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ED 105: ACTIVITY 2: How to Make a Comic Scripts

Sunday, 26 June 2011 02:49 Dr. Maria Theresa P. Pelones

Creating comic strips for kids is not necessarily that easy. It does involve a little more research as you need to understand what a kid like and doesn't like. When drawing a cartoon aim at a wide audience, you generally just make sure to avoid delicate subject and try to be as funny as possible. But creating a cartoon specifically for kids is a little more tricky. Let's see why! ( To view student output, click read more...)

http://www.slideshare.net/Pilmathe2001/group-2-beggars scrapper

http://www.slideshare.net/Pilmathe2001/group-boon-after-bane

http://www.slideshare.net/Pilmathe2001/group1-k-high-adventure

http://www.slideshare.net/Pilmathe2001/group-4-technomare

Source: http://www.how-to-draw-funny-cartoons.com/comic-strips-for-kids.html

1. You need to be at their level. In order to create comic strip for kids, you need to build something that they will enjoy. And they don't necessarily enjoy the same things as we do! Kids love stories filled with imagination, fantasy and humor. They will usually enjoy simple gags like someone falling over a banana peel, but it doesn't mean that you can serve them only first degree humor! On the other end, it's useless to try to be sophisticated or subtle. You just need to find the right balance between too much and not enough!

COMIC STRIP LESSON
Objective: student will practice a composing a story and creating their own comic strip.

2. You must design attaching characters. Characters are the basis of every story. If you write a good novel but the characters are boring and without any flavor, then it won't be as entertaining as if they were fun, deep and interesting. Kids also need to understand pretty quickly your character's motivations. If your characters are too complex, then you will without a doubt lose the attention of your audience.

3. Make simple but effective drawings. Remember the cartoons you were watching while you were young? Well most of them certainly had one thing in common: the drawings were simple and very effective. Don't try to draw realistic characters with plenty of details and colors. Choose a design with basic shapes and simple, bright colors. That's the easiest way to appeal to a kid!

4. Write simple stories. Once again, think simplicity. Don't try to build comic strips for kids filled with dozen of characters or nine story lines. Kids will be lost and will most likely end their reading pretty fast. Choose a story that is simple, funny and with a cute, universal message.

5. Don't be too specific. The message you wish to display to your readers must be simple and universal. If you talk about a local problem in your neighborhood, it won't be interesting for a reader from another city or another country. Just try to create a story based on a universal theme like love or friendship. Of course, you can always take a broad theme like love and turn it into a narrower subject like love between a mother and a son or between a girl and a boy, but just remember to make sure that your story will appeal to people all around the world (if that is your goal, of course...)

6. Use a simple language. Using common words is also another great idea to help you reach your targeted audience, kids. If your language is too technical or sentences too complicated to understand, youngsters won't be able to follow the story properly and therefore, won't be interested in reading it all from beginning to the end. So there you have it! The key when creating comic strips for kids is to draw something simple and accessible! Have fun!

Materials: Oslo Paper, Construction Paper, Pencil, Pen and Eraser, Ruler, Any coloring media

Criteria for Assessment : (1) Content (2) Clarity of ideas (3) correct spelling, punctuation and grammar (4) layout (5) principles of the art & design (6) punctuality

Planning and Organizing:

1. Organize your group, assign each member to their specific role: (1) organizer (leader) (2) planner (3) story writer ( 4) story boarder/ layout editors (5) graphic designers (6) presenters

2. Create a storyline, construct a concept or idea for a story about “Dehumanization Effect of Computers” . Write a sketch plan on a sheet of paper. Discuss your plans with your members. Use an images and speech using appropriate speech bubble.

3. Present your output to the class before they are displayed in the school.

Instruction

1. 1. Get a piece of paper and think about who or what your cartoon is going to be about (it could be you). Brainstorm all your ideas. When you have figured that out, you may want to write that as the title of your cartoon. Perhaps your main character is going to be an animal.

2. 2. Draw a box with the props, setting, characters etc. of the story. If you want your characters to talk, draw a circle with a curved triangle pointing out of the circle, directed to the character that is talking. If you want them to be thinking, draw two or three little clouds coming from them with the last (top) cloud being large enough for what you are writing. An even better method is to write the text that will be in the thought bubble or speech box before drawing the box or bubble itself. This way, there is no way you can make the bubble too small.

3.. You may need to use more boxes called panels to tell your story/cartoon. Cartoons are usually funny, so try to make your cartoon have at least one joke.

TIPS in CREATING COMIC SCRIPTS:

1. You should have a good story.

2. You should start with an easy comic character, like a stickman.

3. You may want to make a sequel to your cartoon. If you make a cartoon, and plan to make a sequel, you may want to say 'To be continued' at the end of the comic strip.

4. When a character is speaking, you may want to write what they are saying (or thinking) before you draw the speech bubble or thought cloud.

5. If you want to make an animated cartoon, comic cartoons are a good storyboard.

6. Try reading and looking through your favorite comics. Pick out some of the things the writer does that you like and use them in your own comics.

7. You'll need a good idea, start out with things that happened in your life and turn them into a funny situation.

8. You may want to put your signature or trademark on your comic, so that people know it is yours.

· http://www.peanuts.com/

· http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/lessonplan.jsp?id=627

· http://www.stripcreator.com/ - sample output

Tools for creating comics and cartoons-Creating comics and cartoons can also support students to better remember content. Here are a few tools that could assist in making your own comic strips:

20 Ways to Use Comics In Your Classroom http://bit.ly/7Zyc6 http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2009/10/20-ways-to-use-comics-in-your-classroom.html
Writing activity using animated cartoon site for ESL/EFL students http://bit.ly/d6yxdt
Our 8th graders used Animoto http://tinyurl.com/yc53t7p. More Animoto examples and classroom applications: http://www.edtechswami.com/digital-storytelling-with-animoto-my-teachmeet-presentation/
Srategies for Using Comics in the Classroom, Literacy and Writing http://bit.ly/EBHVa
Create your own super hero comic http://superherosquad.marvel.com/create_your_own_comic
Pikistrips – Like ComicLife but online and free: Turn Pictures Into Comics Without Image Editing Software http://goo.gl/menv
Stykz http://www.stykz.net/Home.html
Blog post on different tools http://civitaquana.blogspot.com/2009/10/picture-activities1.html
Cartoon.pho.to: Change facial expressions in photos of people with one click! Make a sad person smile, or make a most cool-headed one wear a surprised expression. No face control here – all kinds of faces are welcomed! http://cartoon.pho.to/ Examples of Cartoon.pho.to: