Benjamin Franklin Round-Robin Poster Contest

20 Minutes Per Station

STATION 1- from Poor Richard’s Almanack

Read the excerpt from Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanac, on pages 149-150, of the orange
Prentice Hall book.

On your poster, define the term “aphorism,” and have each group member create a visual representation
for the literal translation of one of Franklin’s aphorisms. On your visual, provide the quoted aphorism
and the actual meaning behind the figurative phrase. Then, as a group, create your own original
aphorism, and provide the meaning and a visual representation of your aphorism.

STATION 2- from The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

Read the excerpt from Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography, on pages 141-146, of the orange Prentice
Hall book. Then, as a group, agree on a list of the top five original virtues that will help you be
successful in AP Language. List these virtues, with their precepts, on your poster.

STATION 3 - Join or Die Political Cartoon

Watch the YouTube tutorial, How to Analyze Political Cartoons, and take notes. Then, analyze and
label Franklin’s Join or Die, which is said to be the first American political cartoon, using the criteria
below.

● Issue: Identify the issue, and provide a brief explanation of the issue and the exigence behind the
issue.
● Point-of-View: Discuss the point-of-view portrayed in the cartoon. Be sure to include context
and bias.
● Symbolism: Label the symbols, and explain their meaning.
● Exaggeration: Label the visual hyperboles, and provide a brief explanation of what is being
exaggerated and the purpose of the exaggeration.
● Labeling: Label the labels (metalabeling), and provide a brief explanation of what is being
labeled and the purpose of the label.
● Analogy: Label visual analogies, and provide a brief explanation of what is being compared and
the purpose for the comparison.
● Irony: Label an example or multiple examples of irony, and explain what is ironic about the
image.

Next, find two powerful political cartoons, and follow the same analysis and labeling process. Attach the
labeled cartoons to your poster.
STATION 4- Read “The Witch Trials at Mount Holly” and “New Jersey Opinion; The Trial of Witches
in Mt. Holly,” from The New York Times. Then, review the handout on satirical devices. Identify three
satirical devices in “The Witch Trials at Mount Holly.” Label, visually illustrate, and provide brief
explanations for the use of the three satirical devices.

STATION 5- “Why Was Benjamin Franklin’s Basement Filled With Skeletons?” by Colin Shultz, and
craft a letter, from Benjamin Franklin’s point-of-view, providing a fictional, yet plausible, explanation for
his buried secret. Attach the letter to your poster.

STATION 6- Read “Author in Depth: Benjamin Franklin” and “Franklin’s Firsts,” on pages 136-138, of
the orange Prentice Hall book. As a group, use the claim organizer to create a claim statement about the
invention you believe has had the greatest impact on American society. Include an image, a
counterargument, and three supporting reasons for your claim. Attach your completed claim organizer to
your poster.

STATION 7- Read the pamphlet “Notes Concerning the Savages,” on pages 218-222 of your Writing
America textbooks. Provide visuals and explanations for at least three different contradicting traditional
European and Native American manners.

● Rhetoric- On your poster, write a brief paragraph, explaining which rhetorical device your group
believes Franklin uses the most. Provide evidence.
● Connecting- On your poster, write a brief paragraph, connecting Franklin’s pamphlet to Miller’s
commentary on Reverend Hale and Russian vs. American diabolism.