Name: Ben Rideout Date: 3/1/17 EDUC 684

Action Plan for Non-Traditional Reading Resources and Motivation

After reading/viewing the resources for this unit, complete the following template. Make this meaningful for you.
Evidence of the resources from the course is required. This will serve as resource for you to use in the future.

Summarize Your Findings:

The texts in this lesson, comics are a great engagement tool for students during literacy as comics and
graphic novels can stimulate and sustain interest in kids. According to Francoise Mouly, comics provide a visual
narrative that is implicitly understandable, even when you cant understand the words. They provide a visual form
of communication that furthers literacy development in kids and young adults.

There are multiple uses for employing comics and graphic novels in the classroom. They can be used to
differentiate a lesson based on skill level or choice. They help build critical reading skills called Higher Order
Thinking Skills (HOTS): analyze, evaluate and create, logical reasoning, critical thinking and problem solving. Using
comics, a student can employ their HOTS to analyze and evaluate a text by examining how an author may use
color, word choice, visuals and text boxes to make inferences, understand character traits and tell a story. Comics
can all be used as an assessment tool for formal/informal assessments by having students create their own
graphic novel to demonstrate plot, setting, and character development. The class could study comics and graphic
novels as a separate genre just as they study realistic fiction and historical narratives. Finally, a comic book can be
used to examine literary elements like symbols, character and plot. Comics are also a form of brain-based
teaching as they are a hands-on/manipulative based tool that allows students to analyze what they read and
demonstrate their understanding of the text, main idea and authors purpose. There are multiple ways to teach
reading using comics, including character analysis, re-tell historical events, alternative book report and express
feelings.

Comics and graphic novels are a literary median that presents information in a visual format, and unlike
movies or a live performance, the plot of a comic is permanent, the beginning, middle and end of each event on
every page is there on the page, and it never changes. This allows for the rate of information flow to be placed
firmly in the hands of the reader. If a reader did not understand what they just read, they can go back and re-read
it at their own pace. The visual elements of comics and graphic novels can contribute to a students
comprehension of a texts meaning, tone and beauty which can help improve their literacy development in ways
traditional non-graphic novels cant.
 This is a great idea for a unit of literacy development in reading and writing but wont currently fit into our
schedule. We are currently into our first year of implementation of Journeys Common Core and LindaMood Bell
here at Harrison K-8. We are also currently preparing students for PARCC testing which will take place in April.
However, this unit would be appropriate in May after PARCC testing as it will keeps students engaged while still
reinforcing 4th grade reading development to the end of the school year.

Application Ideas for Your Placement: How can you incorporate non traditional resources into your classroom to
help motivate your students to read?

Inferences: using a comic book, students can practice making inferences about different characters and events in
a story.

Character Analysis: students can examine a character in a comic book to help them study that characters
internal and external character traits and how the events of the story might change or alter those character traits.
Students can then compare/contrast the character traits of that character with another character in the story or
with a different character in a another story that shares similar character traits.

Main Idea: using the colors, words, visuals, and text boxes in a story, students can analyze a comic to determine
what the main idea of the text is or what was the authors purpose for writing this comic.

Cause and Effect/Sequence of Events: Using the visuals and text boxes in a comic or graphic novel, students
can analyze the text to determine the sequential order in which events occurred in the story to understand why
the story is structured or written in the way that it is. Students can also use comics examine cause and effect
relationships between different characters and events in a story and how they lead to new decisions or events
later in the story.

Book Review/Demonstration of Learning: After a student has read a text or a chapter book, they can create a
short visual comic to demonstrate their comprehension: plot, setting, characters and events as they occur in the
story.

Story Board How Marvel Studios Use Comics to Design and Plan Movies: Students can examine comics
to look at the practice of story boarding, whats its purpose/goal, and how real world companies use it to create
Summer Block-Busters.
Resources: What resources do you anticipate using?

STEM Graphic Novels

Comic Books and Graphic Novels

Common Core State Standards

Comprehension Packets/Comprehension Tic-Tac-Toe Sheet

Understanding Comics, Author: Scott McCloud

Action Plan/Goal you want to initiate: Be specific

SMART Goal 1: Using comics as a formal assessment, I can teach and test my students understanding of character
analysis by having students read two different comics and compare/contrast the internal character traits and
character arcs of the main characters in two different comics.

SMART Goal 2:

Action Plan:

Date(s) Activit Standards Summary

y
3/1 -4/25 Plan Comics Refine and develop Action Plan for End of Year Comic
Unit Book Unit
- Define Purpose of the Unit
- Identify Standards
- Research Comics (Understanding Comics Scott
McCloud)
 - Refine Goals
- Acquire Resources (multiple comic books are varying
interests and topics)
- Develop Daily Lesson Plans
- Develop Writing Prompts
4/26 4/28 1. Introduce 4/26
Comic Study CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.4.4.C - Introduce Comics as a genre.
2. Read Use context to confirm What are comics?
Comics or self-correct word What do you know about comics
3. Pre recognition and How are they different from books?
Assessment - Read A Comic
understanding,
Read a comic.
rereading as necessary.
4/27
- Re-Read Comic
Read the comic a second time.
Dig Deeper
What connections did you make?
Whats the Main Idea or Authors Purpose?
What questions to you have about the story?
4/28
- Create a 4 panel comic strip.
Using 4 panels, create a comic story that tells how
a character overcomes a problem.
5/3 5/5 1. Character 5/3 5/4
Analysis CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.3 - Read Comic 1
2. Inference Describe in depth a Determine the Main Character
character, setting, or Distinguish Internal/External Character Traits
event in a story or Character Arc
- Read Comic 2
drama, drawing on
Determine the Main Character
specific details in the Distinguish Internal/External Character Traits
text (e.g., a character's Character Arc
 thoughts, words, or - Compare/Contrast
actions). Double-Bubble Thinking Map:
Using Internal Character Traits and Character
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.6 Arc, compare and contrast the main character
Compare and contrast from Comic 1 and Comic 2.
the point of view from
5/5
which different stories - Read Comic 3
are narrated, including - Explicitly explain what the text says.
the difference between Using visual, colors and word texts, explain what is
first- and third-person happening in the story.
narrations. - Inferences
Using visual, color and word text clues, what
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.1
inferences can you draw from the text that the
author doesnt specifically state.
Refer to details and
examples in a text when
explaining what the
text says explicitly and
when drawing
inferences from the
text.
5/9 5/12 1. Plot 5/9
2. Setting CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.2 - Read Comic
3. Sequence Determine a theme of a - Plot
of Events story, drama, or poem Summarize the beginning, middle and end of a
from details in the text; story?
What is the problem/goal confronting the main
summarize the text.
character?
How does the main character overcome the
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.3
problem or meet the goal?
Describe in depth a How does the story end.
character, setting, or
event in a story or 5/10
drama, drawing on - Read Comic
- Setting
specific details in the
What is the setting of the story?
text (e.g., a character's How does the author use visuals and colors to infer
thoughts, words, or or create the setting?
actions). How does the setting impact the story?

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.7 5/11 5/12

Make connections - Read Comic
between the text of a - Sequence of Events
What are the events in the story in the order in
story or drama and a
which they occurred?
visual or oral How has the author structured the story?
presentation of the - Cause and Effect
text, identifying where How do the events or actions of a character affect
each version reflects the story?
specific descriptions How does each event lead to the next event in the
story?
and directions in the
text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.10
By the end of the year,
read and comprehend
literature, including
stories, dramas, and
poetry, in the grades 4-
5 text complexity band
proficiently, with
scaffolding as needed
at the high end of the
 range.
5/16 5/19 Story Board CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.3 5/16
How Marvel Write narratives to - What is story boarding?
Studios Use develop real or Students look at story boards?
Comics to imagined experiences A storyboard panel is basically just a box
Design and containing the illustration of the shot you envision
Plan Movies
or events using
for your film.
effective technique, Draw the shape of the panel and add a thick
descriptive details, and black border (approximately 1/2 inch in width)
clear event sequences. around the square or rectangle.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.3.A Create a description panel by drawing a 1-inch
Orient the reader by empty box just below the bottom of the frame
establishing a situation panel
and introducing a
What is the location setting?
narrator and/or How many actors are needed in the shot?
characters; organize an Do you need any important props or vehicles in the shot?
event sequence that What type of shot (close-up, wide-shot, establishing shot, and
so on) do you need?
unfolds naturally. What is the shots angle (where the camera is shooting from)?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.3.B Is it a high angle? A low angle?
Use dialogue and Do any actors or vehicles need to move within a frame, and
description to develop what is the direction of that action?
Do you need any camera movement to add motion to this
experiences and events
shot? In other words, does the camera follow the actor or
or show the responses vehicles in the shot, and in what direction?
of characters to Do you need any special lighting? The lighting depends on
situations. what type of mood youre trying to convey (for example, you
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.3.C may need candlelight, moonlight, a dark alley, or a bright
sunny day).
Use a variety of Do you need any special effects? Illustrating special effects is
transitional words and important to deciding whether you have to hire a special-
phrases to manage the effects person. Special effects can include gunfire, explosions,
and computer-generated effects.
sequence of events.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.3.D
Use concrete words 5/17
and phrases and - How do movie studios like Marvel use these story boards
to plan and develop films.
sensory details to
Students will look at the process of how a studio
convey experiences takes a comic, chooses one key scene, and make a
and events precisely. story board to tell a short narrative about the
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.3.E events around the key scene.
Provide a conclusion Look at the importance of visuals and color.
that follows from the 5/19
narrated experiences - Create your own Story Board
or events. Create a character
Define a problem the character must overcome.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.4 Create your own Story Board
Produce clear and
coherent writing in
which the development
and organization are
appropriate to task,
purpose, and audience.
(Grade-specific
expectations for
writing types are
defined in standards 1-
3 above.)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.5
With guidance and
support from peers and
adults, develop and
strengthen writing as
needed by planning,
revising, and editing.
 (Editing for
conventions should
demonstrate command
of Language standards
1-3 up to and including
grade 4 here.)

5/22 5/24 Post 5/22

Assessment - Using the Story Board they created the last week,
students will make a comic strip detailing a character
facing and overcoming a problem/challenge.