One of the post that I created during the early stages of this blog was a discussion of Cartoons and Comics Creation Websites that students and teachers can use in their classrooms for various activities. You can visit that original post here, and see my discussion on sites such as GoAnimate, ToonDoo, and Pixton. I also provided links to other comic strip sites such as BitStrips, Comiqs, StripCreator, and Strip Generator. Recently I discovered a new site, DoInk.
With so many different types of websites for creating comics and cartoons, it is a resource that many teachers with little technology background could implement in their classroom and allow their students to use them for projects. A good thing about the Comic Strips and Cartoons is that they are not limited to one or two subjects, you could easily adapt them across the curriculum.
Mathmetics:
- Take a math Word Problem and turn it into a comic strip/cartoon.
- Take a math concept and create a comic strip/cartoon.
- Make a comic strip/cartoon where the theme is using math in real life.
- Create a comic strip/cartoon using Geometric shapes as the characters explaining their angles and sides.
- Create a comic strip/cartoon about how to solve a problem on a calculator
- Create a comic strip/cartoon about how to solve a math problem without a calculator
Science:
- Create a comic strip/cartoon using the elements as the main characters
- Create a comic strip/cartoon explaining the processes from an experiment
- Create a comic strip/cartoon discussing the different planets as the characters.
- Create a comic strip/cartoon showcasing the different scientific methods
-Create a comic strip/cartoon about evolution
Social Studies:
- Create a comic strip/cartoon about a historic event, person, place, speech
- Create a comic strip/cartoon timeline of events
- Create a comic strip/cartoon about a government policy or document (Bill of Rights)
- Create a comic strip/cartoon about current events
- Create a comic strip/cartoon about economic concepts (Opportunity Cost, Law of Supply and Demand, etc.)
- Create a comic strip/cartoon about countries
English:
- Take a poem or short story and create a comic strip/cartoon about them
- Take a novel or non-fiction book and create a comic strip/cartoon about the characters, plot, setting, symbolism, or a combination of all of these
- Create a comic strip/cartoon about authors
- Create a comic strip/cartoon about persuasive, speech, trans-active, etc., writing
- Create a comic strip/cartoon about parables
- Create a comic strip/cartoons relating to the stories and plays of Shakespeare
Foreign Language
- Create comic strips/cartoons in foreign languages...great way to learn vocabulary
- Recreate comic strips/cartoons from the newspaper in their own way and translate them into foreign language being studied
- Create comic strips/cartoons in a foreign language that relate to events and history of the countries the language you are studying is spoken in.
- Create comic strips/cartoons as part of a "travel guide"
This list is just a beginning. I am sure that there are many more out there that I have not thought of. I suggest you think twice about how you could use Comic Strips and Cartoons to enhance your curriculum and generate creativity in your students.
Do you have ideas? Please share.
I really like using comics in the math classroom. The students are always so surprised that this is math. The word problems don't seem so daunting in a comic strip. :) Excellent ideas!
ReplyDeleteWe have our own school toondoo space. (toondoospaces.com). Some kids choose this as a medium for expressing their learning and research findings in their inquiry units. Have also used it extensively in second language.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all of your ideas!
ReplyDeleteWe use a piece of software that came with our Macs called ComicLife, and the kids love it! It works with iPhoto and has a camera capture feature, so students can put themselves (literally) into the project! Also, students draw pictures in KidPix and then take screen shots to insert in ComicLife. We use it for all subjects. Here are a few examples:
Social Studies- A Tour of a National Monument, The Life of an Explorer
Science- Sea Creature Important Facts (pulled from the formal report)
Math- Word Problems
ELA- Acting Out Parts of Speech (such as Prepositional Phrases), Personal Narratives
Music- Newspaper Page/Article about a Composer (Stravinsky's Rite of Spring)
I highly recommend creating comics with students! The popular culture hook gets students very engaged in what they are learning, and they love to share that knowledge via this medium.
Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI also love using comics in the classroom. I hadn't thought about its use with maths and science. I have recently made a presentation about the use of comics in the classroom.
http://www.slideshare.net/shend5/tap-into-the-world-of-comics-2comic-version
Thank you so much for including www.DoInk.com in this impressive list. Also thank you for compiling this list of great subject matters. This is exactly what the teachers on our site are looking for new subject ideas. This is a great post!
ReplyDeleteI created a Graphic Novel Class at my High School and students love to take their own ideas and turn them into comics. For years, I have always had the students use comics to express ideas. It's a great way for artistic students to express themselves outside of the art room. The new header of my blog was created by a student. Thanks for the post encouraging comics in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteThese are good ideas that I'll be sharing with my teachers.
ReplyDelete