysis phase the same way you usually do when asking students to read and understand course material. We recommend analyzing at least one cartoon together as a class, then offering time for small group and/or independent practice. The graphic organizers above are simply guides for this process, though students should feel welcome to use the analysis methods they are most familiar with.
Educator Note: For a deeper look at the history of editorial cartooning in the United States before students make their own, check out The Power of Art: the Watchdog Role of Editorial Cartoonists from the News Literacy Project’s Checkology site.
If time allows, you may also introduce students to the life and career of Roz Chast, an editorial cartoonist for The New Yorker, with the 826 Digital lesson Find Your Funny with Roz Chast.
60-90 Minutes
After analyzing mentor texts, students will be ready to brainstorm and choose their topic.
If students are unsure which issue to choose, check out KQED’s Above the Noise collection on PBS LearningMedia, which unpacks current issues through the lens of data, historical context and multiple perspectives. All Above the Noise episodes come with a student view guide, glossary of Tier 2 vocabulary, and transcripts in English and Spanish.
Teachers have also referred students to ProCon.org, Pulitzer Center Issues, Facing History and Ourselves: Current Events in the Classroom, or the New York Times Learning Network to help decide on an issue.
For editorial cartooning, students should decide on an issue using the resources above to find their spark. For Mark Fiore, who won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning in 2010 and 2018, his spark usually comes from a headline or phrase in an article or video about a news event or current issue. Once he finds that spark, he builds a cartoon around it.
Show the students Fiore’s “Cartooning in Place” video about how he finds his spark. Then, guide students to discover their spark by viewing or reading about their chosen issue.
Educator Note: At the brainstorming stage, students should look at headlines, photographs, news articles, or videos, but not other editorial cartoons, so they can find an original spark related to their chosen issue.
Media making tools:
Slides: Canva how-to basics
60-90 Minutes
Editorial cartooning has a long history in the United States and draws on a rich visual and symbolic vocabulary to communicate complex ideas in a creative, accessible way. Remind students of the visual symbols they analyzed earlier and encourage them to think about how to communicate that message symbolically and not solely through literal or representational drawing. If they can’t accurately draw the governor or mayor, for example, they can use more abstract symbols to communicate their views on the issue in question.
Just as cartoonists use digital tools to draft and refine their work, students may opt to use digital tools like Canva or Adobe Express to create their cartoon, after they complete the quick sketch in the graphic organizer. Remind students that no matter how they draft their piece, they should focus on incorporating symbolism into their cartoon.
30-60 Minutes
First, students will participate in providing peer feedback.
Remind students that feedback is an essential part of the creation process for students, as well as professional filmmakers, podcasters and cartoonists. If giving peer feedback is already part of your classroom routine, use whatever format students are used to. KQED’s feedback protocol helps students support each other and reflect on the feedback once they receive it.
30 Minutes
Once students have completed the peer feedback process, encourage students to immediately revise and edit their work while the feedback is fresh on their minds.
There are so many ways to publish, share, and celebrate your students’ incredible work and efforts! You’ll find directions and tips for submitting to KQED Education below, but you may also consider:
We strongly encourage your students to submit their work to KQED Education, where all student submissions will be published on their Youth Media Showcase! This is an exciting opportunity for students to get their work published, share their voice with an authentic audience beyond your classroom, and add to their digital portfolio.
Educator Note: If you choose to direct students to submit to the KQED Education Student Showcase, we strongly recommend going through the submission process yourself first (without submitting) to better understand the requirements and process, as students will experience it.
60 Minutes
Display KQED Education’s Submitting to the Showcase slides.
In KQED’s Student Showcase, student work is published as it is submitted. We recommend reserving most or all of a class period to publish and celebrate! Many teachers put the showcase site on a screen where students can see and appreciate each submission as it appears at the top of the feed!
To submit to KQED Education, begin by reviewing their submission requirements for educators below. Students should complete the submission form template so they (and you!) have everything they need to publish.
Educator Note: Student creators retain the rights to the media they publish on the Youth Media Showcase. A teacher, student or parent can request a piece be removed from the Showcase at any time by emailing ymc@kqed.org.
Publish on KQED’s Youth Media Showcase!
The KQED Education Showcase is only the first stop. After you submit, each student submission has a unique URL that can be shared with:
If you are doing an Action Civics project, your students’ media pieces can be part of a wider campaign. Please share other ideas for where students can make their voices heard by email us at ymc@kqed.org
by Molly Sprayregen, 826CHI
Over the course of this lesson, students produce memoirs, poems, and essays that explore what it means to be a member of the LGBTQIA community in America today.
by Ashley Smith, 826 Valencia
Students find gratitude all around as they thank ordinary objects in their lives in the form of an ode.
by Laura Lisabeth, Ph.D, 826NYC
In this lesson, students experiment with the multimodal composition of Instagram and use this social media platform to promote a social justice issue.
by Tom Molanphy, 826 Valencia
Students will learn to see home in a fresh way, to walk through doors and open windows they never noticed, and to find the stories that home holds.
by Robert Paterno, 826LA
A mock crime scene kick-starts this lesson, getting students to hone their inferencing skills and serving as inspiration for crime stories.
by Erin Ruane, 826 New Orleans
In this lesson, students are challenged to reevaluate the way water and land are represented on a map.
by Mandy Seiner, 826NYC
In this lesson, students will learn about different types of rhymes, identify rhymes in lyrics and generate rhymes to use in their own lyrics.
by Daniel José Older, author of Flood City.
Students will work together to produce a newspaper for the fictional Flood City. In the process, they will take on the roles of editor and journalist to source, draft, and present their newspaper.
by Mariama J. Lockington & Peter Calhoun Hall, 826NYC
In this superlesson, students isolate DNA, design planes, build lairs, and engineer safe transport to help a hero save the day. Students will also take technical notes and explore new forms of poetry.
by Miriam Nash, Ministry of Stories and BBC History
In this lesson, students will emulate Dylan Thomas’ famous drama, Under Milk Wood. Students will create imaginative works of fiction that examine their neighborhood in order to bring it to life.
by Debra Mitchell, 826CHI
Students become script detectives in this lesson, searching for the underlying structure of every play. Student then draw from memories to inspire original plays.
by Stephanie Wykstra, 826NYC
A student’s guide for evaluating evidence and learning to spot misleading and false information.
by Rebecca Darugar, 826NYC
Students will work in a collaborative, constructive setting to create a vision for your classroom as a safe space for students and teachers.
by Nathalie Lagerfeld & Jill Carey, 826CHI
Borrowing inspiration from out-of-this-world illustrations, students will create an amazing sci-fi story with a fantastical setting, realistic characters, and page-turning plot.
by College Essay Guy and 826 National
This lesson from College Essay Guy introduces students to two types of effective college essay structures: Montage and Narrative.
by 826 National, in partnership with Paramount Pictures
Imaginary friends come in all shapes and sizes! Inspired by the new Paramount Pictures movie, IF, students will create their own imaginary friend to take with them on their next adventure.
by Aarti Monteiro, 826NYC
Students will read a poem by Eve L. Ewing and learn to write a poem that retells or reimagines an experience.
by Jessica Barbaria, 826NYC
In this lesson, students dive into the many forms bullying can take, create scripts and role-play bullying scenarios, and reflect on their own experiences with bullying.
by Ola Faleti, 826CHI, with an introduction by Amanda Gorman, Inaugural Youth Poet Laureate of the U.S.
The pen is mightier than the sword. In this lesson, students learn there's no better evidence of this than the poetry behind social movements.
by Jillian Wasick, 826 Valencia
Students write ekphrastic poems, exploring and creating connections between text and image.
by Marini Drobish, 826 Digital Educator Leader
This lesson invites students to write a modern day fairy tale. Students will reconstruct classic fairy tales by choosing to focus on altering one story element: setting, point of view, or resolution.
by Rebecca Escoto and Cynthia Aguilar, 826LA
Students will identify the characteristics of a hero, familiarize themselves with heroes in their own community, and write an explanatory piece identifying a hero in their community.
by Karla Brundage, 826 Valencia
In this Lesson, students will further their understanding of how language can impact identity through the process of naming.
by Saiya Miller, 826 New Orleans
Students will collect dirt, map their neighborhood, and listen to music that explores low sound, depth of soil, and the psychological landscape of New Orleans.
by 826 National
Stories are the thread that connect communities. In this lesson, students learn more about culture and identity through Dakota and Hmong textile arts, as well as reflect on their own identities.
by Christopher Ankney, AT Bianchi, & Amy Wilson, 826michigan
Using Twitter as a storytelling medium, students will improve their understanding of perspective, editing for brevity, and the importance of word choice.
by Ryan Harty, 826michigan
By examining patterns in engaging published stories and applying a set of meaningful prompts, students will learn how to develop well-rounded characters that readers really care about.
by Tim Campos, 826 New Orleans
Through discussion, map-making, and writing, students will investigate the ways in which our knowledge of places is constructed and will uncover the ways that this knowledge is distorted by biases.
by Lindsay Ringwald, 826LA
In this lesson, students will imagine a narrative in the form of a craigslist advertisement to showcase a typically scary monster as a down to earth creature.
by Jane Roschen, 826LA
This lesson prompts students to explore the exciting range of things they can do when they grow up and highlights the importance of education, curiosity, and role models.
by Mindy Misener, 826michigan
Students learn how poetry can “break the rules” then practice breaking the “rules” in their own poems by challenging the expectations, assumptions, and principles their work set up.
by Julius Diaz Panoriñgan, 826LA
Students explore multiple STEM disciplines and the importance of scientific modeling, all in context of an upcoming zombie apocalypse. They'll write technical notes and create an ongoing narrative.
Inspired by Angela Iton and Precediha Dangerfield, 826 Valencia
In this lesson, students will use mentor texts to hone their revision skills before turning to their own poetry drafts.
by Jory John, 826 Valencia
Students will explore the essentials of an effective “how-to” piece, while considering their own areas of interest and expertise to share with their peers and the world at large.
by Rebecca Darugar, Liz Levine, and Brancey Mora, 826NYC and 826 National
Invite students to write about their personal experiences with social media and online platforms with this lesson from 826NYC.
by Bryan Wilson, Educator Leader, The Bureau of Fearless Ideas
What do you get when you mix foraging with metaphors? Metaphoraging, of course! In this interactive lesson, students will forage their learning space for metaphors.
by Jayne Kennedy, 826LA
Gather students around the metaphorical campfire to craft a brochure for a Nature Preserve on another planet, complete with wild critters, plant life, unique geological formations, and park history
by Ellen Lathrop and Malia Urbina, 826 Valencia
In this lesson, students will use descriptive language to write a poem about a favorite animal.
by Klariza Alvaran, 826CHI
In this lesson, students explore the graphic novel genre with a focus on plot and character development, scripting dialogue, and visual composition.
by Dr. Bunny McFadden, 826 Valencia
Imagination opens doors to new possibilities. This lesson allows students to exercise their imaginations by describing an imaginary door to the future and picturing what is beyond it.
by Kyley Pulphus, 826 New Orleans
In this workshop, students will create a pourquoi tale, or origin story, of how a local delicacy came to be.
by Rebecca Darugar, 826NYC
Students investigate the plant life that grows within their community and then select a specific species to learn about in-depth and consider how that species interacts with the overall ecosystem.
by Rebecca Darugar, 826NYC
Students examine relationships between art, poetry, politics, and current events, and reflect on personal experiences while writing social justice poetry.
by Kim Adelman, 826LA
In this lesson, students imagine trading lives with a fictional character for a day and write about the fantastic possibilities that would ensue.
by Allie Mariano, 826 New Orleans
Students will tell stories about their neighborhoods and create maps that document change. The end result is a better understanding of a map’s ability to demonstrate the history behind fixed points.
by Paris Hyun, 826LA
Students play the role of benevolent inventor. They identify and think critically about real world problems, and create an ingredients list and usage instructions for an elixir that fixes the problem.
by Gem Carmella, Ministry of Stories and BBC History
In this Lesson, students will learn how to write comedy sketches inspired by "Monty Python’s Flying Circus."
by Ashlyn Anstee, 826LA
Using the classic battle between superheroes and villains as inspiration, students will create their own twist on a superhero comic, featuring believable characters and Marvel-worthy dialogue.
by Kelly Jones, 826 New Orleans
Through writing, drawing, mapping, and researching a chosen fruit, students will become more familiar with the often complex history of food and how people access it.
by Louise McCune, 826 Valencia
Working as budding archaeologists, students use artifacts as inspiration for several short writing pieces.
by Mallory Miller, 826 Digital Educator Leader
In this lesson, students will construct a short narrative told through concrete poems.
by Katie Manning and Brandon Brown, 826LA
Students enter The Poetry Laboratory, no lab coats required, and use methods of observation and playful strategies to embark on the process of writing poetry.
by Marya Spont-Lemus, 826CHI
Through brainstorming and drafting activities, students will learn the basics of personal narrative writing and craft an essay that they can use for college, scholarships, job applications and more.
by 826 National
Inspired by George Ella Lyon’s original poem, this lesson guides students through naming the people, places, and things that have shaped them.
by Catherine Calabro, with inspiration from Rachel Feder, 826michigan
Your students will use free writes, writing games, cheesy pop lyrics, and revision strategies to learn how to make connections between all of the points on their journey of writing a poem.
by Dave Eggers, 826 Valencia
Over a flexible series of activities, students will learn to draw details from real life to create unforgettable characters and compelling stories.
by Lisa Lutz, 826 Valencia
In this lesson by a young adult author and self-confessed superfan Lisa Lutz, students will learn letter-writing tips and create a fan letter.
by Kyley Pulphus, 826 New Orleans
This lesson supports college-bound students in writing compelling personal statements. Students will go from blank page to finished draft as they brainstorm, develop, and analyze personal statements.
by Dr. Anne Desrosiers and Precediha Dangerfield, 826 Valencia
The COVID-19 pandemic changed our lives. This lesson will support students in processing the changes in their everyday lives and help them to identify the creativity their community has exhibited.
by Cristeta Boarini, 826 MSP
In this lesson, students explore the genres of historical and speculative fiction before they reimagine a time they felt powerless and write a different outcome.
by Abigail Jacobs & Taylor Jacobson, 826 Valencia & 826LA
This lesson teaches students to write proposals so convincing no parent can resist them.
by Emily Clader & Daniel Reck, 826michigan
Students will create infinite poems using fractals, imagine life on a doughnut, and speculate about a universe where time goes crazy. Along the way, they'll explore cool, new math facts and concepts.
by Allison Peters, 826michigan
Discover what’s possible through writing. In this lesson, students will write a thrilling new story about their future selves inspired by their curiosity and imagination.
by Ryan Harty, 826michigan
By examining patterns in engaging published stories and applying a set of meaningful prompts, students will learn how to develop well-rounded characters that readers really care about.
by AT Bianchi & Kati Shanks, 826michigan
In this lesson, students imagine a fictional sport for fantastic beings, create a statistic for that sport, and write a newspaper article about the championship game.
by Cristeta Boarini, 826 MSP
Students will identify something they have inherited from their families, conduct interviews, and write a narrative essay. This lesson is especially well suited for English Language Learners.
by Aran Donovan, 826 New Orleans
Students (virtually) explore a local cemetery and write a monologue from a famous person buried there, including facts from their research and imagined details from a mapping exercise.
by Cristeta Boarini, 826MSP, and Skylar Burkhardt, 826 National
Few expressions of gratitude are more meaningful than a personalized letter. In this lesson, students reach out to essential workers and return their acts of service and kindness by giving thanks.
by 826 National
What happens when we start from a place of gratitude? In this lesson, students will use Ross Gay’s "Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude" as a catalyst for a daily gratitude journal.
by 826 New Orleans
In this lesson, students have an opportunity to write a letter expressing their views on issues that matter to them most surrounding an election.
by Alana Herron, 826 Digital Educator Leader
Students will craft an argument about a controversial topic they hold a personal connection to and record their argument to persuade their audience.
by Aarti Monteiro, 826NYC
Emotions play a big role in how we remember places important to us. Students explore this notion by writing memoirs, using plot, dialogue, and description to bring their stories to life.
by Neil Gordon, 826LA
Using precise, clear instructions, each student will create a treasure hunt document that provides clues for finding a treasure hidden in a location of their choosing.
by Meredith Goldberg-Morse, 826LA
In this lesson, students write about a cause that they are passionate about, imagine how they can create change, and come up with slogans to convince other people to take action.
by Summer Medina, 826NYC
Self-power comes from many places. In this Lesson, students will discover the power that comes from speaking and writing in multiple languages through poetry.
We are thrilled to have you as the newest member of our online community. Stay up-to-date on the the latest and most relevant resources, student publication opportunities, and what’s new with the 826 Digital community.
bookmark
download
Share