Teach Primary Issue 18.5

This activity harnesses the power of libraries. Its aim is to encourage young people to delve into books and feed their imaginations; exploring, researching and developing their creative processes to design their own comic book characters. Creating an original character design is a great starting point for further narrative-based activities. This lesson aims to motivate children to use library books as a reference tool to help inspire visual ideas, without the use of internet image searches. 1 | RESEARCH AND INSPIRATION A library is an inspirational place in which to begin the creative journey. Explain to pupils that the aim of the main activity will be to create their own original character designs for a monster and an adventurer. These types of characters are often found in children’s books, and play main roles in many stories. Invite the children to discuss the role different characters play in stories. Look at some comic books for examples. Remind pupils that a monster and an adventurer don’t need to be defined in terms of good/bad or hero/villain. The library task is an opportunity for pupils to look at a selection of images in books and find source material that interests them. Encourage them to investigate a range of books: history, fashion, animal, culture, ‘how to’ guides, biographic books about explorers... the list goes on! Being in the library also presents an excellent opportunity to discuss the different roles required to create a comic. Ask pupils if they know any of the different jobs that are needed to produce a comic book, and where in a comic book they could find this information. (Very often a comic is created by multiple people, with specialised roles, including a writer, penciller, inker, colourist, letterer and editor, who are generally credited in a panel at the front or back of the book.) 2 | DRAWING OUT IDEAS Sketching is a great way to try START HERE MAIN LESSON WHAT THEY’LL LEARN l How a library is organised into different sections l Why sketching is a great way to come up with original ideas l How library books can be used for visual reference l The stages that are involved in creating a character design Art, English Begin by exploring your school or local library. Describe how books are arranged in the library, and ask children to investigate the different bookshelves. If a librarian is available, encourage the children to ask them questions about the various sections. Explain to pupils that a library is an organised place (with a classification system), which helps users find all the books that share the same topic, as they are grouped together. Ensure children can understand the difference between fiction and nonfiction books. Finally, discuss how library books are an excellent tool for researching ideas. Fun ways to learn in the library Elevate pupils’ imaginations with Hester Harrington’s comic character design challenge KS2 LESSON PLAN @Hester_Harring comicartfestival.com 70 | www.teachwire.net