Using cartoons as a springboard develops the skills of grammar and conversation in writing; it stimulates the imagination and results in creative language production.
Ideas for Using Cartoons or Comic Strips in ESL and Language Lessons
Cartoons for Direct Speech Practice: An easy and simple activity, yet one worthy of undertaking, is handing out cartoon pictures, with empty “bubbles” in which students have to write the story line. Writing the words of the characters in the picture, demands that students compose the dialog of the speakers. Correct grammar, idioms, imperatives are all practiced when using direct speech.
Teaching Narration Methods: Each student receives a comic strip or comic page with empty “bubbles” for speech, and empty squares for narration. This task involves the filling in of both direct speech of the characters and the narration of the situation which is entered into the squares. For example, in the narrative square, it may say, “The night is dark and a lone man walks the streets of the town”, while in the “bubble” the man may say, “What a night! I fear something terrible will happen!”
The teacher can discuss the differences between direct and reported speech, but even without explaining the distinctions, students will probably have a good idea regarding the construction of these sentences, through having been exposed to reading comics from an early age.
A Collage of Cartoons: Using poster board, the class undertakes to complete a cartoon poster. Each student draws and writes the narration and “voices” for their cartoon strip. The strips are pasted decoratively onto the poster. The final product can be put up on the wall of the classroom, or on a student notice board in the school halls.
This collage could be themed, and follow a particular topic of the teacher or students’ choice, or perhaps a given grammar structure, such as the present simple, imperative, or question form, could be the basis on which the students have to create the dialog.
Odd Cartoons: If no one can draw, and comic strips are unavailable, each student can cut up little pictures from magazines. These do not have to match in size or style; the idea is to cut out, for example, a picture of a cat from one place, and a boy from a completely different source. The results will look odd, but amusing. Again, narration and direct speech in bubbles can be practiced just as effectively as if done on more aesthetic or ready comic strips.
Finding Comic Strips or Comic Material for Classes
- Old, unused textbooks that have illustrations can be cut up and pasted onto cardboard strips
- Books such as Joan Ashkenas’ Comics and Conversation [Jag Publications, 1985] that have pages of comic strips printed just for this kind of activity, can be purchased. This kind of book allows for copies to be reproduced
- Newspapers: The teacher can white out the original words and photocopy the cartoon strips.
- Magazines.
- Ask artistic students to draw some cartoons for the lesson. The teacher can keep and photocopy such a collection, and use them in subsequent lessons too.
- Internet cartoons, printed out, copied with words erased, so that students can write their own story.
Note: Any materials used by the teacher should follow the copyright rules of the original artist, website or book.
Working with cartoons and comic strips is fun. Many creative ideas can be incorporated. Teachers will find that students add so many ideas of their own, that notes should be kept for following lessons in which the teacher can refer to previous ideas, inventions and interesting results.
Related Articles:
Creative Writing for Summarizing, Reviewing and Testing: This article suggests creative ways of testing. The comic strip can be used as a means to test information in many different subjects. The teacher needs to be creative in formulating such a test.
Lucille Lever - Creative teaching ideas can be incorporated into any kind of lesson. As a teacher of ESL and creative drama for more than 30 years, in a ...
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