Cycle

Annotation: The lesson addresses 9th grade students. Students will partner up and use the Compare/Contrast worksheet to analyze the differences in the man on the train and the man in the memory. Questions to be addressed are the following:
How are the men alike? Different?
Analyze the differences in clothing, hair, and general appearance of the man.
Describe the clothing the man on the train is wearing and the man in the memory is wearing.
What type of relationship does he have with Lucy?
Who is Lucy?
What has happened to the father?
What is the significance of the father being homeless? How did he get that way?
Students will then make a journal entry on what they believe the film maker is trying to say with the different man.

Procedures:
1. Class will begin with discussion of similarities and differences.
2. Give out the questions for discussion on the video. Show the class the film.
3. Divide students into pairs. Students will work with partners in filling out the Compare/Contrast sheet.
4. Feature A represents the man on the train; feature B represents the man in the memory. Students will document similarities of the men, and the differences. Students will then write a 2-3 suppositional paper on what happens to the man.
5. Work will be evaluated on effort, completion of thought, and supporting thought/opinion with text.
Timeline: Students will complete the lesson in one 55 minute session.
Extension: Student will do research on homelessness or grief. Another option would be to write a paper from Lucy’s point of view: how did she feel when her father yelled at her; what would she say to him now if she were alive?
Assessed GPSs: The student produces writing that establishes an appropriate organizational structure, sets a context and engages the reader, maintains a coherent focus throughout, and signals closure. The student writes texts of a length appropriate to address the topic or tell the story and supports statements and claims with anecdotes, descriptions, facts and statistics, and specific examples (ELA10W1e,g).

Comics can be an excellent springboard to get students interested in reading.  After reading an article by Gene Yang entitled Comics in Education, I have to agree with him about the benefits of comics in education.  Students who would normally shun reading material will be more motivated to read a comic strip.  Because the text is compact and succint it will seem less daunting to read than a novel.  If students find success in reading comics they might be more motivated to try other types of texts.  Comic strips are also beneficial in that they address students’ multiple intelligences.  For those students who are visual learners, comic strips can teach them what a lecture or typical reading can not. 

I think, too, that comics make literature approachable.  I like the idea that comics can be “intermediary”; they can be used to scaffold more difficult concepts and elements.  For example, Yang mentions using Jay Hosler’s “Sandwalk Adventures” to introduce students to the concept of evolution and biology.  It’s less daunting and fearful to look at a simple comic strip than to tackle a textbook trying to explain biology or the concept of evolution. 

Students not only will benefit from reading a comic strip but they will also enjoy creating them.  I created a comic strip for an alternative book report assigned to me several months ago and my twelve year old daughter loved what I created.  She completed several comics for different projects in her school.  I had never seen her so enthusiastic about a project or devote so much time and effort.  

I came across several web-sites that have lesson plans and would be good for teaching English in the classroom.    My favorite is Daryl Calge’s web-site.  Each week there are five cartoons to choose from, plus an editorial comment from the cartoonist and suggested discussion questions for students.