World War I Propaganda
During World War I, governments committed to “Total War” (they committed all of their nation’s
resources into the war effort). One of the ways they did this was by controlling public opinion
and waging a PROPAGANDA WAR. In other words, they spread ideas to either promote their
cause or hurt the other side’s cause.
Task 1: You are to look at some actual propaganda posters from this era and answer the
following questions on a separate sheet of paper. 20 Point Homework Check
On Google Images, search “World War I Propaganda Posters.” Choose 2 to analyze. They don’t
need to be American.
1. For each poster, use the S.O.A.P.S. process to evaluate the use of propaganda.
a. Who was the Speaker? (What do we know of the speaker strictly from the document?)
b. What was the Occasion? (When was it made? Time period? Historical significance?)
c. Who was the Audience? (Who was the document designed for in its time?)
d. What was the Purpose of the document? (Was that its intended purpose?)
e. What was the Subject of the document? (What is the basic story?)
2. Do you think each of the posters was effective in conveying their message? Why or Why
not?
3. What sorts of positive and negative feelings and ideas would each poster cause a World
War I era viewer to have?
4. Include a copy of the poster with your analysis (copy and paste is fine).
______________________________________________________
Task 2: You are to create a propaganda poster for one of the World War I topics
mentioned below. The poster must be drawn on an 8 ½ x 11 sheet of paper and will be
graded on your use of color, images and words. No copy and pasting. Neatness will
also factor into the final grade.
Suggested topics:
 enlistment and recruitment
 financing the war
 the role of women
 aiding our allies
The poster will be graded according to the criteria outlined on the rubric on the reverse side.
World War I Propaganda Poster - Grading Rubric
CATEGORY
Topic:
Poster
Details
Grammar and
Spelling
Neatness (no
copying and
pasting)
Name: ____________________________
7-10 Points
2-6 Points
0-1 Points
World War I topic is
clearly identified on
the poster. The
topic is clear and
well-focused.
The poster includes
relevant and
historically accurate
details to support the
poster’s message.
The poster clearly
communicates a
persuasive
message.
World War I topic is
evident on the
poster, but is not
clearly identified.
No World War I topic
is identified on the
poster.
The poster includes
supporting details,
but some details are
lacking in their
historical accuracy
or relevancy. The
poster
communicates a
persuasive
message.
The student makes
a number of
grammatical and
spelling errors that
minimally distract
the reader from the
poster’s content.
The poster makes
some use of color,
visual images and
words to
communicate the
poster’s intended
message. The
poster is lacking in
overall neatness and
presentation.
The poster does not
include historically
accurate or relevant
details in support of
the poster’s
message. Little or
no persuasion is
evident on the
poster.
The student makes
no errors in
grammar or spelling
that distract the
reader from the
content of the
poster.
The poster uses
color, visual images
and words to clearly
communicate the
poster’s intended
message. The
poster is neat and
cleanly presented.
The student makes
many grammatical
and spelling errors
that distract the
reader from the
poster’s content.
The poster does not
use color, visual
images or words to
communicate the
poster’s intended
message. The
poster is messy and
is poorly presented.
TOTAL POINTS EARNED FOR POSTER (40 points possible): ____________
Total Points
Earned per
Category