Comics in the Classroom
Benton Technology Tips for Teachers Vol. 3
Why use comics in the classroom?
Growing up, most kids could not wait to get the Sunday paper. Was it for the ads, the classifieds, or the news? No! It was for the comics. As a kid, we all loved to read the Sunday comics. It was a way to learn what Archie and Jughead had going on that week, or we got to see how Odie was making Garfield even grumpier than normal. In three small frames, you could gain a wealth of knowledge about what has been going on in your favorite characters life.
In the age of LOL and BRB, student's like information that is brief and to the point. Now as teachers, we can use cartoons to convey information in much the same way in our classroom. We can create cartoons that explain different situations in a manner student can easily understand.
Comics in the Classroom
ToonDoo
ToonDoo- is an educational comic strip creator that allows teachers/students to create more professional looking cartoons for their class. It is free to use. For more information go their Teacher's Guide to ToonDoo.
Storyboard That
Storyboard That- is an online storyboard creator that lets students create and communicate ideas in the form of a comic strip. Teachers and your students can create a free account and create 2 storyboards a week. For more information go to Storyboard That teacher page.
Makebeliefs Comix
Makesbelief Comix is an educational comic strip creator that allows you to create, print, and email the comics you and your students create in class.Creates fairly basic cartoons. It is free to use. For more information visit their For Educators Page.
Key benefits of using comics in education
- A great visual representation of knowledge
- Presents what is essential
- Easier to remember a visual graphic containing key information
- Engaging through thinking, creating and writing
- Perfect avenue for writing dialogue
- Incites students with low interest in writing
- Helps organization through storytelling and storyboarding
- Using visual images to convey meaning to a story or topic
- Develops creative and higher level thought processes
- Enriches reading, writing, and thinking
- Serves as an assessment and evaluation tool
- Sequencing promotes understanding
I'm here to help!
Send me an email if you need help incorporating the use of these cartoon sites into your classroom.
Email: ntanner@bentonschools.org
Website: bentontechnology.weebly.com
Location: 207 West Conway Street, Benton, AR, United States
Phone: 501-778-4861 1077