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| Overview |
 Do we teach our students to write to show or to tell? There’s
as much a place for writing that’s detailed and instructional as
there is for writing that’s lush with description. Certain kinds of writing
ask for both: comic book scripting requires the writer to give the artist detailed,
descriptive instructions while also crafting exciting dialogue and otherwise
rich language. In this lesson, students encounter an authentic
writing experience designed to get them thinking about their choices as writers
and how they can best get their mental images out of their head and on the page.
Although students interact with story elements such as plot, character, and setting
as well as with the writing process in brainstorming and drafting, the major
focus of this activity is on revision.
Image from sample script for Cedric the Dragon Slayer created by Eric
Goff. Scripted by James Bucky Carter with page and panel layout, followed by
artist Eric Oakland’s
visual interpretation.
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| From Theory to Practice |
Moffet says of sensory writing that “Whatever the material,
it must already appeal to them [students]” (32).
Comics are very popular with students, especially the various Manga series.
Moffet recognizes scripting as a “flexible learning means that can very
effectively teach many aspects of writing and discourse—more than teachers
yet appreciate” (46). Teacher still need help recognizing the educational
value of comics as well, so this activity can help educate every member of
the classroom. Most comics today are produced via the DC Comics-style or “full
script” style, where a writer completes a full script and then passes
the work along to the visual artists. As well, Moffet asserts that “Practical
tryouts remain for all scripts the best entrance into discussion and revision” (54),
so we have a formula for an authentic writing activity that really packs a
punch. Pow!
Further Reading
Moffet, James. 1992. Active Voice. (2nd ed.) Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook Publishers, Heinemann.
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| Student Objectives |
- draft a comic book script based on a general prompt (e.g.,
A super hero saves the day!).
- explore basic information
about comics and comic book writing.
- create the page layout and images of a peer’s comic
book script, based on the detail and description in the script.
- edit the first drafts of their scripts upon seeing how well
the artists were able to match their visuals with the visions the writers
had in their head as they initially composed the script.
- share their revised scripts with classmates and discuss
how the drafts differed.
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| Instructional Plan |
Resources
Preparation
- To compile a collection of comic books for this activity,
check with your school and public libraries. In addition, you may want
to ask local comic shops if they have any backstock from Free
Comic Book Day. They are often eager to give these issues away. Be sure
to preview the selections to make sure they are classroom-appropriate. This
lesson uses Ultimate Spider-Man #1, but copies may be hard to find
in bulk. The best strategies to make sure titles are suitable for the classroom
are to ask a sales clerk to help you identify appropriate titles and to actually
read through the comics. Picking up a few
extra comics can come in handy later in the lesson when it is time to model
page and panel layout. Most stores have quarter bins, boxes of comics selling
for 25 cents each), which can provide inexpensive models and examples for
students to explore.
- Ask students to read a comic book for homework to help activate their prior knowledge for the next day’s workshop. Ultimate Spider Man #1 is a good choice.
- Decide the amount of detail to discuss in your exploration of comic book style. You may choose to include Text, Layout and Design, and Angles; or you may limit your discussion with the class to one or two of the areas. The handouts duplicate the information available in the Comic Vocabulary Interactive. Use the option which is best for your class.
- To simplify the discussion of examples from the comics that students read as a class, you may want to make overheads of some pages from the books. This process will allow all students to look at the same elements and better ensure that the class follows the discussion.
- Test the Comic Vocabulary Interactive on your computers to familiarize yourself with the tool and ensure
that you have the Flash plug-in installed. You can download the plug-in from
the technical support page.
Instruction and Activities
Session One
- Review ways that writers make their works interesting, descriptive,
and detailed, via a running list of strategies/words on the board or overhead.
Students may offer such strategies as adjectives, adverbs,
time phrases, giving locations, discussing setting, mentioning the weather, characters’ clothing,
and characters’ emotions.
- Discuss the comic book that students read for homework.
Ask students to make connections to the brainstormed list of ways that
authors make works interesting.
- Using the Comic Book Primer, help students
identify the various people involved in comic book production and the parts
of a comic book.
- After that discussion, explain that students will get the chance to become comic book writers.
- Use the Comic Vocabulary Interactive to provide
examples and additional information on the parts of comic books, or allow
students to explore the interactive independently. If computers are not available, use the Comic Vocabulary Definitions sheets on Text, Layout
and Design, and Angles.
- Identify additional examples of various types of page layout and comic book techniques, using the comic read for homework and other comics.
- Note that some pages are splash pages (one large panel taking up the whole screen) while other pages might have a series of smaller, rectangular closed panels (all the action is in the 4 borders), and others might have open panels (panels with less than 4 borders or maybe none at all), overlapping panels, or even panels in which the action seems to spill out of the borders.
- Pass out the Comic Book Scripting Techniques and Sample Script.
- Explore the parts of a script with the class by pointing to the examples on the Script that demonstrate the Scripting Techniques.
- Identify the requirements
for students’ scripts, using the handouts to point to necessary elements.
- Discuss the difference between comic strips and comic books.
- Comics strips are usually self-contained “gags” or jokes and most-often run in series of three rectangular panels.
- Comic books run 20 pages or more in length, may be self-contained or part of an ongoing storyline, and vary in their panel layout from page to page based on the action of the story. For instance, a scene at the dinner table may be composed of nice, rectangular panels whereas a battle scene may use dynamic, off-centered panels to denote action and movement.
- Explain scripting techniques to students, including page
layout and panel design. Refer to the Scripting Handout for useful
teaching and background information.
- Ask students to write their own comic book scripts using
a general prompt, such as one of the following:
- A superhero wakes up to bad news coming from the alarm
clock and must save the day!
- A teenager discovers s/he has a super power at an embarrassing
time.
- Someone gets bitten by a glowing animal/struck by an
odd beam/exposed to radiation/discovers a strange object. Later the person
develops strange powers.
- A team of super heroes is meeting to discuss how to
stop the latest menace.
- Set a “deadline” (20 minutes) so students get
the feeling of working under pressure, just as real comic writers do.
- After the deadline has passed, collect the scripts to be used in the following session.
Session Two
- Explain that the scripts from the previous session will
be redistributed, and writers will now become artists: drawing the script
as close to form as possible based on the information the writer provided.
- Suggest that this will be a silent time in the classroom,
because many times artists and writers might be miles apart from one another
and communication can be tough. This
aspect will help to give a more realistic feeling to this activity.
- After a drawing time of about 20 minutes, ask students to pass their drawings and the scripts back to the original writer.
- Invite writers to evaluate how clear, descriptive and detailed their scripts were based on how well the artists’ visions matched the writers’ initial vision.
- For homework, ask students to revise their scripts
for clarity, detail, and description, to help a future artist better represent
their visions. If desired, ask students to expand their scripts to
five comic book pages in their revised drafts. The Comic
Book Planning Sheet can be used as a tool to help students revise.
Extensions
- Use the ReadWriteThink
Comic Creator to discuss the parts of comic books that are outlined on
the Comic Book Primer and/or the Comic Vocabulary Interactive.
- Ask the class to use their new knowledge to create a rubric or set of guidelines
for creating a comic book script (in this manner, the now experienced writers
and artists get to do the jobs of editors and editors-in-chief!). Allow students
the chance to revise their scripts in light of the class-created rubric before
assessing the work.
Web Resources
- Outcast Studios
http://www.outcaststudios.com
- An online comic book studio, from which the scripted and
drawn pages from Cedric the Dragon Slayer were used with permission.
- Comic Books for Young Adults
http://ublib.buffalo.edu/lml/comics/pages/index.html
- This site provides a list of comic book titles, divided into topics and age
groups, and other categories.
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| Student Assessment/Reflections |
For formal assessment, allow adequate time for students to revise
their drafts. Ideally, ask students to extend their drafts to at least five comic
book pages in revision so that they have ample opportunity to demonstrate an understanding of clear, descriptive language. Grade finished drafts on their extension from the first draft and completion. Focus in particular on the draft's use of clear, accurate, descriptive, and detailed writing that shows (illustrates)
and tells (directs).
For more open-ended and reflective assessment, ask students
to journal on the differences between their two scripts or on the process they
used to make their revised script more detailed. If desired, do a think-pair-share,
and ask students to discuss what they learned about revision and the writing
process.
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1 - Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
2 - Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience.
3 - Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
4 - Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
8 - Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
11 - Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.
12 - Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).
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