A History Teacher: Dan McDowell

Totalitarian governments and their use of propaganda are explored in this project. After learning about specific propaganda techniques, students become part of Totario's (a fictional totalitarian state) Propaganda Ministry. Students are expected to plan, shoot, and edit a digital video on a specific campaign that supports the country and its leader.

In 2003 and 2004 I was awarded three grants that allowed for the expansion of this project from just my classes to the entire sophomore class. The grants were received from the NEA Foundation, Best Buy, and San Diego Computer-Using Educators.

I have posted two of the better videos.

Curriculum Materials

The following documents are the instructional materials needed to implement the project. These materials are part of my Modern World History curriculum guide published by TeachingPoint publishers.

Basic Propaganda PowerPoint - This is a simple presentation that outlines propaganda techniques that the students will need to implement in their video.
Totario Project Student Handout and Campaign Description - This outlines the project requirements and details the specific campaigns that the students develop.
Questions to be Answered by Campaign - This guide helps student brainstorm a story line for their video.
A Short History of Totario Reading and Questions - This reading provides the context for the video. It describes the history of the fictional state of Totario. The second document is a series of questions about the history that hits upon the key elements of the history.
Script Template - This is used during the brainstorming and initial planning process.
Storyboard Template - Once students have deteremined the storyline, they must complete a storyboard for EACH scene.
Technique Sheet - Once the videos have been finished, students must complete this sheet that indicates where the specific propaganda techniques are used in the video.

Click here to view a complete list of my WebQuests, class web pages, and curriculum guides.