Comic Book Classroom Curriculum:
 
During our extensive six week program, students will write and draw their own stories in comic form. This allows them to demonstrate their knowledge of literary form while providing an outlet for self-expression and personal growth.  Our vision is that all participants to be engaged with teachers, staff and fellow students in the hope that they find comic books and graphic novels to be every bit as engaging and intelligent as “formal” literature.

5280 Comic Book Classroom – A Guild to Comic Book Literature

Week 1: The Joy of Reading

• Discover that reading comics is something all types of people do for enjoyment and personal fulfillment.
• Students learn the terms associated with the creation, design and reading of comics.

Week 2: Visual & Textual Storytelling

• Learn what a storytelling arc is and define exposition, event, rising action, crisis, falling action, and conclusion.
• Students begin their own short comic strip using the storytelling arc as a template.

Week 3: Dialogue

• Students are introduced to dialogue and begin scripting their stories.

Week 4: Analyzing Conflict Resolution through Dialogue & Using an Outline to Plan Your Comic

• Students learn how dialogue can help reveal conflict and resolution in a comic.
• Students learn the technique of reverse outlining in order to properly pace their stories.

Week 5: Basic Drawing for Comics

• Students learn basic drawing techniques from a guest artist.

Week 6: Creating Comics and the “Author’s Chair” Celebration

• Students finish their comic story using the techniques taught in the previous classes.
• Each student celebrates and shares their work by reading their comic to the class while sitting in the “Author’s Chair”.