The process of materials writing

THE USE OF COMICS IN THE ENGLISH CLASSROOM Materials Design October 28, 2014

Lucía Scaramuccia

THE PROCESS OF MATERIALS WRITING A) Analysis of the worksheet IDENTIFICATION OF NEED Before dealing with the worksheet, students are presented with vocabulary required to use when buying in a shop. The activities proposed were a listening activity in which students had to listen to a conversation and fill in the gaps with the appropriate lines used in a shop and then they were expected to do a role-play activity whose aim was to put the phrases learnt previously into practice. By analyzing the sequence of activities proposed, I believed that a writing activity was missing. Therefore, I decided to add a comic strip. By doing this, I would be extending the speaking activity since while speaking many corrections on the part on the teacher might take place and therefore students wouldn’t have the opportunity to actually understand what the mistake was and would just repeat what the teacher corrects. Thus, the creation of the comic strip would make students write their own dialogues and think more carefully on the vocabulary used in a shop and on how to address a shop assistant.

Consequently, the writing activity will make students see the differences present between English and Spanish as regards the vocabulary used in this situation and I would be raising awareness on this issue.

EXPLORATION OF LANGUAGE/NEED In order for students to create this comic strip I had to explore many websites and make sure that they would allow me to create a situation in a shop. Otherwise, creating a comic based on this situation would be meaningless and worthless. Therefore, I believe that language has to be used in a real context so that students can grasp the meaning of what is being said which was not the case in the role-play activity since students were just repeating the phrases present in the previous exercise. I chose www.pixton.com because it allows students to create the situation proposed, because it offers the possibility of changing the size and colour of the objects and also the characters can be placed in any position by moving their arms, legs, etc.

CONTEXTUAL REALISATION This activity was planned to be carried out by 12 year old students in an English institute in Buenos Aires.

PEDAGOGICAL REALISATION Students have to create a comic strip using the phrases they have been exposed to previously.

They are provided with two situations from which they have to choose one and create the comic with 6 frames. Before creating the comic, students have to plan their work and that is why they are provided with 6 frames.

PHYSICAL PRODUCTION As regards legibility, a Sans Serif font was used throughout the worksheet. As for readability, contrast is present since the title stands out from the rest of the text by using a bigger, bold font, capital letters and having it underlined. Also, the task is presented with a letter (A) which is different from the numbers given to the steps required to create the comic strip. Then, there is repetition of the numbers in the instructions to make students aware of the steps they have to follow. Finally, alignment is present by having the title in the center, the task indented on the left side, and all the instructions lined up to each other. This was done to lead the reader through the design by having a clear contrast between title, task, and instructions.

B) First draft

CREATIVITY TIME! A) Create an ‘AT THE SHOP’ comic strip using the vocabulary learnt previously.

1. Choose 1 (ONE) of these situations for your comic strip: You enter a clothes shop with a friend to buy a blouse for a birthday party.

Or You enter a sports shop with a friend to buy a pair of shoes.

2. Go to this webpage to create the comic: http://www.pixton.com/es/create 3. Choose the ‘chiste dominical‘ format 4.

! Your comic strip must have 6 frames.

5. Choose the distribution you like the most!

C) Evaluation of worksheet After receiving feedback from my peers, I decided to include a previous step before creating the comic which was including the frames. In this way, students will be able to plan their work before entering the website. Another suggestion was to include an example of a comic strip so that students get an idea of what they are expected to do.

D) SECOND DRAFT

CREATIVITY TIME! A) Create an ‘AT THE SHOP’ comic strip using the vocabulary learnt previously.

1. Choose 1 (ONE) of these situations for your comic strip: You enter a clothes shop with a friend to buy a blouse for a birthday party.

Or You enter a sports shop with a friend to buy a pair of shoes.

2. Plan your comic. Draw and write what the characters say in each frame.

3. Go to this webpage to create the comic: http://www.pixton.com/es/create 4. Choose the ‘chiste dominical‘ format

5.

! Your comic strip must have 6 frames.

6. Choose the distribution you like the most!

Example:

E) PEER USE OF MATERIAL FEEDBACK: Lucia, I think your handout was a very good way of making students practice writing.

The instructions were very clear and to the point. Besides, I liked the fact that the students are allowed to choose between two different titles in order to write their comic because it will make them feel more motivated. As for the frames for the students to plan their own comic, the idea is excellent because the students will be able to design the comic beforehand so that it is easier for them to use the comic-creator tool afterwards. Besides, it is a good idea to use the frames to write their drafts, so that the teacher can correct the students´ work before they create their comics in pixton. The only thing that I would suggest is making the students plan their comic in a separate sheet of paper and letting them draw the frames themselves, so that they have as much space as they need to create their comic.

Another important thing to consider is the comic strip given as a model. I think it is very useful for the students because it will guide them and will let them know what the teacher expects them to do, so that they do not feel at a loss when they start designing their comic strip.

And, last but not least, I think the choice of the comic-creator tool was very good because it is very flexible in the sense that it offers the possibility of changing the colour, size, and position of objects, and the characters can be placed in any position. The only disadvantage of pixton is that students will need to register in order to create the comic.

F) THIRD DRAFT CREATIVITY TIME! A) Create an ‘AT THE SHOP’ comic strip using the vocabulary learnt previously.

1. Choose 1 (ONE) of these situations for your comic strip: You enter a clothes shop with a friend to buy a blouse for a birthday party.

Or You enter a sports shop with a friend to buy a pair of shoes.

2. Plan your comic. Draw and write what the characters say in each frame. (page 2) 3. Go to this webpage to create the comic: http://www.pixton.com/es/create 4. Choose the ‘chiste dominical‘ format 5.

! Your comic strip must have 6 frames.

6. Choose the distribution you like the most!

Example