Comics Create Readers, Writers, Thinkers!!

Growing up, I was one of those kids that just groaned with agony when I would complain to my mother about being bored and her automatic programmed response was, "Read a book!!". Reading a chapter book was just not my thing, but give me a comic book or the Sunday comics, and I was good to go. My son Jack is the same way. He just loves the Captain Underpants and Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, both of which are written in the comic book style. Why is that?

Comics are a great device to use in your classroom to keep even the most reluctant readers engaged and motivated. "Comprehension, for some children, means that they have to be able to visualize what they're reading, and using comic strips can habituate them, or get them to think about that." Other educators are finding comics are a great tool to teach writing skills. By introducing and discussing comics, students become familiar with the characters and may feel a stronger connection to the story. They often feel because of the connection they make with comic characters, these "old friends" are often guiding them through the writing process. http://www.uiowa.edu/~amreads/teaching_resources/writing/garfieldwritingprompt.pdf, 2009). Another great thing about comics, are that they can be used with any grade level and integrated into any subject, in a multitude of ways.

OK, so enough of this background research information. How does technology play a role in all this....easy....FREE online comic generators!! Below are links to just a few of the many comic strip makers available on line. I have not used all of them, but at a quick look, they all seem to work the same way. Once users log in, they can pick from galleries of backgrounds, layouts, images, and conversation bubbles. Many offer options to upload your own graphics. Using storyboards, the order of each frame can be done with a simple drag and drop process. Each site varies with features and options ranging from very streamlined and somewhat restrictive to "over the top", endless features and options. The comics can be printed, embedded into blogs, websites, and shared online via email, etc.

Check out the links below that include example comics, and lesson plans.

Enjoy!

Comic Strip Generators:

Comiqs: http://comiqs.com/
Comic Strip Generator: http://stripgenerator.com/
Howtoons: http://www.instructables.com/group/howtoons/
Make Belief Comics: http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/comix.php
Pixton Interactive Web Comics: http://pixton.com/for-fun
Pikikids: http://www.pikikids.com/home
Quicktoons: http://www.quicktoons.com/create
ReadWriteThink's Comic Creators: http://www.readwritethink.org/student_mat/student_material.asp?id=21
Toondoo: http://www.toondoo.com/

Example Comics by Kids for School:

Korean War: http://pixton.com/comic/62qivejx
Earth, Engergy, and the Environment: http://pixton.com/comic/o6223551
Give a Hoot...Don't Pollute: http://pixton.com/comic/qqn35jqy
Our Planet (in spanish...Nuestro planet): http://www.pikikids.com/ps/gallery/view_image/31721858?pos=16&order=date&dir=d&ts=1&page=2
Gulliver's Travel: (new take on book reports): http://pixton.com/comic/u2t5wjr5

Lesson Plans:

Comics in the Classroom: K-4 ELA, Social Studies, and Science lesson plans with a comic theme (can easily be adapted for higher grade levels). http://comicsintheclassroom.net/oolessonplans.htm

Read-Write-Think.com: Lesson plans for all grade levels that incorporate comic strips or squares covering reading comprehension, literacy engagement, writing genres, and other ELA activies.
http://www.readwritethink.org/student_mat/student_material.asp?id=21

Language Arts Writing Practice: http://www.teachchildrenesl.com/filez8932/lesson%20plans/comic_strip.pdf

Education World: Super Hero Comic Strip Lesson Plan for Language and Visual Arts:
http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/00-2/lp2289.shtml

Lesson Planet: 1, 140 teacher approved comic lesson plans sorted by grade or rating.
http://www.lessonplanet.com/search?keywords=Comics&media=lesson