Museum of the Moving Image
Evaluating Information: Focus on the 2008 Election
Just how true is the information contained in political ads? Determining the veracity of campaign ads from the 2008 presidential race is the focus of a lesson that introduces class members to several fact-checking resources.
University of Wisconsin
Analyzing Presidential Campaign Propaganda
Campaign propaganda has evolved from 1952 through the presidential election of 2008. A social studies activity prompts class members to analyze the devices used in ads and political cartoons, noting strategies they believe would work to...
Curated OER
Getting to Know the Candidates: Analyzing Their Campaign Ads
Pupils examine the role of advertising in presidential campaigns. They analyze one candidate's advertising campaign ads for elements such as major issues, positivity, negativity, facts, and opinions.
Curated OER
Fighting The Horse Race: Creating Ads Which Explore 2008 Presidential Candidates & Issues
What is advertising? What role does it plan in an election? Middle and high schoolers discuss advertising and its purpose by sifting through different magazines and discussing the products they find. Then they relate advertisements to...
Mikva Challenge
Deconstructing Campaign Messages and Perceptions
Target audience, covert message, explicit and implicit appeals. As part of an investigation of rhetorical devices used in campaign ads, class members examine and deconstruct the appeals in logos from the 2008 election. They then use the...
Curated OER
Public vs. Private
Students watch two commericals from previous presidential elections on the topic of healthcare. After reading an article, they identify the position of the various candidates for the 2008 election. In groups, they brainstorm their own...
Curated OER
The Right to Vote
In this voting worksheet, students identify and discuss changes in voting rights throughout American history.
Then, they identify why voting is an important right for Americans. Finally, students create voting bookmarks instead of or in...
Curated OER
Death and Taxes
Students explore the "death tax" and analyze statistical information about how the government taxes dead people. They research sources to determine the validity of a anti-tax group campaign and John McCain's claims about taxes. ...
Curated OER
Comparing Canadian and U.S. Political Systems and Political Campaigns
Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this political systems instructional activity, students conduct research to compare and contrast the forms of government in the ...
Cyberbee
Cyberbee: Election Lessons
These Election Lessons contain a variety of activities to use in your classroom, including a history of campaign buttons. Many of the links use primary sources from the Library of Congress.
Museum of the Moving Image
Museum of the Moving Image: Living Room Candidate (Campaign Ads)
Online exhibition of presidential campaign ads, 1952-2008, organized by election year, theme, and political issue. Audio/video presentations of ads can be viewed alongside written transcripts, making Living Room Candidate particularly...
Museum of the Moving Image
Museum of the Moving Image: 2008 Obama vs. Mc Cain
View presidential campaign advertisement from the 2008 election that included the slogans "Change We Can Believe In" and "Country First". Features video clips, information about the candidates, and election results.
Museum of the Moving Image
Museum of the Moving Image: Admaker, Obama vs. Mc Cain: "Fundamentals" (2008)
A lesson plan to accompany two interactive activities. In the first activity, young scholars must convert a political ad for Barack Obama into one that promotes John McCain. The second activity has them create their own campaign ad. The...