Comic Strips and the Short Story

By Parker Carpenter

Calvin and Hobbes

Questions

What is the story telling?

What is the author's intention with this comic strip?

How does he achieve this?

What is more important, the pictures or the dialogue? Why?

Rewrite

Next, rewrite the comic strip as prose. It should be no more than a paragraph in length.

Discussion

Volunteers?

Which was more effective, the comic strip or the short stories? Why?

Short Story

Students will have read The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin for homework the night before

Split into 4 groups: irony, symbolism, imagery, and theme

Have students discuss with examples in groups, then in class

Homework

Comic strip representation within group

At least 2 panels

One must contain dialogue

Can be hand drawn, Photoshop, Microsoft Paint, other softwareHowever, MUST BE ORIGINAL

Day 2

Presentation and peer review

Discussion of techniques

Which method worked better this time?

Larger discussion about the advantages of both comic strips and short stories

End Goal

In preparation for final project at end of unit

Will be a short story-comic strip hybrid

Information

Would be taught at grades 11/12, as students must grasp some higher level concepts, and the Common Core Standards that fit this assignment were for grades 11 and 12

Would begin a unit on short stories and comic strips