Creating Cool Comic Strips

It is no mistake that graphic novels are very popular with students of all ages. They offer a different type of reading experience yet still contain strong plots, characters, and themes. One of the reasons that graphic novels are so attractive to students is the layout of the text and illustrations. They resemble comic strips, which allows a student to read something different than the regular chapter book. 

Since graphic novels are such a huge hit, teachers and librarians can use the comic strip idea to teach various lessons. Students will enjoy creating their own comic strips as a way to represent different ideas. Some good sites that allow one to create a comic strip are:

- Pixton   

https://share.pixton.com/qhjk2uh

This site is pretty easy to use. I created a comic strip without much trouble, and I believe that students from second grade on could use this site as well. There are plenty of details for one to choose from including:

1. Characters with choice of skin, hair and eye color, outfit, pose, expression, etc.

2. Background with choice of scene, abstract or photo upload

3. A wording section which allows words to be added in captions or a speech balloon

- Fotojet

Fotojet was more limiting as to what one can choose to use in the creation of a comic strip. Unlike Pixton, there are already templates available that look like comic strips. The user just has to choose how many boxes he/she wants in the strip, but the most allowed is 6-7. Additionally, I found Fotojet more difficult to use than Pixton. The user has to fit the photos he/she wants into the boxes of the template and then has to figure out how to fit the text in as well. There are no choices to insert characters into the comic. For these reasons, I think that older students from 5th grade on could use this site. 

- Make Beliefs Comix

I liked the Make Beliefs Comix site for a few different reasons. First, it was easy to use. Next, it has all kinds of information available on the site such as ideas for writing and journaling, story starters and lessons for special needs students. Then, there are a variety of options one can choose from to use in a comic strip and the illustrations really resemble pictures from a comic book. Last, one can create a comic that is up to 18 boxes long. That is a good amount for students because it is sometimes hard for them to condense their ideas. I feel that students in third grade and up could use this site. 

Ways to Use Comic Strips in the Classroom 

Well, I have shared a few sites that allow one to create comic strips and now I am going to share some ways to use comic strips as teaching tools in the classroom. Just look at the list below!

- Have students use comics to create a summary or retelling of a book

- Have students create short stories by using comic strips

- Create comic strips to learn about a new social skill or to explain why bullying is bad

- Have students use comic strips to list different synonyms for commonly used words (each box could be a different synonym with a picture)

- Have students use characters from a story and create a new ending 

- Have students create comics about news events

AND MUCH, MUCH MORE!!!

There are all sorts of ways to utilize comic strips in the classroom- just spend a little time searching and you are sure to find some terrific ideas!