Propaganda & Political Campaign Ads- Close Viewing Analysis & Writing

Propaganda and Political Campaign Ads- Close Viewing Analysis and Written Reflection is a 22-page, low-prep and fascinating lesson that both you and your students will enjoy. In this lesson, students are introduced to the concept of propaganda and how politicians use propaganda, particularly through campaign ads, to influence voters.  Students will be able to explain what propaganda is, why it’s important to know what propaganda is, how politicians use propaganda in their campaign ads, and how effective they think the message is in those ads.

This lesson includes an “into” activity, a “through” close viewing and analysis of campaign ads, and a “beyond” writing assessment.  To get the students into the lesson, students will explore the word propaganda.  Then they will analyze several 2020 presidential campaign ads.  Finally, they will write about their conclusions.

The lesson includes the following:

• a hyperlinked Table of Contents

• About this Resource which includes a forced link copy to the Google doc which you can edit to serve your needs

• Detailed Lesson Plan with standards, objectives and learning targets

• Essential Question: How do propaganda techniques influence public opinion in political campaign ads?

• 3 Guiding Questions:

  • What are some common propaganda techniques used in political campaign ads, and how do they impact viewers' perceptions of the candidates?

  • How do the messaging and visual elements of Joe Biden's ads differ from those of Donald Trump's ads, and what might these differences reveal about their respective campaign strategies?

  • In what ways do Joe Biden's and Donald Trump's ads appeal to different demographics or voter groups, and how does this contribute to the overall effectiveness of their campaigns?

• Propaganda Word Study

• Close Viewing Analyzing Campaign Ads of 3 of Joe Biden's 2020 campaign ads and 3 of Donald Trump's 2020 campaign ads (This will be updated for the 2024 election once those ads are available)

• Propaganda and Political Campaign Ads Writing Assessment

• Writing Assessment Rubric (landscape and portrait mode)

• R.A.C.E.S poster for analytical writing