Daily Archive for March 31st, 2009

Exploring Graphic Novels

Published on March 31, 2009 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

In preparation for your Alice comics, we discussed the format of the graphic novel.  A graphic novel is a novel that uses images and words to tell a story. Someone added, “It is almost like a movie split into several parts.”

Similarities between a regular novel and a graphic novel:

  • Both tell a (fictional or non-fictional) story
  • Both have characters (like actors in a movie)
  • Both have a plot and a setting
  • Most of the time, they both have words
  • Both have creators

Differences:

  • Graphic novels use pictures!
  • Graphic novels use captions to describe what is happening (settings, background information, or to help express the passage of time).
  • They also use speech bubbles when characters are speaking to one another.
  • Thought bubbles communicate characters’ ideas.
  • Sometimes, speech bubbles are drawn in a way to represent emotions, like surprise, anger, excitement.  Sometimes different kinds of speech bubbles are always used with the same characters to represent their personalities. The size, shape, and design of bubbles help to communicate emotions and traits.
  • You can show sound effects with images (and words) in a graphic novel.
  • Different colors can also convey emotion.
  • Pictures and words are enclosed into panels, which may take many forms and sizes. The space between the panels is called the gutter.
  • We looked at several examples of how graphic novels mark the passage of time and motion.
  • We also examined how to represent the five senses and emotion.

Pilgrim Jeopardy!

Published on March 31, 2009 in Pilgrims. 0 Comments

Yesterday we worked with a denser secondary source to learn even more about those Mayflower folks!  Ms. Stokien demonst for you just how to read the first section and then you will be working on your own and in a group with the rest of it. The hard part will be the reading —being sure you completely understand all of it. The fun part will be preparing for our class’s Pilgrim Jeopardy game!

Part 1

As a class, work with Ms. Stokien to develop strategies to read and annotate the packet.

Part 2

You will be assigned a group to prepare questions for the Jeopardy Game.

1.  With your group members, go through your section and read it carefully (annotate and underline as necessary) and be sure EVERYONE in your group understands the whole section. If you are doing this during Lab and some of your group members are missing, go ahead and do it on your own and then go back over it with your group members when they are available. You must ALL be experts on your section for the game.

2. Once you’ve finished reading, as a group, come up with AT LEAST SIX good questions and answers from your section (and write them down on scrap paper).

Example:

Question: What was the third religious group to form (in England) and what was their main goal?

Answer: The Puritans/Separatists who wanted a more “pure” form of religion.

3. Check your questions/answers with Ms. Stokien or Ms. Edinger.

4. Write each question on a card (question on one side and answer on the other).

5. Decide on point value for each question. (Hard, Medium, Easy).

Part 3

As an individual, carefully read the rest of the packet so you know it and can play the Jeopardy Game. You may get questions from other sections than your own.

Part 4

Play Jeopardy!