WarmUp Write and draw a 6 panel comic

Warm-Up �Write and draw a 6 -panel comic strip/mini graphic novel about a time that YOU experienced teen angst. �Make sure that your graphics and text combine to make a clear story!

Pair & Share �Grab a partner and exchange warm-ups. �Read your partner’s comic strip. �On the back, write a 10 WORD SUMMARY of their experience with teen angst.

Review � Take back your comic strip. � Read your partner’s summary. � Is it accurate? If so, then you did a great job communicating your experience through graphics and text. � Are there mistakes? If so, then you need to work on clarity. In a graphic novel, if it’s not clear, it’s the author’s mistake, not the reader’s.

(p. 53 -54) Graphic Novels Terms and Concepts

What is a graphic novel? Definition: A narrative work, often told in first person, in which the story is conveyed to the reader using a combination of graphics and text.

Graphic Novels � LENGTH: some up to 400 -500 pages long � RESOLVED STORY ARC � THEMES: more real world themes like identity, religion, death, fitting in, personal struggles � SPLASH PAGES: used for mood, to convey strong emotion vs. Comics � LENGTH: Between 30 -40 pages � USUALLY PRINTED IN SERIAL FORM � THEMES: superheroes, comedy � SPLASH PAGES: used for big reveals or cliff hangers

How do you read a graphic novel? A graphic novel is "not only something one reads but something one sees as well. . . [it is] like reading and watching a movie at the same time” (Gallo and Weiner, 115).

How do you read a graphic novel? �Read from left to right like a traditional book �Words and dialogue are the primary focus with the image coming in second �Transitions happen much faster in a graphic novel compared to a regular book �Read the text first, then look at the image within that panel before moving on to the text in the next panel

How do you read a graphic novel? �The #1 rule to remember: the bigger the panel, the more time you should spend looking at it and analyzing it.

Layout �Panel: a section, usually a box, containing a combination of image and text in endless variety. Panels offer a different experience than simply reading the text.

Layout �Frame: the lines and borders that contain the panels �Gutter: the space between framed panels (contrast the gutters on page 62 with page 63) �Bleed: an image that extends to/beyond the edge of the page

Bleed

Layout �Foreground: the parts closest to the viewer �Midground: The artist places an image centered or off centered to create visual tension. �Background: provides additional information for the reader, such as time period and setting

Figures � Faces: Some faces depict an actual person; others are symbolic. • They can be dramatic when placed against a detailed backdrop • They can be drawn without much expression or detail, which invites the audience to figure out what the character is thinking. This is called an “open blank” • Note: When we say look at the faces, you are actually looking for the emotion or what clue we are getting from the face – not just that there is one.

Figures • Hands and Feet: the position of hands and feet can be used to express what is happening in the story. • • Hands with palms out might suggest surprise. Hands over the mouth might depict fear, shame, or shyness. Feet that appear in motion might create a sense of panic, urgency. When we say look at the hands and feet, we are asking you to look for the clues we might get from them. • •

Text Captions: these boxes contain a variety of text elements, such as scene-setting, description (page 73) • Special-Effects lettering: highlights or draws attention to the text. Think about onomatopoeia in Batman comic strips (Blam! Pow!) (page 17, 106) • • Speech balloons: these enclose dialogue and come from a specific speaker’s mouth. – External dialogue is speech between characters (45) – Internal dialogue is a thought enclosed by a balloon that has a series of dots or bubbles going up to it. (97)

How Graphic Novels are Created �Gene Yang: Creating a Graphic Novel

Graphic Novel Practice �Use the handout with the panels to practice identifying and labeling terms and concepts associated with the graphic novel. �Write all over it. Use arrows, lines, etc. to mark the different features. Aim for three to five annotations per panel.

Exit Slip: Summarizer Write a note to an absent student explaining what we did today and what you learned.