Save seed corn now! / B. of E. ; Scott Printing Company, 11th Floor Edison Building, Minneapolis. 1917. Print. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2001699921/.
The teacher will guide students through an analysis of the “Save Seed Corn Now!” poster by asking them to make observations about the text and visuals. Then, students will make inferences about the author’s choices in visuals and text. They will also infer the impact the poster had on farmers. Students will then practice the same analytical thinking with another food poster from World War I. After analyzing and discussing the posters, students will identify and analyze current political ads, communications, etc., that target farmers. By the end of this lesson, students will be able to analyze political ads to identify persuasive methods and the potential positive and negative impacts of the messaging.
During World War I, the US Food Administration was instrumental in the war effort, declaring that “Food Will Win the War.” Posters were created that helped unite farmers and nonfarmers in an effort to ensure people were fed at home and overseas.
- How did food posters such as “Save Seed Corn Now!” unite farmers and others under a common goal?
- What symbols and other visual elements achieved this?
- How did the text achieve this?
- What are some negative effects that the “Save Seed Corn Now!” and other food posters like it might have had on farmers? How?
- Extension Question:
- What current ad campaigns does the “Save Seed Corn Now!” poster remind you of? How are they similar and different? How do these ads help us understand how politicians use ads and other messaging to appeal to farmers today?
ELA Standard
10.1.4.1. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support conclusions of what a text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including analysis of how and when the author introduces concepts, ideas, or characters; objectively summarize the text.
Social Studies Standard
9.1.1.3. Curate and evaluate various sources of information and forms of political persuasion, including digital, for validity, accuracy, ideology, emotional appeals, bias and prejudice.
Students read a wide range of print and non-print texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
- Have students create a T-chart with the labels Observe and Infer.
- Project the “Save Seed Corn Now!” poster and guide student observations. Students will respond to each of the following questions in the observation column of their chart via Think-Write-Pair-Share:
- Look at the written text on the poster. What stands out to you?
- Look at the symbols, figures, and other visual aspects of the poster. What stands out to you?
- After students have discussed their observations with partners, have them share their observations with the class.
- Next, have students respond to each of the following questions in the Infer column of their chart via Think-Write-Pair-Share:
- What impact do you think this poster had on farmers?
- What was the intent of the author’s use of visuals?
- What was the intent of the author’s diction?
- Discuss responses as a class. Prompt students to support their inferences with evidence from the text and their own background knowledge.
- Have students analyze this food poster in pairs. They will make observations about the written text and visuals using the same process used to analyze the “Save Feed Corn Now!” poster. They will also respond to the same inference questions from the previous poster.
- When groups are done, discuss the inferences as a class. Prompt students to support their inferences with evidence from the text and their own background knowledge.
- If students haven’t mentioned it, inform them that one of the causes of the Dust Bowl was monoculture, meaning that crop rotation was not being utilized enough. Farmers were planting wheat and corn heavily, which depleted the soil because of how the plants grow.
- With this information, ask students whether or not the posters might have contributed to this poor farming practice. Prompt them to support their thinking with evidence from the posters.
- Have students work with their partner to identify an example of modern political posters, ads, etc., that is related to farmers and/or food and share it with the class digitally via a Padlet, Google Slides, or another platform.
- Have students analyze their identified texts and another piece discovered by another group. For each piece, students should identify:
- Message
- Purpose
- Methods of persuasion
- Possible impacts on farmers
- Debrief as a class. What trends did you notice in how politicians use persuasion or propaganda to appeal to farmers?
- Exit slip: Have students respond to the following question, using evidence from the texts the class discovered: Overall, do modern-day political ads, posts, etc., have a positive or negative impact on farmers? Explain.
- Extension opportunities:
- Have students create propaganda that conveys appreciation for farmers.
- Have students learn more about propaganda techniques through the Read-Writ-Think lesson Propaganda Techniques in Literature and Online Political Ads.
- Have students analyze the purpose of different World War II posters through the Read-Write-Think lesson Argument, Persuasion, or Propaganda? Analyzing World War II Posters.
Harrison, Lloyd. Corn — the food of the nation Serve some way every meal — appetizing, nourishing, economical / / Lloyd Harrison ; Harrison-Landauer Inc. Baltimore. 1918. Print. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2002711987/.