Cartoons and Comics

Comics aren't just for kids anymore! Kids of all ages enjoy comics and animated movies and sitcoms. In the early 20^th century, many believed that comic books were damaging to the psyche of American youth. But today, many experts are talking about the benefits of using comics in the classroom to foster literacy and reading. To find out more, I checked out three different websites that allow users to create their own cartoons.

ToonDoo offers the option of creating a free account and has video tutorials to get you started. There is an option to create either a comic strip or a comic book, so I would recommend thinking about how much information you want to share before getting started. You can also browse through comic books that other users have created to help you get some ideas. Once you select a layout, you can easily drag and drop backgrounds, characters, and thought bubbles or text bubbles to add your text. You can even change the expressions on the characters’ faces. It didn’t take me long to figure out how to move objects around in the frame and add color. This program would be easy for older elementary and middle school students to work with. There are plenty of choices and options to create exactly what they want. Teachers and librarians will also find that creating a presentation or teaching tool using this site is just as easy as creating a PowerPoint or Prezi.

Here's my own ToonDoo.

Pixton requires the user to sign up for an account. This is where I ran into a little difficulty working with the program. You will need to go to your email and confirm before continuing. There is a basic free membership as well as memberships for educators and businesses that cost about $8.00/mo. I would recommend watching several YouTube tutorials before getting started to save you time. This site has many different choices for setting and characters, and even allows you to customize and pose your characters. Since there are more details and options, I would recommend this for older students and educators who are a little more tech savvy and are independent learners. They will enjoy the freedom this site offers to create unique cartoons. If you’re going to use this site often, then it might be worth the monthly cost.

Here's my Pixton comic.

MakeBeliefsComix requires no sign up before using their site. This site allows the user to quickly create and email a comic to friends or family or print it to enjoy. There’s not an option to save work, so make sure you allow enough time for students to complete a cartoon in one class period. The website also offers teaching ideas, lesson plans, 500 free pintables, and free eBooks by the website creator, Bill Zimmerman. The iPad app is free, and this would be an easy program to use with younger elementary students. There are also templates available to help students get started. This website is an ALA Great Website for Kids and is Parents’ Choice Recommended.

Here's my MakeBeliefsComix.

Getting Started with Cartoons and Comics

Here are a few ways that you can use comics to engage your students in the classroom:

- Have students create an autobiographical comic to share at the beginning of the year.

- Have students practice new vocabulary in context.

- ESL students can practice conversation skills.

- Use for creative writing activities.

- Have students create comics demonstrating irony or other literary devices.

- Use as a way to journal or reflect on learning.

 I hope you’ll try using one of these comic websites this year. Using comics or cartoons is another great way we can connect with students and also allow them an opportunity to create their own presentations in a fun, narrative, graphic format.