Using Comics to Teach Concepts

Introduction: 

If you are a teacher at the middle level you know that every day is a struggle to engage students. I teach 7th grade language arts. Needless to say, I get the pleasure of teaching 7th graders their parts of speech..again for a district wide common assessment. I was faced with having to review concepts the students had already had prior knowledge of, but they had not mastered the concepts yet. How do I get my students engaged in a topic that is staler than a crusty crouton? Well I have discovered the Comic Book app for the ipad/ipod and have fallen in LOVE with it. The students are engaged and are having FUN explaining the various parts of speech to their classmates! 

Comic Book allows you to take pictures from your library, or take pictures instantaneously and place them in a comic strip format. Then, very easily you can upload stickers and text bubbles to the comic. In less than 5 minutes you have a presentation worthy comic ready for the classroom! 

Classroom Application: 

• Explanations:  It is universally known that if a student can explain and simplify a concept they have mastered the concept/standard. What better way to see if a student has mastered the idea than to create a cartoon for a student in a younger grade? Go one step further, bind the cartoons and give them to a teacher that teaches at a lower grade level. The students will benefit from a real-world applications of their work.

• Responding to Literature: Have students summarize the text, passage, or unit in cartoon form. Give students parameters of what is expected from the cartoon. I have used this assignment in my own classroom. For the third quarter, my students need to read a book from the historical fiction genre. This quarter I gave the students three choices: create an imovie, write a script, or create a graphic novel. I am anxious to see what the student gravitate to!