Making the Most of Comics in the ELT Class
With Fabricio Rivas Marmanillo and David Fay
July 20, 2012
U.S. Embassy Lima
Why Comics?
 Visuals aid comprehension - motivating
 Due to emphasis on visuals – tend to be more action-based
 Focus on conversation over description (note: author’s view of
speech)
 Humorous (not all)
 Popular culture
What can we do with comics?
 Ordering
 Matching (speech bubble with picture)
 Guess the meaning of new words
 Add speech bubbles and thought clouds
 Fill in words, expressions or whole sentences that have been whited out
 Role Play
 Add-a-panel
 Scripting (convert to narrative form)
 Story-boarding – Book summaries, processes, social action
 Create own from scratch
How can you make comics?
Pixton
www.pixton.com
ToonDoo
www.toondoo.com
Make Beliefs Comix
www.makebeliefscomix.com
Marvel Make your own Comics
www.marvelkids.marvel.com
Write Comics
www.writecomics.com
Strip Generator
http://www.stripgenerator.com
Larry Ferlazzo Educational Blog
World Comics
http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2008/06/04/the- www.worldcomics.fi
best-ways-to-make-comic-strips-online/
How can you use comics in the classroom?
English Teaching Forum
“Using Comic Strips in the Language Classes” provides four outstanding activities for
using comic strips in the ELT Classroom.
http://exchanges.state.gov/englishteaching/forum/archives/docs/06-44-1-f.pdf
“Student Storytelling through Sequential Art” is a thorough explanation of how to get
students to create their own comics in eight easy steps.
http://exchanges.state.gov/englishteaching/forum/archives/docs/07-45-3-b.pdf
Comics in the Classroom: 100 Tips, Tools, and Resources for Teachers
Has sections discussing how comics are beneficial in schools and how they can be used
as teaching tools, links to comics according to reading level and age, lesson plans for
elementary, middle school and high school.
http://www.teachingdegree.org/2009/07/05/comics-in-the-classroom-100-tips-toolsand-resources-for-teachers/
Project USA
The USA Project prepares K-12 teachers with powerful new tools: the skill to create
comic books on academic topics and the skill to use this creative process in the
classroom.
http://lewisweb.info/usaproject/about.html
Maryland State Department of Education
The Maryland Comic Book Initiative’s initiate, Comics in the Classroom, introduces and
encourages the use of award-winning and other credible graphic novels and comic book
materials in classroom instruction.
http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/programs/recognition-partnerships/mdcomic-book.htm
The Comic Book Project
The Comic Book Project engages children in a creative process leading to literacy
reinforcement, social awareness, and character development, then publishes and
distributes their work for other children to use as learning and motivational tools.
http://comicbookproject.org/about/
Learn English with Comics
An English teacher in Greece talks about her experience using comics to teach English,
as well as providing hundreds of examples of how she did.
http://learnwithcomics.blogspot.com/
Chestnut ESL
Provides presentations, videos and examples of how to use comics in the classroom.
http://eslchestnut.com/2011/11/17/using-comics-in-efl-classroom/
Where can you find comics online?
http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2011/12/13/the-best-comic-strips-for-studentsteachers-in-2011/
http://www.comics.org/
http://www.comicbookdb.com/
www.comicspage.com/index.htm
http://www.comicsbeat.com/ (Edited by former Disney and Warner Bros exec)
http://www.onlinecomics.net/pages/ (Library of over 8,000 online comics)
http://www.comicbookresources.com/ (Reviews, columns and blogs discussing comics)
http://www.comixology.com/ (Great source for purchasing online comics)
Action
http://digitalcomicmuseum.com/index.php
www.ehacomics.com
http://sugaryserials.com/thecomics
http://pappysgoldenage.blogspot.com
Math, Science and Technology
http://xkcd.com/
http://theoatmeal.com/tag/tech
Drama
http://emi-art.com/twtyh/
Comic Blogs
http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/
http://theoatmeal.com/tag/grammar
http://goldenagecomicbookstories.blogspot.co
m/
Photography
http://www.asofterworld.com/index.php?id=
840
Romance
redstring.strawberrycomics.com
http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20021104
http://sequentialcrush.blogspot.com/
Humor and Video Games:
http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=315
http://penny-arcade.com/comic
http://www.explosm.net/comics/2865/
http://buttersafe.com/2012/07/10/the-cherries-of-wrath/
http://www.sheldoncomics.com/new.html
Serials
http://kingfeatures.com/comics/comics-a-z/
www.kingfeatures.com
www.kingfeatures.com
www.comics.com
http://www.traceeffects.
com/files/
username: traceeffects
password: tracebeta2012
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