For some kids, just giving them a blank comic strip is all the encouragement they need to start writing. For others, you may have to help them prepare a little.
A great way to get students started is to provide them with a writing prompt. This gives them a clear direction on what their comic will be about. For examples of writing prompts, check out the space writing prompts pages.
Other students may also benefit from planning their comic strip writing beforehand on a separate piece of paper. They can decide on their characters, the plot, and the dialogue before moving on to the comic strip itself. Each frame should be an important part of the story. This generally makes for a much better finished comic.
You can also prepare some examples for them to read and look at. This will help get their creative juices flowing.
It is important to not let your class get too hung up on the artwork. Simple drawings are perfectly fine, you may need to set a time limit so that the comics are finished in the assigned class.
Once they have completed their comic strip writing, let them share and read each other’s work. You can even make it a competition where the class can vote on the best finished comic strip.
