Here’s a comic strip that I created in less than five minutes, using a website I had never tried out before.
Comics are perfect for the classroom. They allow students to explore all sorts of new environments and feel confident with what they have written and created.
There are quite a few free websites that allow you to make comic strips quickly and easily. Here are two that I have tried and think your students will enjoy.
Boy’s Life – This comic creator gets kids writing and creating short comic stories right away. I created the above comic in two minutes using this free online program.
Arthur – Arthur is a great character that many children enjoy. I particularly love the television series. It is humorous and intelligent. This comic creator will appeal to anyone who has seen the show or read any of the books.
Why make comics in school?
- It gets students writing – The students might not even realize they are actually writing.
- It gets them creating media – They can save the images or print them out.
- It encourages creativity – Students love clicking on the buttons and using the elements available to create a story. It forces them to be creative.
- It’s fun – Most students will enjoy creating comics online.
But . . .
Some students might feel constrained by these programs that only allow them to use certain characters, settings or props.
Some students might want to draw their own comics from scratch.
Creating comics is a great activity no matter how it is done.
So go out there and get creative!
More Teaching Tips
- Teaching Tip Tuesday Archive (bookmark this as it gets updated each end every week)
- Comic Strip Drama (have your students act out comic strips)
- Letter Writing (send your kids a letter in the mail and have them answer it for homework)
6 responses to “Teaching Tip – Making Comics Online”
Hi Chase .. that's certainly a novel way for creativity and I'm sure some kids would have enormous fun with these programmes ..
Cheers – great idea and loved yours! – Hilary
Hi Hilary,
I love using comics in the classroom. It really gets kids writing stories that they might otherwise be reluctant to.
There are so many places you can create them online as well.
Hope you have a great day!
I took on the assignment back in grade school of doing a report on the history of comics. I had fun but I also learned a lot — might have been the only kid my age who could talk about Pogo, The Yellow Kid, Lil Abner, etc.
Hi ECD,
That's awesome!
Have you read Scott McCloud's "Understanding Comics?"
It's a great read.
Have you ever used Bitstrips for Schools? It is a great comic strip creator program that allows you to generate assignments and mark them for your students. Teachers can sign up for the free trial using their board email address and then you will receive an email upgrading you to the free school version that allows you to have up to 20 classes of 40 students. Students can access the program at school or from home. I highly recommend it and use it often. Many of my students have used the program from home to create their own comic strips. They submit them to me for approval before the class is able to view them online as a protection feature.
Hi Amber,
I have heard of Bitstrips, but I've never tried it out. Perhaps I should. Thanks for the tip 🙂