LESSON PLAN COMPONENTS
GENERAL INFORMATION
Student: Fifth and Sixth Grade
Lesson Plan Title: Create a Biography Comic Strip
Essential Question: What comprises a biography?
Related Curricular Area: ELA
Collaborative Potential: Medium to High
Time Needed: Five class periods
Overview:
Research Phase
The first session begins with the teacher librarian standing near the biography section and asking
students for help describing the type of information found in a biography. Next, the class
discusses the organization of the biographies on the shelf and details found on the shelf tag. The
teacher librarian then shows students a model comic life biography projects and explains that
they will be doing a similar project. Next, the teacher librarian reviews the BiographyComic
Design.pdf with the students and asks students to break into pairs and select a biography to study
for the next few weeks.
At the second session, the teacher librarian asks the students to review details about the
biography genre and library organization of biographies. Next, the students work in pairs on their
biography research.
Creation Phase
At the third session, the teacher librarian introduces Comic Life software to the students by
walking through the BiographyComicStripDirections.pdf and showing them the MLK Comic
Life completed project. The teacher librarian briefly reviews copyright issues with images and
then shows students two approved sources for images (available from the library homepage and
detailed below). Students spend the remainder of the session working on their comic strips by
creating the title, author and adding pictures.
The fourth session opens with a collaborative class question and answer session on the project to
address any issues and students then complete their comic strips.
Presentation Phase
At the fifth session, students present their comic strips to the class using the computer and a
projector. They share reflections on their subject and the process.
CONTENT TOPIC Biography
CONNECTION TO CONTENT STANDARD(S)
NY State Common Core Standards:
ELA
W 5.4, 6.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are
appropriate to task, purpose and audience.
SL 5.5 Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, images, music, sound) and visual
displays in presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.
SL 6.5 Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, images, music, sound) and visual
displays in presentations to clarify information.
AASL STANDARDS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY LEARNER GOALS
1.1.9 Collaborate with others to broaden and deepen understanding
2.2.4 Demonstrate personal productivity by completing products to express learning.
3.1.1 Conclude an inquiry-based research process by sharing new understandings and reflecting
on the learning.
3.1.4 Use technology and other information tools to organize and display knowledge and
understanding in ways that others can view, use and assess.
3.1.6 Use information and technology ethically and responsibly
3.2.3 Demonstrate teamwork by working productively with others.
4.1.4 Seek information for personal learning in a variety of formats and genres.
4.1.8 Use creative and artistic formats to express personal learning.
ASSESSMENT & CRITERIA
Product (must relate to AASL indicators and benchmarks/objectives):
Comics contain source information
Students submit completed Comic Life comic. It is evaluated using the Comic Life
Rubric.doc.
Process (must relate to AASL indicators and benchmarks/objectives):
Students are able to meet interim delivery goals.
Students work collaboratively in groups with minimal refereeing by teacher.
RESOURCES AND OTHER MATERIALS
Biographies with shelf labels
Electronic access for all student groups to “BiographyComicDesign.pdf”,
“BiographyComicStripDirections.pdf”, “BiographyComicDesignMLK.pdf” and “MLK” Comic
Life comic strip
Presentation computer with Comic Life, Internet connection, access to above electronic
documents, easily accessible links to Life and NY Public library images, projector and screen
(see Sources/Credits below)
Computers for each student group with Comic Life, Internet connection and easily accessible
links to Life and NY Public library images.
SOURCES/CREDITS
New York State Literacy Common Core Standards
(http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/FD634F79-A074-4EAC-9A278A42FC5D7A21/114118/CommonCoreAlignmentFINAL11_2_2012.pdf)
INSTRUCTION AND ACTIVITIES

Direct Instruction: The teacher librarian reviews the BiographyComicDesign.pdf and
the BiographyComicStripInstructions.pdf with the class.

Modeling and Guided Practice: The teacher librarian elicits information about
biographies (genre details, library organization of material) and copyright issues with
images from the class. The teacher librarian also shares the filled out
BiographyComicDesignMLK.pdf with the class. Finally, the teacher shows the class
the MLK Comic Life comic strip and models adding an image via preselected links
available via the library homepage.

Independent Practice: Students work in groups to find information needed for the
BiographyComicDesign.pdf. Student groups complete biography comic strips in Comic
Life.

Sharing and Reflecting: Students share the biography comic strips they created with the
class.
Supporting Material(s)
BiographyComicDesign.pdf
BiographyComicDesignMLK.pdf
BiographyComicStripDirections.pdf
MLK Comic Life strip
http://images.google.com/hosted/life
http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/index.
cfm
Description
The Biography Comic Design Intake Form is used to
capture information from written biography during
research phase.
In this example, the first sections of Biography Comic
Design form filled out with information about Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. This example may be used when modeling
the research process.
Directions for creating and rubric for evaluating Comic
Life biography comic strips
Comic Life comic strip that has been created using Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. as the subject.
Life magazine images (links available on library homepage
under “Clip Art for Comic Life”)
NY Public Library images (links available on library
homepage under “Clip Art for Comic Life”)