成人快手

Three classroom videos produced in partnership with in which Mike Stirling (Beano's 'Director of Mischief') and his team of comic creatives offer primary pupils their expert tips and advice on comic creation.

From visualising characters in 'stick' form to structuring a plot using a story mountain, the team behind the world's longest-running weekly comic have plenty of creative insights.

These three classrooms videos and accompanying resources (including a story mountain template and comic frame layout - links below), provide powerful opportunities to combine literacy with art and design through a 'create a comic' class project.

The videos below were created in order, with progression building throughout, but will also work in any order or on their own, if you only wish to focus on one area. There is a comprehensive 'teacher guide' document below to support classroom use.

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Classroom videos

Creating comic characters. video

How to draw, name and create personalities for comic book characters.

Creating comic characters

Constructing comic worlds. video

Learn about comic book settings and how to create a world for characters.

Constructing comic worlds

Creating comic stories. video

How to create a comic book story using a three-act story mountain structure.

Creating comic stories

Learning objectives covered in the films and accompanying resources include:

  • create a story using a story mountain structure
  • explore narrative development, characters and setting
  • use direct speech and explore inference (speech and thought bubbles)
  • explore how to use similes, metaphors, onomatopoeia and alliteration to make writing more interesting
  • identify how language, structure and presentation contribute to meaning
  • plan writing in narratives, creating settings, characters and plot
  • write in narratives, describing settings, characters and atmosphere and integrating dialogue to convey character and advance the action
  • tell, retell and interpret stories based on memories, personal experiences, literature, imagination and the content of the curriculum
  • make a sketch map of an imaginary place
  • take individual thoughts and ideas as the inspiration for visual work
  • consider the impact that layout and presentation will have and combine lettering, graphics and other features

This series is suitable for teaching English and Art and Design/Expressive Arts at Key Stage 2, 2nd Level, and Progression steps 2 and 3 across the UK.鈥

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Accompanying resources

Click the links below to download supporting resources for the videos.

  • (PDF, 722KB) Suggestions for how to use the videos in the classroom.
  • (PDF 1.1MB) A blank template of a stick person that children can add further detail to.
  • (PDF 1.1MB) A blank thought balloon template that children can add further detail to.
  • (PDF 1.2MB) A series of basic head shapes that children can add further detail to.
  • (PDF 1.8MB) A blank story mountain template that children can add further detail to.
  • (PDF 2.2MB) A written example of a three-act story structure.
  • (PDF 1.2MB) These blank comic book pages feature a number of different panel layouts that can be used by children to create their own comics.

Download / print the Teacher Notes to accompany the videos (PDF, 722KB)

Teacher Notes
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More related resources:

成人快手 Bitesize - What is a comic? document

Learn about comics in this 成人快手 Bitesize KS2 art and design guide.

成人快手 Bitesize - What is a comic?

成人快手 Bitesize - Using sound words in a comic strip. document

An Bitesize english article on using sound words (onomatopoeia) in a comic strip about Christopher Columbus.

成人快手 Bitesize - Using sound words in a comic strip
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Where next?

鈥楴ew Beginnings鈥 by Tony Walsh. video

A performance of the poem, 鈥楴ew Beginnings鈥, by Tony Walsh, on the set of a recent poetry-themed 成人快手 Teach Live Lesson.

鈥楴ew Beginnings鈥 by Tony Walsh

Bitesize

Use these Bitesize resources to set homework, independent study tasks or to consolidate learning for your pupils.

Bitesize

Newsround

The latest news stories from Newsround to share in the classroom.

Newsround
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