How to... Comic Strips

Brr... baby it's cold outside!

To kick off the winter season and a new year, I used my love of art to inspire my students to explain how to make snowflakes by creating a comic strip. Of course, I couldn't just give them paper and pencils and expect artistic perfection. I spent some time teaching them the art of comic strip making. It was amazing to see the light shine super bright in some students' eyes as they realized that pictures are worth a thousand (well, maybe a hundred) words. First our art teacher taught a lesson on how to cut paper snowflakes. Then I taught a lesson on how real snowflakes form.

Next, students learned the basic mechanics of comic strip making like the purpose of narration boxes, panels and word bubbles and how to create original characters and draw block letters. They used those elements, combined with their knowledge of paragraph writing and created these awesome comic strips!

 Next students brainstormed, then draw rough drafts and finally published their work in color. Sounds familiar? Yep... it's the writing process! They peer-edited each other's work and checked to see if illustrations could stand alone without words or if words were necessary to help the viewer understand the action. I reminded students that their comics, like stories, needed to have a beginning, middle and an end.

Et voila!

While I read my students' work, I realized an amazing thing. Students explained how to make snowflakes from different perspectives. For example, some students told their story through a character's eyes. Other students students told their story as if the reader was a part of the story. Even more, one student explained how real snowflakes are formed in the atmosphere and included very scientific words in her comic. That's what authentic writing is about! I had so much fun that I created a TpT resource, How to Comic Strips, to make it easy for other educators to get started. 

click to download

It includes 

• 26 How to Comic Strip templates
• 1 rough draft template
• 1 blank template 
• a background information page with teaching resources and suggestions.

Check it out and consider following me on my TpT page.

As always, I'm proud of the zeal that my students displayed in order to complete their comics. I know that at the end of the day, what's most important is that they learn how to build their own intelligence because that can't be taken away!

Wishing you much peace, happiness and joy in 2018!