Activity And Project

Creating Comics and Cartoons!

Grades
3 - 5
Activity Time
One hour
Author
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Activity Description

Comics and cartoons are texts that have been around for a long time. Children enjoy reading and sharing them!  Cartoons and comics are approachable because they combine both words and images. Using published comics and cartoons as examples, children can create their own while playing with images and language.

Why This Is Helpful

It's important that children read many different types of texts - picture books, chapter books, biographies, etc.  They should also write many different things and in many different ways.  Make reading and writing fun by using comics and cartoons as the texts.  Children can learn while having fun!

This activity was modified from the ReadWriteThink lesson plan "Comics in the Classroom as an Introduction to Genre Study."

Here's What To Do

  1. Ask children to share the names of different comics and cartoons that they know. Also have them give descriptions about them - who are the characters? Is there a storyline that continues through? Where does it take place?
  2. Share samples of many different types of comics, comic books, and cartoons. You can find these at the library, comic book store, in the newspaper, or online.
  3. Talk about what's the same or different between the types:
    • Comic strip - several panels or boxes telling a story
    • Comic book- a group of comic strips gathered together, looks like a magazine
    • Cartoon - a single box or panel, sometimes without words
  4. Choose a few comics or cartoons to look at.
  5. Talk about what is similar and different among the types of comics and cartoons:
    • Is there dialogue? How is it presented? Are there speech bubbles or captions?
    • What are the characters doing? How is that shown?
    • What is the shape of the comic frames? Do they look like a box? Are the corners rounded? Why do you think the illustrator made that choice?
    • How is action, like movement, shown?
    • What happens from one frame to the next?
  6. Share with the children that they will have a chance to make their own comic or cartoon using the Comic Creator.  View the Comic Creator Tool page to familiarize yourself with the tool.
  7. Think together about what the comic or cartoon will include and what the story might be.  Use the Comic Strip Planning Sheet to help you think through the needed parts and pieces.
  8. After planning, work together on the computer using the Comic Creator to create your own comic or cartoon.  Print your creation and color it.  An offline option is to draw your own comic using paper and creating the different panels.
  9. Share the comic or cartoon with others!

More Ideas To Try

  • Ask children to share the names of different comics and cartoons that they know. Also have them give descriptions about them - who are the characters? Is there a storyline that continues through? Where does it take place?
  • Share samples of many different types of comics, comic books, and cartoons. You can find these at the library, comic book store, in the newspaper, or online.
  • Talk about what's the same or different between the types:
    • Comic strip - several panels or boxes telling a story
    • Comic book- a group of comic strips gathered together, looks like a magazine
    • Cartoon - a single box or panel, sometimes without words
  • Choose a few comics or cartoons to look at.
  • Talk about what is similar and different among the types of comics and cartoons:
    • Is there dialogue? How is it presented? Are there speech bubbles or captions?
    • What are the characters doing? How is that shown?
    • What is the shape of the comic frames? Do they look like a box? Are the corners rounded? Why do you think the illustrator made that choice?
    • How is action, like movement, shown?
    • What happens from one frame to the next?
  • Share with the children that they will have a chance to make their own comic or cartoon using the Comic Creator.  View the Comic Creator Tool page to familiarize yourself with the tool.
  • Think together about what the comic or cartoon will include and what the story might be.  Use the Comic Strip Planning Sheet to help you think through the needed parts and pieces.
  • After planning, work together on the computer using the Comic Creator to create your own comic or cartoon.  Print your creation and color it.  An offline option is to draw your own comic using paper and creating the different panels.
  • Share the comic or cartoon with others!
shamelonaa
Preservice Teacher
Comics and cartoons are very thrilling activities for both kids and adults. Though creating an interactive comics and cartoons need to do with personal interest, one need to have a determination and engulfed with enough committed to achieve it coming to live. I'm lil busy working on some Comics & Cartoon.
shamelonaa
Preservice Teacher
Comics and cartoons are very thrilling activities for both kids and adults. Though creating an interactive comics and cartoons need to do with personal interest, one need to have a determination and engulfed with enough committed to achieve it coming to live. I'm lil busy working on some Comics & Cartoon.
shamelonaa
Preservice Teacher
Comics and cartoons are very thrilling activities for both kids and adults. Though creating an interactive comics and cartoons need to do with personal interest, one need to have a determination and engulfed with enough committed to achieve it coming to live. I'm lil busy working on some Comics & Cartoon.

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