Why Comics? AS/A Level Art and Design Lesson Plan

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Why Comics? AS/A Level Art and Design Lesson Plan

Why Comics? AS/A level Art (age 16-18) and Design Lesson Plan: Creating Comics

IntroductionLooking to engage your students in contemporary human rights and social issues? Based at SOAS University of London, Why Comics? Education Charity brings contemporary humanitarian and social issues into the classroom (such as racism, conflict, migration, trafficking and climate change) through interactive literary comic books based on real-life testimony.

Our free easy-to-use Key Stage 2-5 resources build empathy and enhance learning for 7-18-year-old students and teachers alike, alongside UK national-curriculum relevant lesson plans to support multiple subjects.

Each sample UK National Curriculum based Lesson Plan is provided as a Word.doc – so you can use it as a building block. Please feel free to adjust the content to suit your teaching style and students’ needs, all the content is only suggested.

Our innovative resources help enhance learning to support multiple subjects (such as English, ESOL, Personal, Social, Health and Economic [PSHE] education, Citizenship Studies, Art, Media Studies and Geography). Our support materials are intended to inspire teachers and enhance teaching practices and different ideas.

Why Comics? resources are embedded with a wealth of age-appropriate contextual multimedia (such as news articles, maps, videos, infographics and reports) to educate and inspire pupils across a wide demographic.

Our materials encourage learners to make connections between their own lives and the lives of others throughout the world, promoting critical and reflective thinking on vital global themes. In this way, Why Comics? can help combat racism and intolerance in schools.

Already, over 600 schools in 27 countries have provided detailed feedback on our free interactive educational resources to overwhelmingly positive feedback. From September 2017, our materials will be disseminated to over 25,000 schools worldwide.

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Suggested Why Comics? AS and A Level Art and Design Lesson Plan

Please help us by filling out a short anonymous SurveyMonkey questionnaire after you have used our materials for our funders. This helps ensure that our great resources remain free.

Please email info@whycomics.org for more information. Thank you.Why Comics? Charity number - 1172791

Table of ContentsWhy Comics? AS/A level Art and Design Lesson Plan: Creating Comics....................................................2

UK National Curriculum AS/A Level Art and Design requirements...........................................................3

Art and Design Lesson Plan.....................................................................................................................4Aims:................................................................................................................................................................4Learning objectives:..........................................................................................................................................5

Lesson plan:............................................................................................................................................5

Follow-up Lesson Plan.............................................................................................................................6Aims:................................................................................................................................................................6Learning Objectives:.........................................................................................................................................6

Lesson Plan:............................................................................................................................................6

Feedback................................................................................................................................................6

Future Plans............................................................................................................................................7Who backs Why Comics? - About PositiveNegatives ..........................................................................................7

UK National Curriculum AS/A Level Art and Design requirements[Source: UK Gov A-level Art and Design Subject content and assessment objectives]

Aims and Objectives

AS and A Level specifications in Art and Design must encourage students to develop: intellectual, imaginative, creative and intuitive capabilities; investigative, analytical, experimental, practical, technical and expressive skills, aesthetic understanding

and critical judgement; independence of mind in developing, refining and communicating their own ideas, their own intentions and

their own personal outcomes; an interest in, enthusiasm for and enjoyment of art, craft and design; the experience of working with a broad range of media; an understanding of the interrelationships between art, craft and design processes and an awareness of the

contexts in which they operate; knowledge and experience of real world contexts and, where appropriate, links to the creative industries; knowledge and understanding of art, craft, design and media and technologies in contemporary and past

societies and cultures; an awareness of different roles, functions, audiences and consumers of art, craft and design.

Knowledge, understanding and skills

AS and A Level specifications must require students to develop practical and theoretical knowledge and understanding of:

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Suggested Why Comics? AS and A Level Art and Design Lesson Plan

relevant materials, processes, technologies and resources; how ideas, feelings and meanings can be conveyed and interpreted in images and artefacts; how images and artefacts relate to the time and place in which they were made and to their social and

cultural contexts; continuity and change in different genres, styles and traditions; a working vocabulary and specialist terminology.

AS and A Level specifications must require students to develop the skills to: record experiences and observations, in a variety of ways using drawing or other appropriate visual forms;

undertake research; and gather, select and organise visual and other appropriate information; explore relevant resources; analyse, discuss and evaluate images, objects and artefacts; and make and

record independent judgements; use knowledge and understanding of the work of others to develop and extend thinking and inform own

work; generate and explore potential lines of enquiry using appropriate media and techniques; apply knowledge and understanding in making images and artefacts; review and modify work; and plan and

develop ideas in the light of their own and others’ evaluations; organise, select and communicate ideas, solutions and responses, and present them in a range of visual,

tactile and/or sensory forms.

Please note teaching notes are in purple.

Suggested Why Comics? Art and Design Lesson Plan Here is a suggested Art and Design lesson plan designed to teach students how to create their own literary comic using any of our comics. Students will study recording experiences and observations, undertaking research; and gathering, selecting and organising visual and other appropriate information. Students will also learn how literary comics can be used to tell an individual’s story, providing an understanding of how ideas, feelings and meanings can be conveyed and interpreted through visual images. The lesson will address a range of social and humanitarian issues, opening classroom dialogues and improving social and moral development. The lessons are 50 mins long, consisting of a reading in class, followed by group discussion and an assigned homework. The class can either read a comic collectively via projector, or at home via the web (www.whycomics.org/comics).

Communication through literary comics

Aims: This session will explore the use of literary comics to communicate important issues.

• Students will read a literary comic addressing social and humanitarian issues• Students will explore how ideas, feelings and meanings can be conveyed through literary comics• Students will observe, research and gather visual and other appropriate information to create

their own comic• Students will learn how to make a literary comic

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Suggested Why Comics? AS and A Level Art and Design Lesson Plan

Learning objectives: By the end of the session, students will be able to:

• Understand the social and humanitarian issues in greater depth• Understand how literary comics can be used to communicate real issues• Convey ideas, feelings and meanings through images• Observe, research and gather visual and other appropriate information• Create their own literary comic

Lesson plan:1. Read through the comic as a group – Project the comic in class and go through each panel. If

there is time, you could explore several of the additional resources in the interactive boxes dispersed throughout the comic. Discuss how the artist has:- recorded experiences and observations; - undertaken research;- used the comic to effectively communicate the story to their audience (including ideas,

feelings and meanings);- contributed in shaping/changing the way the audience feel about/understand the issue of

migration and refugees. (25 mins)

Teacher’s Note: The terminology used to describe migrants and refugees can be confusing but it is important that students get it right. See the refugee and asylum seeker myth buster at www.redcross.org.uk for help in defining key terms.

2. Classroom Activity – Go through the PositiveNegatives methodology for creating a comic with the class. Print out a few examples of PositiveNegatives comics by different artists to show the range of styles which can be used (or ask the class to view the comics online).(15 mins)

Teacher’s Note: The PositiveNegatives methodology cab be found here: http://positivenegatives.org/about/methodology/

3. Assign the class a homework – Ask the class to interview someone on a true story around the theme ‘leaving’. Students’ research should include both visual information (photographs or sketches of relevant parts of the story) and written/voice-recorded information. (10 mins)

Please help us by filling out a short anonymous SurveyMonkey questionnaire after you have used our materials for our funders. This helps ensure that our great resources remain free.

Please email info@whycomics.org for more information. Thank you.

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Suggested Why Comics? AS and A Level Art and Design Lesson Plan

Follow-up Lesson Plan Creating a Literary Comic

Aims: This session will look at the making of a literary comic, based on the information students will have gathered (see previous lesson’s homework assignment). Students will:

Learn how to create a storyboard; Make use of the researched material in the creation of an original comic; Reflect on appropriate style and techniques.

Learning Objectives: By the end of the session, students will be able to:

Create a consistent storyboard; Utilise research materials to inform a storyboard; Make use of the best techniques for communicating the story through a literary comic.

Lesson Plan:1. Summarise the previous lesson – Recap on the comic and what the class discussed. (5 mins)2. Classroom Activity – Ask the class to draw a storyboard of their literary comic using their

homework research, which should include both written and visual information. Remind the class to be consistent in style and to focus on clear communication of their chosen story. (40 mins)

3. Assign the class a homework – Ask the class to show their first draft to the person their comic is about. Students should write notes on/voice-record the protagonist’s comments. Any further visual or written information should be collected. Ask the students to bring the notes to the next lesson to edit their storyboard and draw their literary comic. (5 mins)

FeedbackPlease help us by filling out a short anonymous SurveyMonkey questionnaire for our funders. This will help keep our great resources free. We will be happy to hear about how it works in the classroom, and are keen to receive any comments or feedback.

We are particularly interested if you would like to receive more resources like this. If so please include on the SurveyMonkey questionnaire which topics you would like us to cover (e.g. Divorce, Migration, Racism/Prejudice, Cyber/Bullying, Identity, Memory, Racism, Conflict, Natural Disasters, Human Trafficking/Slavery, Asylum/Refugees, Homelessness, Climate Change, Remittances & Migrant Workers, and Drug Trafficking & Addiction).

We are also interested to have feedback from pupils so if it is possible, please pass on the SurveyMonkey questionnaire link to them as well. Many thanks again, your help is most appreciated.

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Suggested Why Comics? AS and A Level Art and Design Lesson Plan

Future Plans

Over the coming year, we’re intending to expand our bank of database for KS2 (age 7-11) and KS3 (age 11-14) and KS4-5 (age 14-18) and their teachers, and produce national curriculum based accompanying lesson plans for multiple subjects. You can view all our resources on our Teachers Resources page.

We will continue to design and test our resources to ensure that they are made by teachers for teachers.

If you would like any more information or would like to be involved further, please contact info@whycomics.org. Thank you.

With very best wishes,

Dr Benjamin Dix

Director: Why Comics? Education CharitySenior Fellow: SOAS University of London

Web: http://www.whycomics.org/Email: info@whycomics.org Twitter and Instagram: @WhyComicsOrg Facebook: Why Comics? Education Charity

Why Comics? Education Charity is based at the Faber Building, SOAS University of London.Why Comics? Charity number - 1172791

Who backs Why Comics? - About PositiveNegatives

The award-winning non-profit PositiveNegatives produce literary comics, animations and podcasts about contemporary social and human rights issues. We combine ethnographic research with illustration and photography, adapting personal testimonies into art, education and advocacy materials. Since 2012, PositiveNegatives has worked extensively for over four years for an array of international organisations such as United Nations (UN), Overseas Development Institute (ODI), Open Society Foundations (OSF), The Nobel Peace Centre, The Guardian, BBC, and with leading academic institutions such as; Harvard South Asia Centre, SOAS University of London and University of Sussex.

Our work endeavours to combine literature, journalism and education. Visual story-telling engages audiences of all ages, backgrounds and levels of literacy. Approaching subjects like conflict and forced migration through the prism of personal narratives emotionally engages general readers and students alike. We have developed comics from research, policy papers and first hand testimonies for organisations such as these and many more. Each comic has reached millions of viewers, and many have been translated into multiple languages reaching diverse international stakeholders.

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