Language Arts, Writing, Writing Process, Traits of Writing, Art, Mediums, Techniques

Grade 5- 8

Objective

Students will write a fictional story creating a conflict and resolution, applying sequential writing, using action verbs, descriptive language, and onomatopoeia, in a comic book format with original artwork and/or technology.

Directions

Before the project begins, have students bring in comic books, daily comics, and Sunday comics. Read them aloud. Ask the students why comic books have never lost popularity. Discuss the different kinds of comics written, subject matter, and the purpose of comics. Ask the students if some comic strips or comic books continue with a daily sequence of events with problems and solutions. Cite examples of comics that fill those requirements. Discuss how comic strips can turn into comic books. Explain to the students their assignment will be to create a comic book using imaginary characters that find a solution to a problem. Use this project to encourage the theme of the enjoyment of recreational reading.

• Students choose the dimensions of the size of their pictures. Each page must have at least four to six panels with related captions.
• Explain that each panel size for the comic book picture must be the same for each page.
• Require that onomatopoetic words such as bang, boom, crash, clang, buzz, whoosh, swish, creak, eek, etc., be used occasionally.
• Read the student check-off list aloud to clarify all requirements. Writing the comic strips for each page must precede the artwork and graphics. Excessive violence, weapons, and blood are unacceptable. This project is rated for a general audience.
• Brief student conferences on each student's rough draft should be held to facilitate complete sentence structure, descriptive adjectives, and action verb usage. Peer editing during this project combines reading enjoyment and student affirmation with skill development.
• The final due date provides the students with a day to read each other's creations. This day fills the classroom with recreational reading and a positive climate for further emphasis on writing for entertainment.

Resources

• spiral notebook
• colored pencils
• ruler
• markers
• pens
• construction paper
• computer