Comics + the news + classrooms all go together. Let me

MAKEBELIEFSCOMIXLESSONPLANS

SECTION8:USINGCOMICSTRIPSTOTEACHCURRENTEVENTS

HOWDOINGSOSPARKSLEARNINGANDENGAGEMENT

ByBillZimmerman,CreatorofMakeBeliefsComix.com

Comics+thenews+classroomsallgotogether.Letmetellyouwhyandhow.

MyhappiestmemoriesasakidcenteronSundaymorningswhenmyfatherwouldleavethehouseearlyinthemorningtopickupsomejellydonutsandalsobringbackanarmloadofnewspapers.I’dgrabmybelovedfunnysectionstoreadaboutthelatestadventuresofmycomicheroesandentertheirexciting,imaginaryworlds.Thecomicsmademehappyandhelpedmebecomeagreatreader.

Aftergoingthroughthecomics,I’drustlethroughtherestofthenewspaperstolearnwhatwashappeningintherealworld,toreadaboutfamouspeople,toseehowothersintheworldlivedtheirlives,and,ofcourse,tolookatthegreatphotographs.Thenewspaperwasmydailytreasurechest–IneverknewwhatexcitingpieceofinformationI’ddiscovereachday.

IgrewuptobecomeanewspaperreporterandeditorandalsoworkedwiththebestcartoonistsandillustratorsformynewspapersandforthebooksIwrote.Formanyyears,too,Icreatedasyndicatednewspaperpagetoteachyoungstersaboutcurrentevents.Itaughtwritingandreading,too,toliteracystudentsand12yearsagoIlaunchedthisfreewebsite,MakeBeliefsComix.com,whereyoungsterscancreatetheirowndigitalcomicstripstories.Educatorsworldwideuseittoencouragestudentliteracyandcreativeexpression.

Allthistosaythatnewspapersandcomicsgohandinhandbeautifullyintheclassroom,providingapainlesswayforstudentstolearnlanguagearts,tobetterunderstandcurrenteventsandhistoryandtofostercreativity.

THECHALLENGE

Withmygreatloveforcomicsandnewspapers,Ichallengeteachersforthenewschooltermtosetupadaily20-minutecomicstripsegmentduringwhichyourstudentscreatecomicsaboutwhatthey’vereadinthenewspaperanddiscussedinclass.Bysodoingstudentsexplorethenewsingreaterdepth.TheycancreatetheirdailycomicsdiaryentreesbyusingeitherMakeBeliefsComix.comorbysimplydrawingtheirowncomicswithpencilorcrayons.(Stickfiguresarefine,too.)

Thebasicideaistoencourageeachstudenttofirstreadanarticlefromanewspaperandthencreatecomicstripssummarizingorcommentingonwhatisinthenews.Letthecomiccharactersexpressthestudents’thoughtsorquestionsoropinionsaboutwhattheyread.Iftheydothisonadailyorfrequentbasis,andprintoutthecomicstheycreated,overthecourseofaschoolyearyourstudentswillbuildwonderfulportfoliosofartsummarizingalltheinterestingthingstheylearnedfromexploringthenewspaper.

Tobegin,firstlookuponthenewspaperasIdo,asadeep,dailyreplenishedtreasurechestoffascinatinginformationwaitingtobeexploredorcommentedon.Startwiththefront-pagenewsstories,thenworkyourwaytothedifferentsectionsthatappearoverthecourseoftheweek–frombusinesstotheartstosciencetoentertainmenttothehealthpages,totheletterstotheeditorand

editorials,alongwiththeweeklynewsreviewand,ofcourse,therichbookandSundaymagazinesections.Letyourstudentschoosethesectiontheylovebest.Eachsectioniswaitingforstudentstoputtogethertheircomicsinwhichtheircomiccharacterstalkabouttheissuesraisedonthesenewsandfeaturepages.Ipromiseyouthis:theminuteastudentstartscreatingacomicstriptodealwiththenewssheisreading,shewillbeginowningtheinformationinthearticleandonthewaytofullyengagedwiththenews.Theseinformedstudentswillbecomeourinformedcitizens.

Let’sjuststartwiththefrontpageswiththeirstoriesonthespateofhorrificschoolshootings.Creatingcomicstripsprovidesanopportunityforstudentstodiscussthisterriblesituationandtoairtheirviewsandfeelings.Whynothavestudentscreatingacomicstripinwhichthecomiccharactersraiseandanswersuchquestionsas:Whatdoyouthinkshouldbedonetopreventfuturedeadlyshootingsatschoolsandelsewhere?Isitagoodorbadideatoarmteacherswithgunstoprotectstudents?Shouldstudentsgooutonstriketoforcelegislatorstodealwiththisproblem?Whatcanstudentstoaboutviolenceatschool?Howcanaschoolbetterhandleproblemstudentswhomaybepronetoviolence?Letthestudentssharethecomicstripstheycreatewithclassmatesandfriendstopromotediscussionanddebateonthisveryimportantsubject.

Or,howaboutacomic-makingsessiononthehurricanesandfloodingeventsofrecenttimes.Astudentreadingaboutthetragicstoriesemergingfromthisdisaster–peopleseparatedfromtheirhomes,worriedabouttheireldersandtheirpets,desperatefromlosingeverythingimportantintheirlives–willfindmanythoughtscomingtothefore.Oneofthefirstquestionsweaskourselvesiswhatwouldbeitbeliketobeintheplaceofthoseexperiencingsuchhavoc?Whattreasureswouldwehopetosalvagefromthedisasters?Howwouldwesurvive?Whatifwelostlovedones?Whatcancommunitiesdotoprotectthemselves?

Sotakethenextstep:whynotcreateacomicstripinwhichstudentsaskthemselves:whatwouldbethemosttreasuredpossessionsthey’dgrabtotakewiththemiftheywereforcedtoleavetheirhome?Hardchoices:afamilypet,familyphotosanddocuments,abelovedbookorpossession?Orputtogetheracomicdealingwithwhatitwouldbeliketorescuepeoplestrandedbytheflooding?Suchcomic-makingalsoencouragesempathyforothers,somethingweneedtoencourageinouryoungpeople.

Takeanothermajorfrontpagenewsstory–thepossibilityofendingtheDeferredActionforChildhoodArrivals(DACA)programthatshieldsfromdeportationyoungundocumentedimmigrants(knownas‘’dreamers’’)whowerebroughttotheU.S.aschildren.What’sgoingtohappentotheseyoungpeopleiftheyareforcedtobedeported?Perhapsastudentwillwanttocreateacomicstripinwhichhehascharactersexpressthe‘’dreamers’’fearsanddisappointments.Again,creatingsuchcomicsencouragesyourstudentstoplacethemselvesintheshoesofothers.LetthecharactersinthecomicstripalsodebatetheprosandconsofCongress’enactinglegislationtolegalizethesedreamers.

Doyourstudentsfollowsports?Skiptothesportssection.There,youmightreadapieceaboutfootballplayerColinKaepernick,thequarterbackwhokneltforthenationalanthembeforeNationalFootballLeaguegames.Hewasprotestingagainstsocialinjustice,especiallythedeathsofAfrican-Americansatthehandsofpolice.EachofusmayhavedifferentopinionsaboutKaepernick’sgesture–hemakessomepeopleveryangry,othersveryproudofwhathedid.So,then,howaboutacomicstripwherecomiccharacterscommentabouthissurprisinggestureanddebatewhetherornothedidtherightthing?It’salwaysgoodtogettwosidesofastory.WouldyourstudentsdowhatKaepernickdid?Letthecomicstripsanswerthatquestion.

Today,didyouoverhearyourstudents’talkingaboutwhat’sontelevisiontonight,orwhat’sstreaming?TakealookthenattheTVpage.Can’tfindanythinggood?Suggesttoyourstudentsthattheycandobetterandusetoday’scomicstriptostoryboardabrandnewfilmorrealityprogram,They’vealreadygotthecharacterstoselectfromMakeBeliefsComix;nowalltheyneedtodoiscomeupwithgreatideasforfutureprogramming.Isn’tthisagreatwaytoencouragecreativityandimagination?Comingupwiththeirownideasempowersstudents.

Oneofthemostinterestingnewspaperfeaturesistheletterstotheeditorsection.Recently,agroupofwritersfocusedonhowtoresolvetheNorthKoreancrisisbetweentheUnitedStatesandthethreatofwaroverthatnation’sthreattousenuclearmissilesagainsttheU.S.Wouldn’tthisbeaprovocativesubjectforacomicstripinwhichstudents,workinginpairs,cameupwithacomicstripofferingproposalsfortheUnitedStatestoconsiderindealingwithNorthKorea’snuclearthreat?Letthecomiclayoutwhetherit’swar,negotiation,moresanctions,orsomethingelse.Studentshavetheirownperspectiveandideasworthsharing.

OntothebusinesssectionwhichrecentlyfeaturedanarticleaboutLego,thetoycompanycutting1,400jobsbecausechildrenaremoreinterestedinmobiledevicesforentertainment,thantheyareinbuildingblocks.AskthestudentsfortheircomicstripstosuggestsomenewgamesorproductsforLegothatmightbringbackyoungconsumers.YoucansendtheseideastoLego.Or,perhapsthey’llusetheircomicstorecallthetypesofthingstheyconstructedwiththeblockswhentheywereyounger.

Therealwaysaregreatideasforcomicstripstoriesfromtheeditorials,essaysandcolumnsthatappearontheOpEdpages.Whynothavestudentscreateacomicaboutoneofthepositionstakenbyanewspapereditorialwriterorcolumnist?Or,havethestudentsintheircomicsaskacolumnistaboutherjob,howshebecomeajournalist,whatpartofherworksheismostproudof.Sendherthesecomicstrips.Iamsureshewouldwelcomesuchfeedbackfromyoungpeopleandmaybethey’devenprovidefodderforfuturecolumns.

Intheartssection,therewasarecentarticleabouthowagirlsmovieversionofthebook,‘’LordoftheFlies,’’isplanned.It’sbasedonthe1954novelthatexaminedtheinherentevilofhumanitythroughanislandofboyswithoutadultsupervision.Comicstripassignment:Yourstudentsarewritingthescriptandusingcomicstripstostoryboardthenewmovie–howwouldtheyadaptorchangethestorynowthatgirlswillplaythemainroles?Willthegirlsbeascruelastheboysorwilltheyfindabetterwaytocooperateandsurvive?Comicscanhelpyourstudentsthinkcreativelyanddevelopnewideas.

Here’sanotheridea:askyourstudentstoimaginetheyarereviewinganewbooktheyreadforthebookreviewcolumn.Havethempresenttheirreviewintheformofacomicstripinwhichtheysummarizetheplotandsaywhatitistheylikedaboutthebookorwhatthey’dliketoseechanged.Dotheyhaveideasforasequel?Or,howaboutacomicstoryaboutwhathappenstothecharactersafterthebookends?Afunwaytogetthemtousetheirimaginationsandwrite!

Then,ontocomics!TheNewYorkTimesrecentlypublishedawonderful,beautifullyexecutedcomicstripserialonSundaysaboutthetruestoryofafamily’sjourneyfromSyriatoAmerica.Titled‘’WelcometotheNewWorld’’andcreatedbyJakeHalpernandMichaelSloan,thecomicstriprecordstheadventures–badandgood–ofthisfamilyasitsmembersbuildnewliveshere.It’soffersperfectproofthatacomicdiarydrawnbystudentscanbeagreatandrichadventure,too.Whatbetterwaythancomicstotellstoriesaboutourlivesandtheworldinwhichwelive!

HEREARESOMEMOREIDEASFORSTUDENTSCREATINGCOMICSTRIPS

Teacherscanalsocreatecomicmodulesusingphotographsfromanewspaper.Let’ssayit’searlyinthenewyearwhenthePresidentisslatedtogivehisannualStateoftheUnionAddress.CutoutaphotoofthePresidentfromthenewspaperandpasteablankballoonnexttohismouth,withaninstructiononthepageforthestudents:GiveHimSomeWordstoSay.

InteachingaboutthecurrentnuclearmissilecrisisbetweentheUnitedStatesandNorthKorea,cutoutaphotoofPresidentTrumpandofNorthKorea’sleaderKimJong-unandagainpastetwolargeballoonsnexttoeachone’slipswiththeheadline:ImaginePresidentTrumpandKimJong-unaremeetinginyourschoolyard.Whatshouldtheysaytooneanother?

Or,eachyearwhentheNobelPrizesareabouttobepresented,havestudentbringinphotosofthemselvesandpasteblankballoonsnexttotheirfacewiththeheadline:ImagineyouaregivingthespeechtoreceivetheNobelPeacePrize.Howwouldyoustartyourspeech?Whatisthemessageaboutpeacethatyou’dhopetoconvey?

Inworkingwithliteracystudents,IhaveeventakencomicstripsfromtheSundayfunnypagesofothernewspapers,whitedoutthewordsinthetalkballoonsandaskedstudentstocreatetheirowndialogue.Isn’tthatafunwayofencouragingstudentstowriteandthinkimaginatively.

THEBENEFITSOFSTUDENTSKEEPINGCOMICSTRIPDIARIES

Bycreatingcomicstripdiaries,whetherthroughcomicgeneratorslikeMakeBeliefsComix,orthroughdrawingorwithpicturescutoutfromthenewspaper,studentswillrealizethattheycancreatetheirownstoriesandmakeart.Theywilllearnthatthey,too,arecapableofgeneratingtheirownlearningmaterials,theirownmemoirs,andthattheir"take"ontheworldissoveryspecial.Moreover,theprocessofusingdrawncharactersandwritingwordsforthemtosayorthinkprovidesawayforstudentstodigestandintegratethekeyinformationtheyreadinnewspapersorwatchontelevision.ThiswillalsohelptheminEnglishclass,history,socialstudies,journalismorscienceandmath.Suchcomicstripdiariesalsoprovideawayforastudenttocommentaboutherdailylifeinandoutofschool.

THERATIONALEFORUSINGCOMICSWITHSTUDENTS

Frommyownteachingwithyoungstersandadults,IknewintuitivelythatenablingstrugglingstudentstowriteandtellstoriesbybuildingcomicstripsonlinewouldhelpstrengthentheiremergingEnglish-languageskillsandmakethedifficultjoboflearningEnglishorothersubjectsamucheasier,moreenjoyableexperience.Thatiswhy,inpart,IcreatedMakeBeliefsComix.

Yousee,comicstripsprovideaperfectvehicleforlearning,forpracticinglanguageandexpressingideas.Eachstrip'sthreeorfourpanelsprovideafinite,accessibleworldinwhichfunny,interestinglookingcharactersliveandgoabouttheirlives.Andstudentswithlimitedoremergingreadingorwritingskillsarenotasoverwhelmedindealingwiththesizeofacomicstripastheymayinitiallybewithabookofmanypages.

Comicstripsdon'trequirelongsentencesorparagraphstotellagoodstory.Theyencouragestudentstowriteandcreatebecauseonlyafewwordsarerequiredforthecharacterstogoabouttheirlivesandrevealtheirstories.And,anyonewhoseesablanktalkorthoughtballoonfloatingovertheheadofacharacterwantsimmediatelytofillitinwithwordsandthoughts;doingsoisthebeginningsteptotellingastory.

STEPBYSTEP:GUIDINGSTUDENTSONHOWTOUSEMAKEBELIEFSCOMIX.COM

Generally,inshowingstudentshowtousethiscomicgeneratorwebsite,Iwillfirstcreatewiththemagroupcomicstripincorporatingtheirideas.Thisbecomesagreatclasscollaboration.We’llchooseasubjectwe’vereadaboutinthenewspaper--globalwarming,forexample,andhowthismaybechangingourlives.Thenwe’llcreateastorytogether,usingoneortwocharactersineachpanel.Thecharactersbecomesurrogatesforthestudentstoexpresstheirideaswithoutembarrassment.

InfillingthefirstcomicpaneltemplateIaskstudentstochooseacharacterandforsuggestionsfordialogue,andnextI’llaskformoredialogueforanothercharactertospeak.Thenwe’lltrytomovethestoryalongbymovingtoasecondpanel.Later,whenstudentsstarttheirowncomicstrips,theyareencouragedtoworkwithpartnerstohelpeachotheralong.Suchcollaborationgivesstudentsmoreconfidenceandideasincreatingastory.Inworkingtogetherstudents--especiallythoselearningEnglish--improvetheirlanguageskillsastheycomeupwiththewordsandideasforthecharacterstoexpress.

ThislessonplanisadaptedfromonecreatedspeciallyforTheNewYorkTimesLearningNetwork;apartwasincludedintheNetwork’sguideonusingcomicsintheclassroom.