A Cartoon Story
Invent a cartoon story with humorous illustrations, a narrative
including sound words, and a clear sequence of events.
SCHOOL: Grant Street
TEACHING ARTIST: Wanda LeClerc
GRADE: 3-5
Lesson: Invent a cartoon story with humorous illustrations, a narrative
including sound words, and a clear sequence of events.
Student:
Target Learning: Thinks of a funny story and sounds.
Criteria: Makes sure this funny narrative shows a sequence of events.
Target Learning: Divides paper into segments.
Criteria: Draws or folds 4 to 8 cartoon comic strip boxes.
Target Learning: Illustrates and writes a funny story with sounds.
Criteria: Draws simple sketches to show what or who is making sounds, includes sound words (onomatopoeia) inside speech balloons, and emphasizes expressions of the cartoon character(s) with bright colors.
Concepts Introduced:
Narrative: Students explore how cartoon artists visually communicate a story in words and pictures. Students identify ways that cartoons communicate a sequence of events.
Onomatopoeia: Students talk about how words that imitate the natural sounds of an action can make cartoons expressive and funny……BAM…SPLAT…CRACK…BOOM…
BUZZ…SPLASH…THUMP.
Vocabulary
Cartoon
Cartoonist
Character
Humor
Narrative
Onomatopoeia-action or sound words
Outline
Representational drawing
Realistic drawing
Segments or comic strips boxes
Sequence of events
Sketch
Materials
Large white drawing paper 11’x 17’
Pencil & eraser
Permanent black marker
Colored markers or pencils
Resources
Art of Roy Lichtenstein.
Examples of comic books
Lesson Steps:
Introduce Visual Art and English Language Arts Academic Language: Realistic/representational drawing, sketch, character, narrative, sequence, onomatopoeia.
Share examples of art of Roy Lichtenstein, with focus on his life and his artistic style.
Guide students as they begin. Offer tips on ways to begin by showing how to:
• Think about your story: divide your paper into the number of cartoon boxes you need (4-8) carefully fold or draw to create these segments.
• Sketch light so you can change parts.
• Select the Onomatopoeia sound words and other dialogue, that communicates your story then capture them in speech balloons.
• Start adding colors to bring out the expressions of characters, and then, outline with a permanent marker.
Display cartoons, have students respond to their work as a class.
Assessment: Reflection Questions
Share your cartoon story with the class: What made you think of this story?
Tell us about the beginning, middle and end.
What do you think is funny about it?
When we look at all of our cartoons together, what do we notice?
What are some of the artistic choices you see in cartoons that help communicate a story?
Washington State Arts Standards: Visual Arts
1.1 Creating: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work. Performance Standard (VA:Cr1.1.3)
a.Elaborate on an imaginative idea.
3. Creating: Refine and complete artistic work. Performance Standard (VA:Cr3.1.1)
a. Use art vocabulary to describe choices while creating art.
7.2 Responding: Perceive and analyze artistic work. Performance Standard (VA:Re7.2.K)
a. Describe what an image represents.
10. Connecting: Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experience to make art.
Performance Standard (VA:Cn10.1.2)
a. Create works of art about events in home, school or community life.
CCSS ELA Anchor Standards
Reading: Key Ideas and Details: 3. Describe characters, settings and major events in a story, using key details. 4. Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.
Writing: Text Types and Purposes: Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, tell about the events in the order in which they occurred, and provide a reaction to what happened.
21st Century Skills: Creativity, Communication