ALA | 35-1 Warfield/Beaman

The reluctant readers in our remedial reading class showed an interest in comics and manga, so we decided to plan a unit on comic books that incorporated the use of a variety of literary skills.

1. Get students excited about reading

2. Practice writing skills

3. Practice & discuss visual literacy (reading pictures)

4. Practice and discuss print literacy (reading words)

5. Contrast/compare visual and print literacy

These modules or assignments work well together in a comics unit, but they could also be used separately in the classroom to supplement other units. For example, a teacher might use the "Fill-in-the-Blanks" module using a page from Antony Johnston & Brett Weldele’s Julius: Let Slip the Dogs of War, a modern comic book retelling of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. Students could be asked to "fill in the blanks" using quotes from the play, using the pictures to help them understand a challenging or confusing scene. The "Create Your Own Superhero" module could be an introduction to character development in a creative writing class, and the "Pass Around" module could be used as a getting-to-know-you exercise or could become an activity on transitions.

Librarian: As an introduction to the unit, I planned a lecture/discussion on the history of comic books, superheros and manga. We discussed the three "ages" of comics in the US (the Golden Age, the Silver Age and the Modern or Bronze Age), which super heroes were popular in each age, and what traits of comic books developed during that age. We also discussed the Comics Code Authority and censorship of comics. Lastly, we discussed manga and the popularity of comics in Japan. I used pictures of hieroglyphics & the Bayeux tapestry to illustrate the history of using pictures to tell stories, and pictures of superheroes through the ages to illustrate the evolution of comic book art.

Students must creatively plan one "scene" in several different comic strips. Students must have a story idea/concept to begin their own strip, and consider the plot & characters of others when working on other comic strips.

a. Have each student fold paper in half, then in half again, creating four boxes.

b. Each student draws a "comic" in one of the boxes as a frame in their comic strip (they can use the upper left box if they want to draw the first frame of the story, or pick another box if they want someone else to kick the story off)

c. Have students pass to student behind/next to them after set period of time.

d. Share comics with class when finished

i. What is your superhero’s name?

ii. How did this person become a superhero?

iii. What city or area do they protect?

iv. Who is one of their enemies? Why?

v. What are their strengths/super qualities?

1. What makes them super?

2. How does your hero use these to his/her advantage?

vi. What is your superhero’s weakness (ex. Kryptonite)

vii. Does your superhero have a sidekick or work with other superheroes?

viii. What does you’re superhero’s costume look like? Does it serve any special functions?

ix. Does your superhero have any special weapons or tools ?

x. Does your superhero have a secret identiy? What is it?

e. Along with a written report answering the above questions, students must draw or create a visual image of their superhero. Students who are not artistic might choose to use theHeroMachinewebsite to create their superhero

f. Students will present their superhero to the class

After discussing the importance of the illustrations to the comic book story, students will practice using descriptive language and visual literacy.

a. Each student must choose a page from a comic book that they wish to "write."

b. Students must write out the story, as told on that page, in words. To do this successfully, they must determine which parts of the story are being told in the pictures and choose words to accurately and completely tell the story without the pictures. To practice, or to shorten this lesson, you might try using only one frame of a comic

a. Photocopy a page from a comic book and white out all the text.

b. Ask students to study the comic pictures and decide what is happening in the story. Have them fill in the blank bubbles with the words and conversations they think might be occurring.

c. Each student can share their version of the story with the class

d. Discuss the importance of "interpreting" people’s actions and how different interpretations of things can lead to confusion and misunderstandings.

Johnston, Anthony and Brett Weldele. (2004). Julius: Let Slip the Dogs of War. Portland, OR: Oni Press.

Underground Online. HeroMachine. < http://www.ugo.com/channels/comics/heromachine/classic.asp>. Accessed May 22, 2006

Lesson Plan

Comics in the Classroom: Reaching Out to Reluctant Readers