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Art and Words: Exploring Multimedia Print Storytelling 1

Unit Introduction

Created by: Anthony Letourneau

Unit Title: Art and Words: Exploring Multimedia Print Storytelling through McCloud and Stitches

Overarching Theme: How to tell a story / What make a good story?

Target Grade Level: 10/11

Required Texts: Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art by Scott McCloud (selected sections)

Stitches: A Memoir by David Small

Estimated Timeline for Teaching: approx. 20 session, 55 Minutes a time

Unit Overview: This unit attempts to familiarize students with the basic mechanics and functions

of graphic novels/comic books. It consists of 3 parts: (1) an introduction to this genre using McCloud’s Understanding Comics and the works of Banksy, (2) an application of the terms/concepts presented in part 1 on David Small’s Stitches, and (3) the creation of the students own graphic novel representation of a person story. It also fits into the overarching theme for the year that will have students exploring other modes of storytelling (e.g. novels, short stories, poetry, etc.).

Unit Rationale:In the creation of this unit, I wanted to develop a unit that appealed to a variety of

students. Understanding that it can be difficult to get male students involved/interested in reading, I believed a graphic novel unit would be able to do such a thing. After stumbling on an article by Robin Moeller in the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, I understood that this genre appealed to male and female students alike as well as increased active participation in the classroom and interaction with the text. The majority of my activities are group based as this type of activity has shown to get the most students talking about literature. Gilmore discusses this in his book, Speaking Volumes, and so I included some of the example activities he gives into my lessons (with some minor modifications to meet my learning goals and the needs of my classes). As a newly practicing teacher, I also explored Peter Smagorinksy’s book, Teaching English by Design, as a way to reinforce and provide a general layout for my unit. Taking from his book, I included activities that have students scaffold their previous knowledge towards the new concepts being presented, “conventional” as well as “unconventional” writing assignments in my Writing Reflections and Final Project, and in the creation of the Final Project rubric.


Works CitedGilmore, Barry. Speaking Volumes: How to Get Students Discussing Books and Much

More. New Hampshire: Heinemann, 2006. Print.

Moeller, Robin A. "Aren't These Boy Books?": High School Students' Readings Of Gender In Graphic Novels." Journal Of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 54.7 (2011): 476-484. Academic Search Complete. Web. 3 Dec. 2012.

Smagorinky, Peter. Teaching English by Design: How to Create and Carry Out Instructional Units. New Hampshire: Heinemann, 2008. Print.

Student Objectives: Students will-

Be able to recognize multiple types of textsBe able to interpret different types of textsAnalyze imagesBe able to support their arguments with this new form of textual evidence

Common Core Standards: Reading

1. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

6. Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature.

9. Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specific Work

Writing3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective

technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.4.Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style

are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or

trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what most significant for a specific purpose and audience.

10. Write routinely over extended time frames

Speaking and Listening1. Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9–10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.


Unit Components

Resources: Big sheets of paperPens, pencils, crayons/markers, scissors Document camera

Computers (lab or mobile lab)Projector or other means of displaying photosPatience

Teacher Preparation:In order to complete this unit, the teacher will have to prepare several materials

before classes begin. For starters, you must become well versed in the terminology of comics (see McCloud’s book for a great refresher!). I have included many of the handouts, so most days you would need to just print out copies of these for the entire class (unless you desire to make modifications-which I recommend to suit the needs of your classroom for any reason). For other days, you will need to determine which of the suggested questions you will want to pose as discussion starters or think of ones better suited for your classes. For other lessons, you may want to give students time to type or internet access (e.g. Writing Reflections), in which case you will need to reserve a computer lab or mobile lab as convenient for you and your class.

Detailed Lesson plans: Part 1: Introduction- Bansky and McCloud Monday, Week 1 Day 1

Start with a general introduction to images and their ability to convey messages. To do this, facilitate a general large group discussion, writing generated answers on the board, to questions like the following:

o Where do you see images conveying meaning in everyday life?o What kinds of information do these images provide?o What impact does this have on you? Your friends? Your family?

Community? Ect.o Are images important to communication? Why or why not?

If conversation does not lead there, steer group towards graffiti and eventually to the graffiti artist Banksy. Ask questions similar to the following:

o Can graffiti convey a message/meaning?o What types of messages/meanings?o Where/what types of messages have people seen personally or online?o Is graffiti illegal? Should it be? Does it have to do with the content of the

meaning?o Ask about classes experience with Banksy’s work. Have they heard of

him? What do they know? After this discussion, provide brief background on Banksy and his work (pull up

some images of it on a Google search) and re-ask the question of graffiti thinking about Banksy’s work and its social implications.


In the last 10 minutes of class, provide a general overview of the entire unit and pass out a Reading/Assignment Schedule based on the “Unit Outline” that works with class and school schedules (see appendix). Connect these ideas to graphic novels and how they combine images with words to create meaning.

Tuesday, Week 1 Day 2 The focus today is introducing student to the practice of reading a graphic

novel/comic book by having them construct a graphic novel from clippings. Before beginning the activity, model reading a page of the graphic novel Stitches,

emphasizing the flow between panels and the general trajectory. After this explanation, have students practice this by:

o Dividing into groups of fiveo Giving a comic page that has been cut apart to each groupo Having the groups re-create the comic, or make a new one that makes

sense, using these pieceso As a group, having the students create their own miniature comic and cut

it apart o Get students to swap these created comics between groups and attempt

to reconstruct these comics as well. As class ends, remind students to bring both reconstructed comics to class the

next day.

Wednesday, Week 1 Day 3 In the first 10 minutes of class, the groups will share the comics they

reconstructed from the day before. Have the class compare the reconstruction to the original.

Next, Have a brief discussion about what this activity demonstrates in concerning the construction of a graphic novel, asking questions like:

o Why can there be many different re-creations of these texts?o What does that mean for the genre? The author? The reader?

In the remaining time students will complete the “Power of Captions” Activity to further emphasis the importance of writer meaning/reader interpretation that is being developed.

In this activity, students will: o Individually caption several single panel comics projected by the teachero Share their captions with the rest of the classo As a class, compare and contrast the made-up captions with the actual,

authored captions As the class compares these captions, emphasize the relationship between

writer meaning/reader interpretations as well as how it connects to the ordering of the comics they did the day before.

Thursday, Week 1 Day 4 Introduce students to the general history/terminology of comics with an in-class

reading of “Chapter 1:Setting the record Straight” in McCloud’s Understanding


Comics. This in-class reading models the “Group Jigsaw” students will be doing on chapters 2, 3, 4, and 7.

Explain the format of the “Group Jigsaw” that the students will be doing Week 1 Day 5 and Week 2 Day 1(see appendix). This “Group Jigsaw” is divided into two parts having the students explore a particular chapter of McCloud’s text in a group of 5 and then report it as the expert to a different group of 5. While reading chapter 1 in-class, the teacher models how to fill out the “Reading Guide” for the chapter associated with the “Group Jigsaw.”

Pass out the packets of “Reading Guides” for the “Group Jigsaw.” Next, begin reading aloud from Chapter 1 and modeling how to fill out the

“Reading Guide” for that chapter. After a while, ask for student volunteers to continue reading. Also, slowing transition away from showing students the key material to having them give you the items to include in the “Reading Guide.”

Friday, Week 1 Day 5 Divide the students into groups of 5 for the first part of the “Group Jigsaw” by

counting off 1 through 5. Assign one of the following chapters of McCloud’s text to each group: “Chapter 2:

The Vocabulary of Comics,” “Chapter 3: Blood in the Gutter,” “Chapter 4: Time Frames,” and “Chapter 7: The Six Steps.”

Have students read through the chapter and then work as a group to fill in the appropriate “Reading Guide.”

Monday, Week 2 Day 1 At the beginning of class have student reassemble in their original group of 5 and

refresh each other on key material they discovered in their respective chapters. After a reasonable time of review, have students create new groups with one

member from each of the other groups (there should be one student representative from each chapter in each group).

In these new groups, students will take turns having the expert (student who read the chapter) explain the main ideas to the other group members, helping the students who did not read the chapter fill in the “Reading Guide” for those chapters.

Tuesday, Week 2 Day 2 In the first half of the hour, have a large group review of the key material learned

in McCloud, asking the class to generate the key information from the “Reading Guides” and having students write these out on the board.

Ask students to identify problematic concepts from the generated list, as well as add items students may not have noted, and go over these in more detail.

In the second half, students will participate in a “Gallery Walk” of Banksy’s work (see appendix). This means students will complete a “Gallery Guide” on several images of Banksy’s works put up around the classroom.

At the end of the hour, remind students to bring these “Gallery Guides” back to class the next day.


As students leave, remind them about the Terms Quiz on Week 2 Day 4.

Wednesday, Week 2 Day 3 Begin class by reminding students of the Banky’s works they looked at the day

before and have them divide into small groups of their neighbors to compare their answers to the Gallery Guide” they completed the day before.

After a reasonable amount of discussion, turn these small group discussions into a class discussion. Start by having students share their responses to each of the images as you go through them. Ask students to support their conclusions using McCloud, if they have not already done so.

In the last 10 minutes of class, begin reading aloud “When I was Six” in Stiches and assign the unread portion of the section as reading for Week 2 Day 5.

Thursday, Week 2 Day 4 Begin class with a 5 minute student lead review of the key terminology learned in

McCloud and clearing up any lingering confusion. Administer the Terms Quiz of McCloud terminology using a matching based

exam pulled from the “Reading Guides.” In any remaining time, have student read the assigned reading for Week 2 Day 5,

reading ahead, or working silently on other assignments as they desire.

Part 2: Stitches by David SmallFriday, Week 2 Day 5

Begin this class period by explaining the 4 “Writing Reflections” that students will be completing on each of the following sections of the book (see appendix): (1) “I was Six,” (2) “I was eleven,” (3) “Three and a half years after the first diagnosis,” as well as (4) “I was fifteen” and “A few years ago I had the following dream” combined. In these Writing Reflection, students will write a brief, approximately 2 page double spaced, response to given prompts (see “Writing Reflections” in the appendix for details and grading).

In the second half of the hour students will work alone or in groups of two to complete the “Character Analysis Worksheet” for two of the following characters: The narrator, mama, dad, Ted, or Grandma.

At the end of the hour, remind students about reading for Week 3 Day 2.

Monday, Week 3 Day 1 In the first half of the hour, using the Character Analysis worksheets from the

previous class period, students will debate the merit of each character in a “get off the fence” activity. In this activity students will:

o All sit in the middle of the room. After the teacher says a character’s name, those students who wrote about that character in their Character analysis worksheets will stand up and move to either side of the classroom or remain in the middle. Moving to one side of the room would indicate that the character has merit or does not, and remaining in the middle indicates neutrality or indecision. Student from each location will then justify their responses using their character analyses. After these


discussions, those sitting in the middle must justify which side those standing in the middle should pick, using supplemental textual evidence/their own interpretations of what was said.

o Repeat this process for each of the other characters. In the second half of the hour, give students time to independently work on

“Writing Reflection 1” (see appendix). At the end of the hour, remind students about Reading for Week 3 Day 3

Tuesday, Week 3 Day 2 In the first 10-15 minutes, talk about final project in detail going over the

expectations, requirements, and some possible examples (if possible) In the middle 10-15 minutes, give students time to independently work on

“Writing Reflection 2” (see appendix) explaining that this reflection will be the foundation for discussion the next day.

In the last part of the hour, give students time to read Stiches and remind them of the remaining reading assignments.

Wednesday, Week 3 Day 3 In the first 25 minutes of class, students will used large sheet of paper to create

pictorial representations of their writing based on the Writing Reflection 2. Students should create a minimum of three different panels that relate on at least two main ideas from their Writing Reflections.

In the remaining time, students will gather in group of 3 and share their posters with each other.

In the last five minutes ask for a volunteer to present his/her big sheet and, as a class, apply the McCloud terminology to attest to the effectiveness of this comic strip.

At the end of the class remind students of the reading for the next day.

Thursday, Week 3 Day 4 In the first 10 minutes of class, begin with a general discussion of how the

narrator loses his physical voice in “Three and a half years after the first diagnosis.”

Ask the students:o To think about how they would respond if they lost their voice?o What other means of communication exist? How effective are these

mediums? o How does the graphic novel medium fill this lack of physical voice?

To explore these ideas further, divide students into groups of five and have each member contribute one sentence to a five sentence story about something that would completely change someone’s life.

After about 10 minutes, have the students trade stories with another group. Now, have the students draw out either a single panel or series of panels that tells this story. Give students about 10 minutes to draw.


After each group has drawn their stories, have one students from each group share the story they drew with the entire class by projecting them with a document camera or by others means as budgets allow.

In the remaining time have students independently work on “Writing Reflection 3” (see appendix).

Friday, Week 3 Day 5 Start by dividing the class into 4 groups. Each group looks at one of the following sets of pages from Stitches: the

interactions with the psychiatrist on 246-270; the revelations about his mom, grandma, and dad on 271-294; his move and life after on 295-312; as well as the ending dream on 315-325.

In these smaller groups have students explore the passage with questions like:o Describe the narrative action of this passage in 5 words or less. o What connections to popular culture are apparent in your passage? o What connections do you see between the elements/images in this

passage that connect to previous event/images of the novel?o How do McCloud’s elements play a role in the creation of meaning

throughout the passage?o What are the larger themes presented in the passage? How can you see

these themes in your own life or modern culture? After about 35 minutes of group discussion, have each group elect a member to

explain to the rest of the class the key points of the small group discussions. As students leave encourage them to consider competing the final “Writing

Reflection” over the weekend as there will be no in-class time devoted to it.

Part 3: Final projectMonday, Week 4 Day 1

In the first part of the hour review the requirements/expectations of the Final project and remind students of the timeline for the coming week.

After any questions are answered, the remainder of the time is a work day for students to work on their Final Project or Writing Reflections.

Tuesday, Week 4 Day 2 A work day for students to work on their Final Project or Writing Reflections

Wednesday, Week 4 Day 3 The first half of the hour the students will divide themselves into group of 2-3 for

a peer review activity. Students will complete the “Peer Review Worksheet” for the other members of

their group and then go over this sheet with the author after everyone is finished (see appendix).

The remainder of the time is a work day for students to work on their Final Project or Writing Reflections that are due the following day.

Thursday, Week 4 Day 4


At the start of class, all students will hand in their “Writing Reflections,” “Reading Guides,” “Gallery Guides,” and be checked of as having completed their “Final Project.”

After this, the students will be randomly divided into groups of five to share their final projects with each other. Each student will have about 15 minutes to go through their final project and answer any reasonable question posed by classmates.

These mini group readings will continue until the end of the class period.

Friday, Week 4 Day 5 The students will reform the groups from the day before and finish any final

projects that they have not heard. Once all projects have been heard in the small group, each group will nominate

one final project as the “reader’s choice” for their group. These “reader’s choice” projects will be read to the entire class and then the

class will vote on the one final project to win the title of “reader’s choice.” After naming the “reader’s choice,” a whole class discussion will end this unit.

The class will answer the same questions asked on the first day to emphasize the new material that they learned.

At the end of the hour, students will turn in their Final Projects accompanied by their peer review worksheets.


Appendix

GALLERY WALK AND GUIDE

What is a Gallery Walk?A Gallery Walk is a discussion technique that involves leaving behind your chair and moving about the classroom to explore a particular topic or issue. For us, our gallery walk will be similar to exploring a museum exhibit on the graffiti artist Banksy that will have you begin thinking critically about the artistic choices/rationalizations behind his work.

What we will be doing Our Gallery Walk will be twofold. Today, you will walk around individually filling in the Gallery Guides on the following pages for the three out of the nine Banksy works around the room. Try to see all the works, but spend about 10 min a piece on the works you are using for your Gallery Guide. Tomorrow, we will be using the ideas to generate today to talk about these works. As such, it is extremely important you take this seriously and really think about your responses to the Gallery Guides.

My ExpectationsI expect that each of you will:

Thoroughly answer the following questions, making every attempt at contributing novel insight.

Be as specific as possible in every answer. There should be no general statements.

Be respectful of your fellow classmate’s opinions, contributions, and rights. Just be civil; this should be a no brainer!


GALLERY WALK AND GUIDEInstructions: Complete the following Gallery Guide for all of Banky’s works throughout the room. Be sure to write down the title of the work.

Title:

Describe the work in 5 words or less

What popular culture references do you notice in this work? What is the significance of Banksy including them in his graffiti/art?

What general ideas/emotions does it make you think about? How?

What elements of McCloud do you notice in this work?


GALLERY WALK AND GUIDE

Note to other teachers: Use any of Banksy’s works you deem appropriate for your student’s or community; however, these are the images I used.


WRITING REFLECTIONSObjective and requirements:

David Small’s Stitches gives us many interesting ways of looking at relationships, coping mechanisms, hardship, etc. In preparation for your final project, you will be composing four Writing Reflections based on specific questions as outlined below. You do not have to answer each question, but the writing reflections should demonstrate to me an adequate exploration of the topic with support from both McCloud and Small. Each Writing Reflection will be a minimum of 2, double spaced pages in Times New Roman font. The primary focus of these reflections is to start generating ideas for the final project as well as demonstrate to me your understanding of McCloud and Small. Although not the primary focus of the reflections, do try and follow fundamental grammar mechanics and rules. As you begin to write your reflections, be sure to include your name as well as the title of that reflection as printed below.

Writing Reflection 1: “I was Six”Answer one or more of the following:

What is the “language” of your family? Can you remember a time you visited your parents at work as a child? Did you

cause mischief? What forms of entertainment di you create for yourself as a child? Did it ever

frighten you? Art, specifically drawing, seems to play a large role in how Small deals with the

stressors in his life. Are there artistic outlets you use? How about other outlets (i.e. sports or favorite items)? How do these activities or things help you manage stress in your life?

What are your family traditions on trips? Holidays? Are there any interesting family stories/secretes you know? What are they? Why

do you find them interesting? Looking at the relationship between Small and his grandparents, especially his

grandmother, how would you describe this relationship? Do you have any similar relationships? Think about one relationship that you have

Writing Reflection 2: “I was Eleven”Answer one or more of the following:

Who was your childhood idol? Were they famous or someone you knew? Why were they your idol? Are they still your idol today? Why or why not?

Are there any types of social functions that your family has to host? What are they? Do you know why?

Are there any taboo subjects in your family? What are they? Do you have any ideas as to why they are not discussed or awkward to discuss?

Are there any moment of immense bliss in your or your family life? What causes these moments? Are they over? Can they be over?


Writing Reflection 3: “Three and a Half Years after the First Diagnosis”Answer one or more of the following:

Has there ever been a death, or close call in your family? How did it impact you? How did it make you feel? What did it make you realize?

Have you ever had a scar, either physical or emotional? What caused it? What is your relationship to it now? Thinking back on the situation that lead to it, what could you have done differently to avoid it? Could you avoid it? Would you want to avoid it?

While dealing with his loss of voice, Small personifies himself in a bat. What animal would you most relate to your current emotional or physical situation? Why? What connections are there between your life and that of Small’s as we have seen so far?

Dreams also have an important impact in this narrative. Do you have any reoccurring or vivid dreams? What are they about? What do you think they could mean? Why?

Writing Reflection 4: “I was Fifteen” and “A few Years Ago…” Answer one or more of the following:

Describe yourself with the weather. What kind of day are you? What season are you in? What does your forecast look like? Why?

What discoveries have you make about yourself? What talents have you found? Any secrets?

What discoveries have you make about others? About whom? What talents have you found? Any secrets?

What moments do you believe have defined your life as you understand it now? Describe one or more. How has this moment directly impacted you? What did you learn/gain from it? How? Why?

What moments of your past do you believe will have the most impact on your future? Describe one or more. How will this moment directly impact what is to be? What do you hope to gain? How? Why?


GROUP JIGSAW EXPECTATIONS AND READING GUIDES

What is “Jigsaw?”Jigsaw is a cooperative learning strategy that enables each person in a group to specialize in one aspect of a learning unit. Students meet with members from other groups who are assigned the same aspect, and after mastering the material, return to the original group and teach the material to their group members. Just as in a jigsaw puzzle, each piece--each student's part--is essential for the completion and full understanding of the final product.

What we will be doingIn order to most effectively get through the McCloud text, you will be required to read one chapter of the book in a group of 5 and complete the Reading Guide that goes with your chapter. In addition, you will need to explain the material covered by your chapter to your fellow classmates to help them fill in the Reading Guides. These groups will be determined by counting off 1-5 and then a chapter will be randomly given to each group from the text.

Today, you will work in these groups to read through the chapter and complete the Reading Guide for your part.

Tomorrow, one member from each group will meet with one member from each of the other groups and share the key information he/she put on the reading guide. Each member will explain the concepts of the chapter they read to help their fellow group members fill in the Reading Guides for the chapters they did not read.

My ExpectationsI expect that each of you will:

Be an active participant in both group settings that contributes quality information to the group discussions

Be responsible for the details presented in your assigned chapter and able to share these details with your fellow classmates when you are explaining the chapter in the second part of this activity (remember there will be a quiz on all of this information next week, so do not solely rely on others for your information).

Be respectful of your fellow classmate’s opinions, contributions, and rights. Just be civil; this should be a no brainer!


Group Jigsaw Expectations and Reading GuidesChapter 1: Setting the Record Straight

As you work through the questions below, do not forget to include page numbers to show where you found all of your information.

Fill in the chart below with the key terms/Main ideas McCloud explores in this chapter Term/Idea McCloud’s definition Page Number

Comments/Questions (include at least one of each)


Group Expectations Jigsaw and Reading GuidesChapter 2: The Vocabulary of Comics





Group Jigsaw Expectations and Reading GuidesChapter 3: Blood in the Gutter





Group Jigsaw Expectations and Reading Guides

Chapter 4: Time FramesAs you work through the questions below, do not forget to include page numbers to show where you found all of your information.




Group Jigsaw Expectations and Reading GuidesChapter 7: The Six Steps





CHARACTER ANALYSIS WORKSHEETInstructions: Complete the following chart for your specific character. Don’t forget to include page numbers that show where you drew your conclusions from the text.

CHARACTER NAME: ________________________________________________

1. CHARACTER AGE (can be approximate):

2. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICSVoice:

Posture:

Walk:

Distinguishing Marks:

Physical Description:

3. OCCUPATION:

4. INTERESTS:

5. BELIEFS: (Religious and otherwise)

6. AMBITIONS: (what you believe them to be)


7. Describe this character’s relationship to at least two other characters in the play (e.g. David, mama, dad, Ted, etc.).

8. How is this character different from you?

9. How is this character similar to you?

10. What can we learn from this character? Why? How?


PEER REVIEW WORKSHEETInstructions: For each member in your group, fill out one peer review worksheet. Take your time and provide the type of constructive criticism you would like from your peers.

Your Name: Student Reviewed:

Writing (circle one in each category and provide an example/page number)Spelling There are no spelling

errors.There are a few spelling errors.

There are many spelling errors.

Grammar There are no grammatical errors.

There are a few grammaticalerrors.

There are many grammaticalerrors.

Sentencestructure

All sentences are complete.

There are a few incompletesentences.

There are many incompletesentences.

Story (circle one in each category and provide an example/page number)Details Details are used to

make thestory interesting to the reader.

Some details are used, but a fewmore would help make it moreinteresting.

Not enough details are used. Thereader wants to know more thanis provided.

Focus ontopic

The story relates to questionsand the assignment.

The story relates to questionsand the assignment most of thetime.

The story doesn’t always relate tothe questions and the assignment.

What are some questions you have for the author after reading the personal narrative?

What is one of the strongest parts of this essay?

What would you like to learn more about?

What do you think the author should change or add?


FINAL PROJECT

Objective: Over the past several weeks we have been exploring the effectiveness of images

at conveying meaning. As a culmination of your experience a or class discussions, you will be creating a graphic novel of your own that tells a personal story. This graphic novel will be added to your MyStory portfolio. In making this graphic novel, use all the skills/techniques learned (McCloud) to explore one focused idea or story (possibly something you looked at in your Writing Reflections). See below for specific requirements as well as the rubric.

What you will be doing: You will create a graphic novel and the share it with a small group of roughly 4

other students. Students will then vote for one graphic novel as the “Reader’s Choice” Semi-finalist for that group. Each group’s “Reader’s Choice” semi-finalist will then preset his/her graphic to the novel to the class at which time everyone will vote for the graphic novel to be awarded “Reader’s Choice” status; there may even be some prizes if you’re lucky.

Requirements:-Create a graphic novel based on one single personal event or idea-Must include a minimum of 20 panels-Although hand drawing is encouraged, it is not required. Feel free to find

images online to use. However, be as uniform as possible for maximum points.

-See the Rubric below for specific information on the grading targets.


FINAL PROJECT RUBRIC

Category 4 3 2 1 Strategies

Story(Inquiry)

The story is clear, well organized and easy to read. Important narrative aspects such as the climax and resolution are very clear. The reader finishes the story feeling it is complete and no major details are missing.

The story is clear and well organized, but there are one or two points of confusion. Important narrative aspects such as the climax and resolution are clear. The reader finishes the story feeling it is complete and no major details are missing.

The story is sometimes clear, but disorganized. Important narrative aspects such as the climax and resolution are not completely clear. The reader finishes the story feeling it is complete but that major details are missing.

The story is confused and unclear. Important narrative aspects such as the climax and resolution are missing. The graphic novel is very hard to read because it is so disjointed. The reader finishes the story feeling it is incomplete.

-List the main points of the story. Do they connect clearly to each other? Do you find yourself having to fill in blanks often? If so, your story may not be self-contained and readers may be confused.

Word Choice(K&S)

Strong, descriptive language is used and all captions are concise.

Most language is clear and concise and for the most part strong and descriptive.

The language is strong at times, but often the language is weak.

The language is overly simple and not at all descriptive.

-Circle boring adjectives and replace them with more creative ones.-Use powerful adverb/verb combinations (e.g. the garbage was thrown (verb) carelessly (adverb) onto the floor).

Visual-Layout Frames are designed in a way that greatly enhances the overall visual effect. The design and layout clearly enhances the artwork and text.

Frames are designed in a way that for the most part enhance the overall visual effect. The design and layout enhances the artwork and text, but there are one or two instances where the layout detracts from the story.

Frames are designed in a way that add to the overall visual effect for about ½ of the graphic novel. The design and layout often enhances the artwork and text, but there are multiple instances where the layout detracts from the story.

Frames lack design and do not enhance the overall visual effect. The design and layout do not enhance the artwork and text.

-Have you thought carefully about the layout of each page? Can you clearly answer why you did what you did with the frames on each page?

Visual-Images

(Inquiry)

All Images are striking and powerful. All images enhance the story and work with the text to tell the story. All images are high quality, clear, and are not pixelated. All of the images are original and of your own creation or re-mixing

Most images are striking and powerful and add to the meaning of the text. Most images are high quality, clear, and are not pixelated. Most of the images are original and of your own creation or re-mixing.

There are some striking and powerful images but some are boring. Some images enhance the story, but some images detract from the story because they are confusing, of low quality, unclear and/or pixelated. Some of the images are original and of your own creation or re-mixing, but there are many instances where the images seem to be completely lifted or are reminiscent of something else.

Very few images are striking or powerful, and many seem boring and unrelated. Images rarely enhance the story, and most images detract from the story because they are confusing, of low quality, unclear and/or pixelated. Most of the images seem to be lifted or are reminiscent of something else.

-Do your images enhance the story you are trying to tell or are they just basic reiterations of your text?-Can your images stand alone without the text and tell a basic version of the story?-Look carefully at each image and ensure it is clear and related.

Attention to Detail (Conventions & Production Quality)(K & S)

There are no distracting errors, corrections or erasures and is the novel is easily read. There are no errors in grammar, spelling or punctuation.

There are only one or two distracting errors, corrections or erasures and your novel is easily read. There are 1-3 errors in grammar, spelling or punctuation.

Fairly readable but the quality is not very good on some parts. It looks like the student ran out of time. There are 3-5 errors in grammar, spelling or punctuation.

Very messy and hard to read. It looks like the student threw it together at the last minute without much care. There are 6 or more errors in spelling, grammar or punctuation.

-Take the time to read over your work in hard copy.-Read out loud and out of sequence.-Have you asked others to read over your work?


Documents

stearnspfeiffer.weebly.comstearnspfeiffer.weebly.com/.../7160485/graphic_novel_un… · Web viewThis unit attempts to familiarize students with the basic mechanics and functions