Making Comics
Now that students have had some practice making comics together, it’s time for them to make one of their own.
Have students access the student chapter Making Comics or display it on a screen or digital whiteboard.
Go through the assignment and the Story Starter with the class.
Make sure they understand:
They are not being marked on their art – but they are being marked on how well they understand and use the comics storytelling techniques you’ve covered in the lesson.
They do not have to use the Story Starter (unless you want to require it). If they have their own idea, they can use that instead. The Story Starter is to help them think of story ideas and make sure their story has a clear beginning, middle and end.
The story does not have to be about them. If they use the Story Starter to get an idea, the sentence starter “Every day…” can be followed with the name of a made-up character or even a job (e.g. “a fire fighter,” “a teacher,” etc.)
They do not have to use any words that aren’t needed to get the story across. The comic can be totally silent if they want!
When they have finished their comic, have them use the Reflection to consider the choices they made. If you prefer, you can have them record their answers using the Reflection Recorder instead of writing them.
If you would like to integrate this assignment more closely into other parts of the course, you can have them choose a scene from a book or other text you have read and adapt it into a comic.