Classroom Applications: Creating Comics

March is here and I'm hoping that spring follows shortly. Later this evening we're suppose to get a nice layer of ice under 6-8" of snow. So over winter!

February was a busy month in my classroom. We used the iPad for several different projects and I thought I'd share about one we're in the midst of this morning. This break from our current writing project had many students engaged and pencils going, so I am linking this up to my friend Joanne's Student Motivation Saturdays as well!

We started our mini-biographies, part of Loving Lit's Interactive Research Pack. So far this week we've walked through the beginning parts of research together as a full class. Erin's lessons are laid out with extreme detailing that is super easy to follow; I can't wait to see what the students come up with when they begin their own projects in the following week.  I'll be posting more {hopefully} on our progress; I keep forgetting to take pictures along the way.

After we finished up the guided, note-taking process it was finally Friday (this week has felt as if a couple of extra days were thrown in). The students were really engaged by the research materials that Erin had shared on Dav Pilkey. With it being such a long week, I wanted to switch up from our research project for something a little more fun.

If you don't know, Dav Pilkey is the author and illustrator for the Captain Underwear series. Much of what he writes about today, was inspired by comics he made as a child. As we watched the videos and read the comics that Erin included in her pack on Mr. Pilkey, my students were so engaged! For a change up, I wanted to see what the students could create with only the parameters of creating a comic that was school appropriate.

Our iPads are loaded with StripDesign. I love the versatility in this app and I've blogged about how I've used it for vocabulary and figurative language here. The application is easy to manipulate; you can draw, add pictures from camera roll, stickers, and text. 

I'm not sure my room has ever been as quiet as it was while they were creating. Their creativity abounded. It was such a fun release and I love to see their ideas when the parameters aren't so strict. Some students opted to have paper instead of the iPad, but either way they turned out great.

This comic was probably my favorite. This little gal created a whole world revolving around donuts {I love the sun!} A bad guy tried to take over the world, but his plan was crumpled, or was it? (She left her comic end in a cliff hanger.) Her table mate continued on with the them in breakfast world, where the same villain emerged to try and take over once again. I loved their creativity and collaboration!

Getting ready to use StripDesign

This student ended up with several FULL pages by the end of the day. He was so excited to show me!

The beginning of another comic.

Comics can be a pretty creative writing format. I gave students the option to be as creative as they'd like with this little creative break from our report writing. However, students could be asked to tell about different climate regions, vocabulary, or historic events in a comic book format. The possibilities are endless!

How are you using the iPad or Chromebook in your classroom? What apps are you loving and applying to your lessons? Be sure to link up all month long! Also, be sure to check out many other ideas that motivate student at Joanne's blog too!