Getting Wired with Wireman

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Getting Wired with Wireman

• Graphic Novel Project Funded by a
• Mini-Gerstacker Grant 07-08
• D. Moulthrop, H.H. Dow H.S.

2
Purpose

• The project was to help
  late and reluctant                    writers
  move through the writing process to
                 create a tangible product of a
  comic book.
  The comic book focused the students
  on the 100 most common words while developing the
  literary elements necessary for a short story.
  These elements included plot, setting, conflict,
  theme and characterization.
• The students utilized Wireman by Sue
  Stauffacher for in-class reading and model
  response writings.
          They then walked through the process of
  creating a comic book
  step-by-step.

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SCOPE of Project

• The project was originally intended to
  last only 10 class sessions. Yet as the
  enthusiasm grew so did the project. What was
  originally intended to teach the elements of a
  story (with a focus on plot) became a
  multidisciplinary project involving sign language
  and     sculptures.

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Goals for the Project

• The students would be able to identify the
  elements of plot from a given text and then
  create their own storyline using the elements of
  plot.

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Multiple Learning Opportunities
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Multiple Learning Opportunities contd.

• INSERT A PICTURE

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Finished Products

• INSERT A PICTURE

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Student Response

• One thing I have learned is that it takes a
  lot of thinking to put a script together. The
  people who make comic books, I give props.
  Aaron, 18
• It was fun to build things out of stuff we
  thought was useless.
  David, 17
• I want other students to learn about the
  Wireman   project and make their own comic books
  like   I did. Lexi, 15

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More Student Responses

• When I was learning how to read a comic
  book I learned that pictures can say a lot
  with only a few words. Chelsea, 15
• Another thing that interested me was how
  the couple was treated in the past and how the
  treatment of the deaf has changed. Chris, 14
• The project was sweet. It gave me
• a lot of self confidence . . . Taylor, 15

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POINTS TO CONSIDER FOR DUPLICATION

• The project can definitely grow in length.
  Students depending upon their manual dexterity
  level will need more than a few days to create a
  comic book with graphics.
• The project has the potential to be expanded
  to last a semester and the students could as a
  class create a graphic novel.
• It would be helpful to have the next set of
  comics in the         series. When the
  two sections of students were
          surveyed, over 94 wanted to read the
  next set.

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Closing Thoughts

• The project was truly enjoyable for both
  students and staff. It was a pleasure to see
  reluctant writers eager to come to class and
  create authentic pieces.
• The satisfaction on the faces of the students
  when they shared their comic books   was
  the best moment of all!