Project

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Introduction

Project 1: The Power of Comics For this project, you and your group will explore several web-based applications to create comics. This project will provide opportunities to use visuals and storytelling to support literacy development in the classroom. As a group, you need to choose three web-based applications including Comic Life. Please see the list provided in the Notes and Resources folder.

Your group’s FIRST task is to compare the three applications you chose to explore. The outcome of this task should be a chart containing five areas of comparison. These five areas should be based from your readings and the literature. The chart should contain a summary of the results of the comparison and implications to teaching and learning in K-12 classrooms. Make sure you cite the references you use for this task. Don’t forget to assign a member of your group to lead in the completion of this task.

http://www.glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/educationupclose.phtml/30 Group Member: Ashley Kay

Your group’s SECOND task is to write a story of interest to middle or upper elementary students but should be aligned with the Core or Georgia Performance Standards. You have the option to be creative in developing your material. Whatever your group’s approach to the “story writing” task, make sure that you have a beginning, middle, end. Also, make sure that include some conversations between characters instead of a narrative from one person’s perspective. (See the outcome of a story writing activity with fifth graders -- [|http://www.westga.edu/~dbaylen/documents/BS_ebook.pdf] ). This means that your story should have at least two characters (if not more), situated in a school setting or in the community, and facilitate student learning of concepts or ideas. Divide your story into five chunks (for 6 days of the week starting with Monday) because you will layout a week of comic strips. (See an example happening in real life -- [|http://www.salem-] news.com/notabene/index.php). Don’t forget to assign a member of your group to lead in the completion of this task. Bam! The screen door slammed. Kari jumped up from the steps just as Shay pushed past her. “Hey, Shay. Is something the matter?” “I can’t stand Mikey Jones!” she exclaimed. “He makes me so mad!” “Is that the big kid who rides your bus?” asked Kari. “He’s big alright, and mean, and smelly, and a real pain!” Shay sat down next to Kari and sighed. “Maybe I should just mind my own business.” She mumbled. Kari’s had heard other kids talk about Mikey. Some of them called him the Bully of Bus 42. He usually picked on the little kids, but Shay was in the same grade as Mikey, and besides she couldn’t imagine //anyone// picking on Shay. Shay Sharp rode bus 42 after school to the church day care where her mother worked. She had three younger brothers and a baby sister. Shay helped out at the church just like she helped out at home. All she had to do is look at a kid to get them to stop misbehaving and mind the teacher. Everyone knew she was a force to be reckoned with. “Is Mikey picking on one of your brothers?” asked Kari. “No.” said Shay. “That’s part of the problem. He knows better than to be mean to any of them, but he is picking on the other little guys.” “Doesn’t the bus driver notice?” said Kari. Shay looked to the ground and shook her head. “Miss Clark? You know Miss Clark’s not going to say anything. Mikey’s dad is on the school board. “ “He is also on the church council.” said Kari. Both girls sat in silence for a while watching the neighbors walk by on the sidewalk. After a long while Kari said slowly, “You know you have to speak up. The little ones won’t ever tell on him.” “Our 5th grade teacher Mrs. Jones, has been teaching us about standing up for what you believe in. Last week we went to the museum to see some really big paintings by Jacob Lawrence. The show was called ‘John Brown, One Man Against Slavery.’” “There were a lot more people against slavery than //one man//. That sounds like a stupid show,” snarled Shay. “I know. I know, but Mrs. Jones took us there because we are reading about John Brown in class. A lot of people were against slavery, but John Brown made such a ruckus that it started the Civil War!” Kari said. “What are you talking about Kari? I ain’t even never heard about no //John Brown//! Mr. Smith at the center is always talking about the Civil War. He talks about General Lee, and General Grant, and President Lincoln, but I ain’t ever heard him say nothing about no //John Brown//. “John Brown is important. He started rebellion and it started the Civil War!” protested Kari. “Okay. Okay. Tell me about this slave who started a so called rebellion.” said Shay. “Maybe it will take my mind off punching Mikey Jones.” “Well first of all John Brown was not a slave and he was white, not black.”

Group Member: Jennifer Jackson

Your group’s THIRD task is to create the comic strip based on the story from the second task. Your Monday and Tuesday strip should use the first application. Your Wednesday and Thursday should use the second application. Finally, your Friday and Saturday should use Comic Life. Make sure that you make your strip using landscape orientation. The best way to do this is to storyboard using pencil and paper to do your layout. Pick pieces of white bond paper and roughly sketch each strip. For every strip, you need to have between 5-8 panels (as shown below). You may use different layouts in your other panels depending on the flow of your story. Don’t forget to assign a member of your group to lead in the completion of this task. Each member should author at least a daily comic strip as part of the 6-part weekly comic strip.





Group Member: Matt Harris

Your group’s FOURTH task is to design an instructional activity that integrates the use of one of the application your group explored for a middle or upper elementary social studies classroom. Your instructional activity should have the following components:

· Title · Audience · Purpose · Learning Objectives/Outcomes · Materials · Step-by-Step Procedures · Assessment Strategies · Follow Up Strategies · Reflection: Challenges, Surprises Don’t forget to assign a member of your group to lead in the completion of this task.



// The Comic that Led to the Start of the Civil War…Harper’s Ferry // // The audience for this particular lesson would be fifth grade social studies students who are learning about the Civil War (Harper’s Ferry). // // The students will learn about John Brown and Harper’s Ferry. Throughout the week the class will view several different comics to learn even more. Upon completing the comics as the end of the week the students will then create their own comic using the assigned comic software to introduce an important person from the Georgia Performance Standards. The students will also present their comic to the class. // // TSW learn about John Brown and Harper’s Ferry //
 * Title: **
 * Audience: **
 * Purpose: **
 * Learning Objectives/Outcomes: **

// TSW use technology to produce a presentation to introduce an important person from the Social Studies GPS //

// TSW practice using writing skills //

// TSW integrate technology and basic computers skills into their presentation // // SS5H1 The student will explain the causes, major events, and consequences of the // // Civil War. // // a. Identify Uncle Tom’s Cabin and John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry, and // // explain how each of these events was related to the Civil War. // // ELA5W1 The student produces writing that establishes an appropriate // // organizational structure, sets a context and engages the reader, maintains a // // coherent focus throughout, and signals a satisfying closure. The student // // a. Selects a focus, an organizational structure, and a point of view based on purpose, // // genre expectations, audience, length, and format requirements. // // b. Writes texts of a length appropriate to address the topic or tell the story. // // c. Uses traditional structures for conveying information (e.g., chronological order, // // cause and effect, similarity and difference, and posing and answering a question). // // d. Uses appropriate structures to ensure coherence (e.g., transition elements). // // ELA5LSV2 The student listens to and views various forms of text and media in // // order to gather and share information, persuade others, and express and // // understand ideas. // // When delivering or responding to presentations, the student: // // a. Shapes information to achieve a particular purpose and to appeal to the // // interests and background knowledge of audience members. // // d. Projects a sense of individuality and personality in selecting and organizing content and in delivery // // f. Uses technology or other memory aids to structure the presentation. // //The first part of this lesson is for the students to participate in the discussion and review of teacher created comics regarding John Brown and the raid on Harper’s Ferry. After observing and learning more in-depth about the comics and John Brown, the students will be introduced to the chosen comic application. The students then will take the time to experiment and play around with all of the different options of the software. After getting a feel for the software students will select their famous person from a preselected list of individuals. At this time the students will also be receiving a rubric laying out all of the expectations for their personal comic and presentation. Prior to creating the comic on the computer, the students will be required to complete a rough draft initially. This will help to increase the student achievement level. It will also help the students to put all of their thoughts together and create a script for their comic. This will be a portion that will be included within the rubric. After completing the comics the students will then present their comics to the class. Once the presentations are complete a copy of their comic will be printed and displayed in the hallway.// //The best way to assess what the students have learned and achieved is a rubric that gives students what you as a teacher expect. The students now become responsible for their own work and grade. By giving the students ownership of their education they are more likely to have a higher success rate. Rubrics are also a great way to provide feedback on the assignment, so the students can self-correct.// //The follow up strategies are endless. It really depends on how much time you are willing to invest. A great follow up strategy is to continue this project across a semester where many comics created by the students will be integrated into a comic book. A follow up to this lesson would be to take this same strategy and implement it into other curriculum areas.// //It was really surprising to see that those students who were not interested in social studies or writing became very involved in this lesson/project. I found this lesson to be a great way to motivate those students who are a little more difficult to engage. The biggest challenges were time and tutorial of the comic software. This problem could be addressed by being able to have access to a computer lab. It was difficult to try to find the time to incorporate this project with all of// //the other areas of the curriculum.//
 * Georgia Performance Standards: **
 * Materials: **
 * // computer access //
 * // user name and password //
 * // list of possible selections of famous people in the social studies GPS standards //
 * // paper //
 * // pencil //
 * // crayons/colored pencils //
 * Step-by-Step Procedures: **
 * Assessment Strategies: **
 * Follow Up Strategies: **
 * Reflection: Challenges, Surprise: **

Group Member: Ashley Kay

Your group’s FINAL task is to create a Wiki or Blog site (wikispaces.com, blogger.com, etc.) to document the different components of work completed for this project. Make sure you have the following sections: Introduction (about the site), Project (including description and examples), Reflection (what each member of the group learned from the project experience), and About the Authors (including images and brief biographies). Don’t forget to assign a member of your group to lead in the completion of this task.

Group Member: Matt Harris