K-12 Instructional Activity using comic life
K-12 Instructional Activity Using Comic Life
Title: Same Story, Different Point of View
Audience: Gifted 5th Grade English Language Arts Students
Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is to enhance the gifted students’ understanding of how point-of-view influences how events are described while incorporating their learning with a new technology application called Comic Life.
Learning Objectives/Outcomes: The student will construct two separate comic strips of the same story from two different points-of-view. The student will explain how the character’s point of view in each comic strip changed how the events were described in the comic strip.
Standard: ELAGSE5RL7. Describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described.
Step-by-Step Procedure: Students will work in groups of four or five for this assignment. The teacher will check-out a class set of iPads for student use.
Lessons Learned About Myself
I’ve learned a little bit about myself through completing this project. First, I learned how little knowledge I had about comics as a form of literature. All of the readings really helped me to understand that comics are a legitimate form of literature. Also, I learned that it had never even crossed my mind to do a project with my students using comics or comic strips, but after this project, I am very excited about the idea of using comic strips for future teaching and learning experiences. Something else I discovered about myself was that I actually enjoyed making this comic strip. Using Comic Life was fun and easy, and I’m sure that if I used it more, I would be able to do even better projects with it. I also learned that I was able to pick up the use of the new technology application, Comic Life, pretty quickly. This program is set up with many features that make it user friendly, and I was able to learn quickly because of these.
Lessons Learned as an Online Learner
As an online learner, one of the lessons I have learned that being able to follow specific instructions is crucial. When learning online, I don’t always have classmates to talk to or a professor in the class to speak with, so it is important that I can follow instructions in the online assignments. I’ve also learned the value in calling my professor to clarify when I do have questions. Communicating with the professor has been key for me during this experience as an online learner. Another lesson I learned about learning online is to use the examples provided to shape my project, and I also have learned the extreme importance of using the rubric to self assess before I submit my final project. Using the rubric is key in making sure that I have submitted everything required for my project, and I’m not sure I could survive my online courses without the rubrics!
Title: Same Story, Different Point of View
Audience: Gifted 5th Grade English Language Arts Students
Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is to enhance the gifted students’ understanding of how point-of-view influences how events are described while incorporating their learning with a new technology application called Comic Life.
Learning Objectives/Outcomes: The student will construct two separate comic strips of the same story from two different points-of-view. The student will explain how the character’s point of view in each comic strip changed how the events were described in the comic strip.
Standard: ELAGSE5RL7. Describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described.
Step-by-Step Procedure: Students will work in groups of four or five for this assignment. The teacher will check-out a class set of iPads for student use.
- Step 1: In their groups, students will write two short stories about the exact same event, but the short story is told differently from two different perspectives of characters within the story. For this story, there are some set parameters: 1) There must be at least two characters in the story (remind students to think of the number of people in their group when they are writing their story – they need to remember that they will photograph this story with their iPads and need the people in their group to be the characters in the story and need a photographer in their group), 2) The story must take place at school (due to the fact that students will take pictures at school using their iPads), 3) There must be dialogue between the characters. 4) The story must be different when told from the two different perspectives (teacher will provide examples to help students with this concept), 5) The story must have a beginning, middle, and end.
- Step 2: Students will download Comic Life and look at the template panels they provide. Students will choose 4-7 panel templates (and print two copies of each one) and print them out to create a storyboard for each of their two stories. Having these panel templates already printed will allow the students to create a storyboard for each of their two stories and give them an idea of how to photograph their story and how many photographs they need on each panel. They may use the exact same photographs for the two stories with different texts based on the different perspectives, or they may change the photographs a little bit depending on the perspective of the character from whose point of view the story is happening.
- Step 3: When students have completed their storyboards, they will act out and photograph their two storyboards.
- Step 4: Students will use Comic Life to create a comic strip for Storyboard 1 and Storyboard 2. Students will use dialogue to create the different story from each character’s perspective. Students must give their comic strip a title but do not have to add the title to every panel of the comic strip.
- Step 5: When students are finished with BOTH comic strips, the group will present their comic strips to the class and explain how the two different characters’ points of view in each comic strip changed how the events were described in each comic strip.
Lessons Learned About Myself
I’ve learned a little bit about myself through completing this project. First, I learned how little knowledge I had about comics as a form of literature. All of the readings really helped me to understand that comics are a legitimate form of literature. Also, I learned that it had never even crossed my mind to do a project with my students using comics or comic strips, but after this project, I am very excited about the idea of using comic strips for future teaching and learning experiences. Something else I discovered about myself was that I actually enjoyed making this comic strip. Using Comic Life was fun and easy, and I’m sure that if I used it more, I would be able to do even better projects with it. I also learned that I was able to pick up the use of the new technology application, Comic Life, pretty quickly. This program is set up with many features that make it user friendly, and I was able to learn quickly because of these.
Lessons Learned as an Online Learner
As an online learner, one of the lessons I have learned that being able to follow specific instructions is crucial. When learning online, I don’t always have classmates to talk to or a professor in the class to speak with, so it is important that I can follow instructions in the online assignments. I’ve also learned the value in calling my professor to clarify when I do have questions. Communicating with the professor has been key for me during this experience as an online learner. Another lesson I learned about learning online is to use the examples provided to shape my project, and I also have learned the extreme importance of using the rubric to self assess before I submit my final project. Using the rubric is key in making sure that I have submitted everything required for my project, and I’m not sure I could survive my online courses without the rubrics!