Comics have always been associated with fun and creativity. With
the help of many online applications and resources, there are many
ways to tap into the excitement of comics to help engage students
in learning.
The comic making process itself offers many learning opportunities
and with the incorporation of content delivery, comics can provide
an effective tool for teaching and learning.
The next slide outlines some possible learning outcomes from
making comics.

Literacy
Skills
Develop Design
Characters Elements
Develop
Computer Creativity
Skills
Comics
Create a
Decision
setting for
Making
a story
Problem
Sequencing
Solving
Storytelling

Here are some online comic creators you may wish to use. They
range in creativity levels, graphics availability and age suitability.
You will have to decide which site is best suited for your students
and the proposed activity.

For more information
on comic creators go to
http://www.slideshare.net/
shend5/online-comic-
creators

Students can learn new processes and skills by creating an
instruction manual.
This could be used for activities which involve building, safety,
cooking, science, craft making and any other practical activity.
Students might use their own images for the comic or use a
comic creator and give the directions using dialogue.

http://www.howtoons.com/
This site provides many comics which provide instructions.

Computer Games contain some of the most spectacular graphics
available, so why not utilise this resource.
Students could do screen captures of scenes from their games and
create a comic strip. This could be done using software or online
applications.
For some inspiration here are some great sites based on games. These
sites do require registration.
They allow you to design your own comic book using images provided.
You can print, save, email and embed the finished results.

http://www.mashon.com/spore/

This site is simple to use with drag and drop functions and it
provides excellent graphics

http://www.mmorpg.com/comics.cfm
This is another application based on games.
It offers a different range of graphics.

For students to create their own game comic, they need to use sites
which offer the option to add images. Such as:
http://chogger.com/create
http://www.mashon.com/spore/
http://comiqs.com/editor/
Or use software to create your own comic.

Students can combine images with text in a comic strip using
information from a research task.
There are many comic creators which may have images which
relate to the research task or students can add their own.

Students can create a comic based on an interview between two
people.
The teacher can provide the questions which one of the
characters will ask and the students have to research the
answers for the other character.
Students could create their own questions on a subject and ask
another student to find the answers.

Engage students’ interest in stories by asking them to convert a
novel, poem or play into comic form. They could keep to the
setting of the story or add a modern twist to it.
Students could choose classic tales or contemporary novels.
A great example is creating a comic based on a Shakespeare
play or using a Shakespearean phrase as a starting point.
This format could also be used to deliver a
book report.
Here is an examples to inspire you and
your students:

This site offers Shakespearean
Classics as Graphic Novels.
There are free teacher
resource downloads and
previews.
It offers Shakespearean script
or plain English versions.

Here is another
example of using
Shakespeare
inspired comics.

Creating comics is a great method to help students learn how to
develop a story.
It allows them to create a sequence, explore storylines and
understand the use of characters, settings and dialogue.
You might choose a theme to work from and select a comic creator
which works around a theme, such as:
http://www.creaza.com/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/comicmaker/create/

Here are some examples of Web Comics also referred to as
Graphic Novels.
They are comics which can be read online and in some cases can
be downloaded.

Students can respond to a Current Affairs item by creating a
comic or explore social and political issues.

Due to the dialogue aspect of comics, they are
perfect for learning languages.
Characters can speak to each using a different
language.
Students can also add aspects of the cultural
traditions from the country.
Comic books in other languages are also useful,
allowing students to develop their reading skills.

Comics are a great tool for students to use when reflecting on
a task.
It could be represented as an interview or the characters can
discuss the unit of work they just did and give their opinion
on how they did and what they learnt.
Student might use a comic to reflect on
A school excursion or camp.

As an activity at the beginning of the school year, students can
make a comic which provides information about them.
It could be set in their favourite place and reflect on an event in
their life or simply give information about their interests and
hobbies.
These could be printed to create a class comic book.

Comic creators can provide a great tool to
help create a story board for a film or activity.
Comics provide sequence placement and offer
inspiration.
Good sites to use are:
http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/comic/index.html
http://myths.e2bn.org/story_creator/

Students can use comics in comprehension exercises.
Use comic books or webcomics already mentioned.

Check for understanding by allowing
students to revise new knowledge.
This can be done by asking students to
create a comic using the new content
they have learnt.
The teacher could also use comics to
deliver content. This provides the
combination of visual information with
text.

Students can learn new words by
applying them in the correct context in a
comic.
A good activity is to provide 5 words
which must be used in a comic.

Comics can be used to give directions.
This can be used by teachers or students.
Try creating a scavenger hunt using a comic strip to deliver
the clues.

Students can use the lyrics from their favourite song and
adapt into a comic strip.
This will allow students to understand the use of symbolic
images and develop their ability to interpret.

Students can extend their knowledge of a poem by
interpreting it into visual form using a comic.
Ballads, in particular, can be very successful in this task.
Students could deliver their own poems using a comic creator.

Students can explore events from history and adapt them into
comic form.
This can be done using relevant images and making their own
comic or using a comic creator which offers graphics which are
needed, such as http://www.creaza.com/

Comics are a great way to create
interest to a boring page.
Teachers can use comics to add
interest to worksheets, hand
outs, professional development
activities, add to a virtual
classroom or deliver content
using comics.

Students can learn about internet safety and demonstrate their
knowledge by creating a comic exploring internet safety rules.
Here are some examples which are also great teaching tools.
(PDF Download)

Why not take advantage of the great graphics available in many
of the online comic creators and use them to create designs.
Such as:
Design a - Poster
- Title Page
- Invitation
- Magazine Cover
- Title for a Slideshow Presentation
This example was created using http://superherosquad.marvel.com/create_your_own_comic