Comics

=**Key Concepts**= toc
 * Conceptual Understanding
 * Motivation
 * Multiple Literacies
 * Self-expression
 * Visual Thinking

=**Key Principles**=


 * Concepts trump content.
 * Engage students with comics about social issues and important disciplinary content.
 * Focus students' attention on the ways that authors package concepts for target audiences, including aesthetic considerations and rhetorical strategies.
 * Consider the ways in which comics reduce cognitive load and make space for readers to increase their intellectual engagement with the text.
 * Offer students opportunities to exercise their own creativity and self-expression by re-presenting conceptual content and creating social commentary with comics.

=**Comics in FL**=

English


[|Scott McLeod's Inventions] - Contains links to 5 different activities that could form the basis for motivating assignments for students

 - A searchable comic wiki with information regarding characters, creators, imprints, publishers, story arcs, and titles. (From [|Gene Yang] )

**French**
- A database of comics in French

- A searchable, online encyclopedia of comics, available in Dutch, English, and French, that is organized by artist. It contains biographical information about each artist, the history of their work, sample comics, and links to artist's websites and other sites containing collections of the comic strips

**Japanese**
 - Searchable database of Japanese anime characters produced in Japan since 1917 (From Lee Sherlock & Megan Firestone)

**Spanish**

 * [|Comics y la cultura de masas] ** - Contains information in about a variety of popular comics and what they teach us about the cultures of those who created them

 - Extensive list of comic-related sites in Spanish

[|Picasso Woman] - Depicts various women, one of whom is done in Picasso's style.

- Links to the popular Argentine comics of Mafalda & Quino

= Commercial Software =

 - The ultimate in comic book creation software--flexible, functional, inexpensive, and intuitive--students can create their own comics based on digital photos they've taken (Free 30-day trial available. Unfortunately, only compatible with Macs) For free, online software that is very similar, visit 

= **Educational Examples** =

- A site dedicated to comics in English made machinima style (from the backgrounds and avatars of popular videogames). These would make interesting examples for similar student projects.

[|Marengo Story Comics (2nd Grade)] - 2nd grade students create comic books to summarize and extend popular children's stories

[|HowToons] - Use comics as a tool for explaining content!

[|Andy Bobyarchick's Field Trip Comics] - Use comics to share the story of your latest fieldtrip with parents and community members

= Educational Resources =

Ashkenas, Joan. //[|Comics and conversation: Using humor to elicit conversation and develop vocabulary] .// Studio City, CA: Jag Publications. ISBN 0-943327-12-1. One of a series of three books filled with reproducible blackline masters of wordless stories told through cartoons.

[|Comics in Education] - A website created by graphic novelist Gene Yang that contains a history of comics in education, reasons for using comics in education, and quality resources (both online and print-based) for educators who wish to use comics in their classrooms. (From <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">[|Gene Yang] )

Comic Life - A great page filled with links to information on the use of comics and graphic novels in education, including lesson plans, sample student projects, software, tutorials, and more. Be sure to take a look at the other tech projects in the navigation bar on the left

Cary, Stephen. <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">[|Going graphic: Comics at work in the multilingual classroom]. Heinemann. ISBN 0-325-00475-7. A phenomenal book filled with practical ideas and activities for using comics as a tool for language teaching and learning in the K-12 classroom. The book is well-organized, research-based, and contains lesson plans and sample student work. (From <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">[|Gene Yang] )

<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">[|Escrapbooking] - Links to lesson plans, software options, and step-by-step how-tos for creating comics in PowerPoint with sounds and animation

<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">[|Graphic Novels for (Really) Young Readers]

<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">[|Graphic Novels in the Curriculum] - Concise overview with links to quality resources, including a very nice handout

<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">[|Ideas for Using Comics in FL Classes] - A few suggestions to help you start brainstorming

<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">[|National Association of Comics Art Educators] - Look at the Teaching Resources section to find links to <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">[|exercises], [|handouts], and other online resources designed to help educators use comics in the classroom. (From <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">[|Gene Yang] )

<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">[|No Flying, No Tights] - An annotated list of graphic novel recommendations for children, teens, and adults categorized by age and interest. (From <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">[|Gene Yang] )

<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">[|Recommended Graphic Novels for Public Libraries] **-** An annotated list of graphic novels appropriate for ages 12-16.

Schwarz, Gretchen. <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">[|Graphic novels for multiple literacies]. //Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy.// Retrieved February 21, 2007, from http://www.readingonline.org/newliteracies/jaal/11-02_column/ - A short, teacher-friendly article on how and why graphic novels support student learning.

Starr, Linda. (2004). <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">[|Eek! Comics in the classroom]. //Education World.//

<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">[|Superman Finds New Fans Among Literacy Instructors] - Article re: the expansion of a program that uses comic-creation and graphic novels to strengthen students' literacy skills after a study yielded promising results

<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">[|Using Graphic Novels in the Classroom] - This short guide from Scholastic, downloadable as a PDF, addresses the //whats, whys,// and //hows// of using graphic novels in the classroom. user:chericem1

=<span style="font-size: 1.4em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;"> Rubrics =

<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">[|Comic Rubric] - An outstanding rubric created by professional graphic novelist, <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">[|Gene Yang], for assessing the formatting aspects of students' graphic novel projects. (From <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">[|Gene Yang] ) = =

=<span style="font-size: 1.4em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;"> Tools =

- Students can create their Peewee comics by mixing and matching backgrounds, characters, props, adding text, and printing their creations

- Simple editor that allows students to upload photos (or choose from a photo library), and add speech bubbles, etc.

- Students can select a famous Disney character, change their facial expressions and clothing, add a title and a short paragraph, and print their work

- Create animated cartoons (with or without audio - which can be recorded via phone)

- Perfect for artists--lets you sketch and animate your own comic strips (in color) online for free

- Comic generator site lets you select from a number of different characters, change their emotions, overlap elements, rescale things, etc.

- Drag and drop facial features to create your own Picasso-like portrait

- Free, well-designed online software similar to Comic Life that lets you create comic strips and save them for others to view

- Comic creation site that will take Chinese characters (and translate them) - courtesy of Aaron Bray

- This site lets you take a nicely colored version of the tree swing cartoon and customize its captions to suit your own project. It also has a variety of versions of the cartoon in multiple languages designed to be used in a wide array of contexts

<span style="font-size: 13.3333px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;"> - <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">[|Comic creator] allows students to create a comic strip with multiple panels by selecting black and white backgrounds, characters, and props from a clip art library, adding titles and text, and printing their work

- A super site that allows students to select characters and backgrounds from extensive libraries, add text bubbles and titles, and save them online for others to see

- A phenomenal site with stock characters that will appeal to students and allows them to create truly original work

- Type in your zip code to find the comic book shop closest to you. (From <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; padding-right: 10px;">[|Gene Yang] )

- A really nice site that lets students drag and drop characters, props, and even speed lines, etc. into comic frames. You can position things in front of or behind other things using the buttons at the bottom. Very intuitive and kid friendly. Be sure to click on all the buttons (Suggested by [|vidgan1] )



- Create mini, animated videos from stock elements

=<span style="font-size: 1.4em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">**Tutorials** =

<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 0px;">[|Comic Tutorial Dropdown]

// More Information About Comics & Graphic Novels in the Classroom //

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