I chose a lesson that centered on comics and graphic novels. Over the past couple of years I have witnessed firsthand how beneficial they can be to my struggling readers. I have also noticed how much my kids enjoy them. I have been looking for a way to spend more time using graphic novels in an instructional manner and not just for self-selected reading. I chose the lesson entitled, “Comics in the Classroom as an Introduction to Genre Study” because I felt it not only introduced comics/graphic novels to students, but it also taught students exactly how to read and understand the story being presented. The lesson, written by Lisa Storm Fink, explores the variety of comics/graphic novels that are available. The lesson also discusses the components of a comic strip and examines the conventions used in comics. The lesson is also broken into three, thirty minute sessions which works out nicely for my class.
The lesson begins with students brainstorming the different comics they are familiar with. Students also include a brief description of the comics. Next, the teacher passes out several different types of comics and comic books. Historical, political, illustrated classics, newspaper comic strips, superheroes, etc. In small groups, students explore the materials and make of list of the comics similarities and differences. Guiding questions to aid in this process are offered in the lesson. Once the lists are completed, the students organize the comics into different sub-genres. The next day, the teacher presents to the class information related to comics. This information is detailed in the lesson plan. With this new information, students observe the conventions, page layout, and page design of an example comic. Next, they analyze the professional comic’s use of conventions. The lesson then continues with a whole-class guided lesson on how to use Comic Creator to create an original comic. The new comic should emphasize the new information students have been taught. On the third day, students again use Comic Creator to create their own original comic strip.
This lesson was developed for third through fifth grade, but I think it could easily be adapted to work with my middle school students. I like the way she breaks the comics down into genres. I especially like how she provides information that will teach students all of the ins-and-outs of reading a comic/graphic novel. I’m not sure I would use the Comic Creator section of this lesson. My time is so limited, and I’m not sure how useful this would be to my students for this particular lesson. However, I would definitely consider using the Comic Creator as an alternative book report idea, or for students to demonstrate knowledge about a subject we were studying.
Sally F. Elliott