Teaching with Comics
Note: I wrote this blog entry awhile back and didn’t want to lose it. You’ll want to read the update at the end to take advantage of a special offer.
Earlier this week, a 2nd grade teacher came by and asked, “I want to teach kids dialogue in their writing using comics. Is there a free program that helps me do that?” The answer is a definite YES. There are several programs online that you can use. Although we quickly stumbled upon BitStrips.com as a simple tool–which is what I used to make the comic above–I knew there were other tools available, as well…through Thinkfinity.org. Before we talk about the tools, let’s discuss HOW comics are helpful; here is a short list of web sites for teaching with or through comics in grades 3-12:
### [Creating **Comics** and Cartoons!](http://www.readwritethink.org/beyondtheclassroom/summer/grades3_5/Comics/) (Grades 3-5)### [Buzz! Whiz! Bang! Using **Comic** Books to Teach Onomatopoeia (Grades 3-5)](http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=867)### [**Comics** in the Classroom as an Introduction to Genre Study](http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=188)(Grades 3-5)### [**Comics** in the Classroom as an Introduction to Narrative Structure](http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=223) (Grades 3-5)### [Book Report Alternative: **Comic** Strips and Cartoon Squares](http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=195)(Grades 6-8)### [**Comic** Book Show and Tell (Grades 9-12)](http://www.readwritethink.org/beyondtheclassroom/summer/grades9_12/ComicBook/)Find a lot more through the Thinkfinity.org Search!
Here are some popular tools available via Thinkfinity.org that you can use:
### [**Comic** Creator](http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/comic/index.html)### [**Comic** Creator Tool Tip Sheet](https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.readwritethink.org%2Fmaterials%2Fcomic%2FComicCreator.pdf)### [King Tut Cartoon Fun:](http://www.nationalgeographic.com/kids/ngo/cartoons/king_tut/index.html) This Nationalgeogrphic.com Kids resource, part of the National Geographic feature titled “Egypt: Secrets of an Ancient World,” is an interactive cartoon into which users can type dialogue. The cartoon features a man and a boy looking at King Tut’s tomb. Users can type in what they think the man and boy are saying and print out their custom-made cartoon. There are also links to an archive of other cartoons.Update 04/2010: National Writing Project members can access BitStripsforSchools.com and get access to a free trial that grants complete access until August 31, 2010. Definitely worth checking out, even if you’re NOT an NWP member!
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Everything posted on Miguel Guhlin’s blogs/wikis are his personal opinion and do not necessarily represent the views of his employer(s) or its clients. Read Full Disclosure