Lessons Overview

#1 Picture This

#2 Storyboard 2

#3 Lights, Camera, Action

#4 Word and Thought 'Balloons'

#5 Presentation or Publication

Resources

Links to samples

Assessing the Unit

Extensions & Ideas

1. Teacher preference and student skill level will decide how you approach this lesson, and what your emphasis is. For myself, the goal is 1st : to get them to visualize the scenes, 2nd to work through a special writing process that goes from Story to successfully rendering the same meaning in the few highly selective word choices that Comic frames allow= how to say much with little.

2. Sketch the actual scene! Assuming limited numbers of cameras, and the great opportunity this lesson set gives you to work with small groups while others are gainfully occupied, you actually want to challenge students to 'pass the test' of storyboarding. The pass to the next step (getting a camera) is to convince the teacher that their scenes are fully realized...... who stands where, doing what, with backgrounds, props... even lighting at the time of shooting.... accounted for.

3. Language- Most likely students will self-select for jobs.... if not, give 'assignments' for the writing of a story summary, and the breaking of that into first drafts of description & dialogue to match their scenes.

4. If you choose to make a project checklist (I don't but probably should!) it can help keep track of each group's status, and help schedule camera and computer time.