In a class for non-native English speakers, I used this free download to work out verb tense errors. I (actually, my 9-year old) took a series of pictures while at the grocery store--one action after the next, leading to the horrible mistake of getting to the register and discovering I'd forgotten my wallet! We've all been there, right? It's funny, LATER! This took me about 10 minutes with my digital camera while I actually did my grocery shopping.
I uploaded the pics into Comic Life, then it generated a comic strip look FOR ME. Very realistic too.
I posted this file to my class wiki and tasked them (in class and out) with adding the speech bubbles...and they had to make it funny! Paying attention to verb tense and time markers was the language focus. Well...hilarity insued and these students gabbed and gabbed in the past tense for 2 class sessions while they wrote out the speech bubbles & clarified irregular verb tenses, spelling, pronunciation, and punctuation! What a great TECH-ED tool.
This can be used in so many ways. I have a colleague who teaches ESL to grades K-6 in public school. Through the content of Shakespeare, she had these non-native kids creating Mid Summer Night's Dream Comics! They took their own pictures, created the comic strips themselves, and added the speech bubbles! Notice in the following example how the students had to take pictures which represented the meaning of the text.
If they can do it, so can you...
If they can do it, so can you...
Like she says "where there's a 'Wil', there's a way!"
*Insert knee-slapping Shakespeare humor here*
If you want to know more about what she's doing in ESL at the elementary level, contact her! She's AMAZING, inspirational, and very easy-going: Holly Rodgers HMRodgers@fcps.edu
*Insert knee-slapping Shakespeare humor here*
If you want to know more about what she's doing in ESL at the elementary level, contact her! She's AMAZING, inspirational, and very easy-going: Holly Rodgers HMRodgers@fcps.edu
*Publish a story (retell or original).
ReplyDelete*Publish the steps to do an everyday task.
*"About me"
Our group came up with the idea of creating a collaborative comic strip. The most important part of this lesson for our group is to remember not to get bogged down in the cartoon creation, but to always remember to put the language first.
ReplyDeleteOur idea was to have multiple teacher-created cartoons with blank text bubbles. The cartoons would be distributed among the students and they would complete the first box, then pass the cartoon on to the next student who will complete the second box. Each child will have to read the previous entries and continue the story (possibly editing the work of the previous students). The cartoon can return to the original writer after all of the panels have been created. Then as a possible homework assignment, the original writer can write an ending to the cartoon.
Other comic programs:
ReplyDeletetoondo.com
kerploof.com
goanimate.com