Your First Lesson on Analysing Cartoons: What to Cover and How

A first lesson on analysing cartoons has a lovely advantage: the subject is instantly engaging. Students already consume memes and comics, so a well-chosen editorial cartoon feels familiar rather than academic. The challenge is turning that instinctive "I get it" into deliberate analysis. This ready-to-run opening lesson for Years 7-10 lays out the essential content, a clear sequence, and a check for understanding, all aligned to the Australian Curriculum: English and its focus on how visual language shapes meaning.

What the First Lesson Must Cover

Keep the scope tight. A first lesson should establish that a cartoon is an argument, not just a joke, and give students a small toolkit for decoding it. Focus on four ideas: the issue or event the cartoon responds to, the techniques it uses (symbolism, exaggeration, labelling, caricature), the cartoonist's viewpoint, and the intended effect on the audience. The clear method in Analysing Cartoons – Step by Step sequences these into a repeatable process, which is exactly what a first lesson needs so students leave with a procedure, not just an impression.

A Clear Lesson Sequence

Structure the hour so students move from reacting to analysing:

1. Hook (5 min): project one striking cartoon and simply ask, "What's going on here?" Take quick reactions without correcting.
2. Model (10 min): think aloud as you decode the same cartoon, naming each technique as you spot it.
3. Guided practice (15 min): analyse a second cartoon together, with students supplying the observations.
4. Independent go (15 min): students analyse a third cartoon using a simple decoding grid.
5. Share and check (10 min): pairs compare interpretations and defend them with visual evidence.

The Language and Moves That Make It Work

Model the difference between describing and analysing out loud: "I can see a giant clock — that's description. Now, why a clock? The cartoonist is exaggerating to say time is running out — that's analysis." Give students stems like "The cartoonist uses ___ to suggest ___." Cartoons rely on the same persuasive machinery as written argument, so flagging the link to Writing a Comment and Argumentative Essay early helps students see visual and written persuasion as one skill. Reading a caricatured figure also draws on the same inference students use with characters, and the techniques in Characterisation and Analysing Fiction transfer neatly to decoding how a cartoon portrays a public figure.

The Check for Understanding

End with a quick, revealing exit task rather than a vague "any questions?" Give every student the same unseen cartoon and one prompt: "In two sentences, state the cartoonist's argument and name one technique they used to make it." This single task tells you instantly who has grasped that a cartoon carries a viewpoint and who is still only describing. Scan the responses as students leave and sort them into "got it" and "reteach", which gives you a precise starting point for the next lesson.

Setting Up What Comes Next

A strong first lesson plants seeds for the unit. Once students can decode a single cartoon, the natural next steps are comparing two cartoons on one issue, connecting cartoon techniques to written persuasion, and building independent practice into a weekly routine. Because the skill is genuinely useful — students are learning to question any image that tries to sway them — it rewards the time you invest early. Get this first lesson right and you have not just taught a text type; you have handed students a habit of looking twice at the persuasive images that surround them every day.

Related reading from the Teacher Hub

• Meaningful Homework and Independent Practice for Analysing Cartoons
• Building Academic Vocabulary in Writing a Comment and Argumentative Essay
• How to Teach Analysing Political Speeches: A Step-by-Step Lesson Plan (Grades 9–12)