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Book vs. Comic vs. Film: How Do Superheroes Translate Across Media?

Posted on by Kirt Ethridge

“Novelizations of films are generally not thought of in artistic terms whatsoever…. If you’re lucky, you get some extra background, a window into the character’s heads. If you’re not lucky, you end up with a movie script punctuated by blocky narrative.” – Emily Asher-Perrin on the Revenge of the Sith novelization

Recently, Marvel released a traditional novel about Miles Morales, a.k.a. Spider-Man. While writing a pictureless book about a comic book character might seem odd, cross-media storytelling isn’t new. Many comic book films have novelizations of their own.

Translating a traditional book to the screen is difficult. What happens when a comic book’s story is retold on film and in a traditional book? What details are lost? In this group presentation, your students will study how certain stories are retold in comics, books, and film.

civil war collage

{Image is a top and bottom comparison of the Civil War comic and the Civil War film. The top half of the image is from the comic, featuring most of the characters involved in the fight. The bottom half of the image is from the film, featuring most of the characters involved in the fight. In both images, the characters are in profile, facing off.}

Students will engage in cooperative learning, visuals, a project, and a presentation.

Materials Needed:

  • Books based on comics or on films (the Marvel Civil War novelization; any of the recent novelizations of Marvel films; the Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith novel)
  • Comics (Marvel Civil War; Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith; The Dark Knight)
  • Films (any of the recent Marvel films; Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith; Batman)
  • Computers with DVD drives so students can watch the films
  • Headphones so students can watch the films
  • Trifold posters (try the Dollar Tree)
  • Markers
  • Printers
  • Glue sticks

Standards Met:

  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.7 Analyze the representation of a subject or a key scene in two different artistic mediums, including what is emphasized or absent in each treatment (e.g., Auden’s “Musée des Beaux Arts” and Breughel’s Landscape with the Fall of Icarus).
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.
  1. Ask the students to name some books that have been turned into films. Have them describe the differences between the book and the film adaption. Have them wonder what caused those differences. This should only take a few minutes.
  2. Explain to the students that over the course of the next several class days, they divide into groups and study the differences between comic books and their film and book adaptations. They may also study the differences between films and their comic books/novelizations. At the end of the unit, the groups will present their analyses to the class with the help of a trifold poster visual aid.
  3. Divide the students into groups of three. Have these groups pick one story from a series of options. Some good examples of book/film/comic trios include Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, Marvel Civil War, and The Dark Knight. Have the groups decide which student in the group will read the book, which student in the group will read the comic, and which student in the group will watch the film. “I Can” Statement: I can work productively with a group to plan a project.
  4. Give the groups time in and out of class to read and watch their books/comics/films. If possible, it may be helpful to your students if you provide movie nights when they can come to school and watch the assigned films. Remind students to watch and read carefully and to take notes. “I Can” Statements: I can read a text carefully and analytically. I can watch a film carefully and analytically.
  5. In class, have the students create a Venn Diagram of what they noticed in the book, the film, and the comics? What similarities were there? What differences? Using this information, the students should come up with a paragraph outlining their plan for their presentation. “I Can” Statement: I can synthesize information using a Venn diagram.

    Books, films, and comics- a study

    {Image is of a multicolored, computer-generated Venn diagram. The entire diagram is entitled: “Books, Films, and Comics: A Study” and subtitled “How do the literary elements of comics translate to other media?” One circle in the diagram is labeled “only the book,” one is labeled “only the film,” one is labeled “only the comic,” and the center is labeled “all three.” The other overlapping parts would correspond to similarities between book and comics, book and film, and film and comics.}

  6. Have each group show you their Venn Diagram and presentation proposal. Discuss their ideas and suggest any necessary improvements. “I Can” Statement: I can use a teacher’s suggestions to revise or redirect my work.
  7. Once you have met with the groups, provide them with a trifold poster and craft supplies. Remind them that this poster should be a good visual aide for their presentation. The poster is a trifold poster because they are discussing three forms of media. If the groups are struggling, describe the process as translating their Venn diagram onto the poster. “I Can” Statement: I can create a neat, informative poster.
  8. Have each group give a 5-to-10-minute presentation about their findings. Their presentation should cover the literary elements of each form of media as well as their personal conclusions: did the story translate well from its original medium to the others? Why or why not? Each person in the group should have equal responsibility for communicating information. “I Can” Statement: I can work collaboratively to present coherent literary analysis to an audience.

What differences did your students notice in their literary analysis? If you and your class are doing something super, please let me know in the comments!

 

 

What Do You Mean They’re Making Heroes Register? Censorship and Comics

Posted on by Kirt Ethridge

“This nation was founded on one principle above all else: the requirement that we stand up for what we believe, no matter the odds or the consequences.” -Steve Rogers/Captain America, Amazing Spider-Man #537

The comics industry is no stranger to censorship. The Golden Age of comics, from the late 1930s through the early 1950s, morphed into the cookie-cutter Silver Age due to government interference. The 1954 book Seduction of the Innocent claimed that comic books were an evil force that seduced children into delinquency. 

While in retrospect the concept of comics as a malevolent entity might sound as out-of-style as McCarthyism, the reality is that many adults still fear the persuasive power of reading. How else can we explain the need for Banned Books Week? While current comics, especially those outside the Big Two (Marvel and DC), are permitted tackle darker narratives, they face opposition in school libraries across the country. Groups such as the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund fight to protect comic books’ place in schools.

In what ways does censorship affect how students interact with comics? Today’s four-day lesson plan introduces students to the concept of censorship through the lens of banned comic books.

banned books

{Image is of a CBLDF poster for Banned Books Week 2014. A group of comics characters, including Captain Underpants, cringe away from a group of protesters carrying signs that read “Ban This Filth!” A person clutching a book has their arms spread in front of the comic book characters. He says, “Defend banned books!” Image comes from http://cbldf.org/2014/09/free-posters-and-resources-for-banned-books-week/}

Students will engage in discussion, whole group instruction, independent activities, and a project.

 

Materials Needed:

 

Standards Met:

  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

 

  1. Begin class by mentioning that this week is Banned Books Week. Ask the students if they have heard of this and what it might mean. This should only take a few minutes.
  2. Ask the students to tell you what they know about why and how books are banned. This discussion should take five to ten minutes.
  3. Have the students read this Washington Post article about the recent increase in illustrated banned books and discuss it with a partner. After ten minutes, have the students present their ideas to the class. Be sure to encourage active listening—instead of asking the students what conclusions they drew from the article, ask them what their partners thought of the article.
  4. Explain that over the course of the next few class periods, the students will each choose a banned comic book to read independently. In a well-crafted MLA-style essay, they will analyze the book’s structure and the author’s intent. Then they will have to research and address why the book was banned and argue for or against its banning.
  5. Allow the students the remainder of the period to choose and begin reading their banned comic book.
  6. By the next class period, students should be mostly finished with their comic books. In class, have them research why the book was banned and what the outcome of that banning was. Was the book permanently barred from certain schools or libraries? Did the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund or another group come to the comic’s aid? Allow the students to work on their essay outlines independently.
  7. Outside of class between the second and third class periods of the unit, students should craft a first draft of their essays. Assign them a partner to peer edit their work. Some good peer editing questions:
    1. What was the intent of your essay?
    2. What do you think your thesis statement is?
    3. Could you clarify (a confusing section)?
    4. What do you think the book you read was trying to get across to its readers?
    5. Why was this book banned?
  8. Outside of class between the third and fourth (final) class period of the unit, have the students use their peer editing remarks and their own editing to craft a polished final draft of their essay. Some rubric ideas:
    1. Did the student summarize the plot of the comic book they read?
    2. Did the student address the reasons why the book was banned?
    3. Did the student address their own thoughts on the book?
    4. What conclusions did the student draw? Did they back up their ideas with evidence from the text and art?
    5. Is the student’s spelling and grammar correct and consistent?
    6. Did the student cite the book itself and any research using correct MLA-style citations?
  9. After the students turn in their essays, have them form groups and discuss their findings. Remind them to be active listeners: when the groups come together as a class, they will have to explain another group member’s essay to the class. Help the students to discern what they think about the stories they read and what they feel about censorship. If they have any questions or concerns about what they read, they may respectfully discuss them at this point.

 

Some suggested books:

drama

{Image is the cover of Drama by Raina Telgemeier. There are three illustrated characters walking across a stage in profile: two boys with a girl in the middle. The girl has a heart over her head.}

Drama is the story of a middle-school girl who participates in, you guessed it, theatre. She ends up falling for another theatre kid, but things get complicated, as junior high crushes often do. This comic has been banned due to LGBT themes.

maus

{Image is the cover of Art Spiegelman’s Maus. Two anthropomorphic mice stand with their arms around each other. Behind them is a swastika with a cat’s head superimposed on it.}

Art Spiegelman’s Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel Maus has been banned because it addresses the violence of the Holocaust head-on.

persepolis

{Image is the cover of Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. A girl wearing a hijab is at the very center of the otherwise bare red background.}

Persepolis, a graphic memoir by Marjane Satrapi, has been banned because it discusses Islam.

 

 

If you or your students are interested in reading more resources about banned comic books, check out these links:

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund’s Banned Books Week page

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund’s Banned Books Handbook

A list of banned comics

Using Graphic Novels in Education

 

What are your students’ thoughts about banned comic books? Which banned comic books did they enjoy the most? If you and your class are doing something super, please let me know in the comments!

 

Superhero Mock Elections

Posted on by Kirt Ethridge

shield your vote

Cruz. Rubio. Trump. Fiorina. Carson. O’Malley. Clinton. Sanders–tonight’s a whirlwind of presidential candidates at the Iowa Caucus. But what exactly is a caucus? How does it work? What does it have to do with the real presidential election, anyway?

Today’s lesson plan is a multi-day unit: a mock election with superheroes as candidates. Links to more detailed explanations of terms will be provided as necessary.

Students will engage in lecture, whole group instruction, cooperative learning, hands-on activities, and discussion.

Materials Needed:

  • Poster board
  • Markers, glitter glue, Elmer’s glue, pens, pencils, crayons, colored pencils, and other art materials that can be used on poster board
  • Printer paper
  • Computers for student use with access to Power Point, Google Image Search, and a printer
  • Computer/Projector
  • Laser pointer (optional; don’t perform Lasik surgery on each other, kids)

Standards Met:

  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary describing political, social, or economic aspects of history/social science.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.3 Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.

PART ONE: THE PRIMARY

  1. Ask your students if they have been paying attention to the presidential election. If they say yes, ask them if they paid attention to the Iowa Caucus (did they watch it on Snapchat?). Then ask them if they know what a caucus is.
  2. Define caucus for the students. A caucus is a meeting of members of a political party. In the Iowa Caucus, Iowans meet up at local voting precincts and choose which delegates from their political party will represent them in county conventions. These county conventions vote for delegates for Iowa’s state political party conventions, who choose delegates for presidential nominating conventions.
    1. Tell your students that a primary election is one in which members of each political party choose which candidate they want to run for President. Right now, there are many Republican candidates and more than one Democratic candidate. Once people have voted in primaries across the country, the candidate with the most votes will continue running for President. So, while right now the race is Trump vs. Rubio vs. Cruz VERSUS Clinton vs. Sanders, etc., after the primaries, it’ll be narrowed down to ONE Republican vs. ONE Democrat.
  3. Explain to your students that people put so much importance on the Iowa Caucus because it’s a fairly successful (47%) predictor of who will be in the presidential election. Whichever Republican wins the Caucus has a pretty good chance of going on to run against whichever Democrat wins the Caucus.
  4. Tell the students that as a class, you are going to run a mock primary election using superhero candidates. Tell them that they will be separated into two equivalent groups. (Don’t name these groups Democrats and Republicans. I can see the bloodshed already. Name them the Marvels and the DCs.) Then, within those two groups, three people will run for president in-character as superheroes. They will advertise; they will debate; they will give speeches. They will do everything they can to gain supporters within their own party. Then, in a primary election, people within their party will vote for a candidate to go on to the main election.
    1. It’s important to note to the students that political parties in real life aren’t restricted to only having three candidates for the primary. Point out how many Republican candidates there are. The students are limited to three candidates because otherwise the vote could easily be split. You have a class of 30ish people, not thousands.
  5. Divide the students into Marvels and DCs. Within these groups, YOU pick the three who want to run for office.
  6. Give the candidates time outside of class to think of their superhero personas. Have them come up with a vague outline of their political platforms. These can be real–healthcare, immigration, etc.–or imagined–superhero registration! Batman v. Superman! They should have a small speech (it can be as simple as “Vote Cap. FOR JUSTICE!” Or it can be more involved) and some debate points prepared. They should present their persona and platforms to you at the beginning of the next class.
  7. The next class period should be campaign time. Set up six stations for the students, half for the Marvels and half for the DCs:
    1. Speech area #1 in front of the projector–for candidates with (pre-approved) PowerPoints or images to be displayed behind them
    2. Poster station #1–with poster boards, art supplies, etc. to make banners
    3. Handshake station #1–for candidates to speak with their voters
    4. Speech area #2
    5. Poster station #2
    6. Handshake station #2
  8. Optional step: debates. Debates work well if you have a mature class and moderators. They work even better if you have covered speech and debate in your class before. No matter how immature the current US Presidential candidates act, we need to raise a generation that knows how to behave in a debate.
  9. Remind the students that the next class day will be primary election day!
  10. Primary Election Day. Before class begins, set up two closed-off, private areas where students from each party can fill out their ballots.
  11. When students come into the classroom, have them line up in front of their respective ballot boxes. Display the image at the beginning of this post prominently. Remind them frequently that their ballots are secret. In real life, they cannot take a picture of their ballot! They can, however, post about their favorite candidate just as much as they want.
  12. Once the voting is over, tell the students that their ballots, like many ballots in Iowa, will be hand-counted. This may be done by you or by some volunteers from another class.

PART TWO: THE ELECTION

  1. In the next class, reveal the winners of the primary. Have them both come up and make a quick speech.
  2. Tell the class that for the general election, they may cross party lines. You may vote for the DC candidate even if you’re a registered Marvel voter. In fact, this is encouraged. Listen carefully to each candidate.
  3. Campaign time, part two! Set up your stations again. Allow the students to move freely around the classroom. The candidates can make speeches and shake hands; the voters can make posters, listen, and ask questions.
  4. Optional step: debates.
  5. Remind the students that the next class day will be Election Day.
  6. Election Day: same procedure as Primary Election Day.
  7. Count ballots. Find appropriately-designed celebratory material. Decorate your classroom in those colors/designs before the students come in. Allow for celebration and consolation.
  8. Once the students have recovered from the shock/rage/glee, bring them back together. Tell them that the election process does not always go smoothly. For example:

There are many painful, convoluted aspects of the election process. Your classroom’s version was a streamlined procedure.

 

What did your students think of the mock election? Who won? Who will win the real election? As always, leave your thoughts in the comments.

Accessible Comics?

Posted on by Kirt Ethridge

grown clint deaf

{Image is a scan of a comic page. The top panel shows adult Clint staring at the reader. The second row of cells is a typed doctor’s note stating that Clint has been deafened. The third panel is an image of the doctor’s office, with Clint sitting on an examination table while his brother talks to the doctor. Their speech bubbles are blank, showing that Clint cannot hear them at all. The bottom row of cells shows Clint’s brother signing at him. Clint is looking down.}

Comics, as an art form, haven’t changed much since their inception. Sure, you can download them onto your computer or tablet now, but much like with other books, there are still paper copies being sold regularly. Comics have cells, panels, line and color art, onomatopoeia, and huge plot arcs with a clearly defined protagonist and antagonist.

Where does this leave would-be comics readers who, for whatever reason, can’t experience comics in their usual incarnation?

You don’t usually think of writing comics for the blind. But that is one idea I’m going to ask you and your students to consider in this post.

Today’s lesson plan is a unit about accessibility in comics. Do comic creators have an obligation to create at least some more accessible comics? What can comic creators do for would-be readers with sensory processing issues or other special needs? How can the traditional comic book format be modified for non-traditional readers?

daredevil-first-season.35411

{Image is a poster for Marvel’s Netflix show Daredevil. Matt Murdock faces the viewer. He has a cut on his forehead, and his knuckles are bloody. He is holding a cane in his left hand and is straightening his tie with his right hand. He is wearing tinted glasses.}

Students will engage in visuals, lecture, whole group instruction, discussion, and a project.

Materials Needed:

  • Computer
  • Projector
  • Computers available to students, for research purposes
  • Comics for research (especially comics used previously in class)
  • Comic-related films for research (especially films previously used in class)
  • Blank lined paper
  • Blank white paper
  • Pencils, pens, and other art materials needed for comics
  • A USB headset (I use this one for podcasts, but a gaming headset with a USB plug will do) and corresponding technology (such as Audacity), for any students who wish to work with an auditory medium
  • Whatever other materials students need for their special projects; you will want to touch base with your students throughout the unit to ensure that they have everything they need for their project to work

Standards Met:

  • “CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.”
  • “CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.2.A Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information to make important connections and distinctions; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.”

DAY ONE

  1. Gather the students together as a class. Ask them if they can think of anything that might hinder someone from reading a comic. If they seem stumped, gently guide them toward the idea of people with special needs, for example by asking a question: “What if Daredevil wanted to read a comic?” Discussion should be brief, maybe five minutes.
  2. Introduce the students to the main idea of this lesson plan: The students will be assigned to groups (or allowed to choose their own, depending on how self-regulatory your students are). Their groups will design a comic for someone with special needs. This comic should be short, the equivalent of a ~5 page comic. (This measurement may not mean a whole lot, especially if the students choose to use a completely foreign medium, such as audio recording. Use your best judgment.)
    1. If the students need inspiration, you can give them a list of people who might need an alternate form of comics: have a comic for the blind that includes 3D art or that is narrated, for example; have a comic with muted colors and a wider spread for someone who has sensory processing issues or other problems with focusing; etc.
    2. This new form of comic may also encompass a group that is not often represented in cape comics: for example, an autistic superhero.
  3. REMIND THE STUDENTS THAT COMICS ARE FUN. THIS PROJECT IS TO HELP SOMEONE ELSE HAVE FUN. FUN IS KEY.
  4. Assign the students to groups (or let them group up). Give them part of the class period (15-20 minutes) to discuss what need they want to fill with their comics. Each group should bring you a paragraph-long proposal detailing what need they wish to fill and how they propose to fulfill it. This proposal does not have to cover all aspects of this issue, but the students should be prepared to keep in touch with you about their project as they work on it over the next few days.
  5. For the remainder of the class period, have the students research the special need that they have chosen. This research should continue outside of class. The students do not have to type a formal report about the need they wish to fill, but they should have printed reliable sources about what resources are used to accommodate the people they wish to accommodate. They should also research the culture of the people they wish to create comics for. If they want to make special comics for Deaf people, they should research Deaf culture. If they are interested in writing comics for Autistic people, they should look into autistic advocacy, particularly that done by autistic teenagers and adults.

DAY TWO

  1. Meet with each group during this class period. Have them describe what information they have uncovered in their research. Ask them how they intend to incorporate that information into their work. Remind them that they should always keep the wants and needs of their audience in mind.
  2. Let the students work on their projects in class. Check in with the groups as they work. Ask what materials they need that you might be able to help them find.

DAY THREE

  1. Students continue to work on their projects in class. Their work should be close to halfway done.
  2. Continue meeting with the groups. See if they have any questions. Provide resources created by the people they are creating their comic for if need be. Also: encourage them! Encouragement is key. Comics are fun.

DAY FOUR

  1. Students continue to work on their projects in class. Their projects should be completed by next time!
  2. Have the groups prepare a short summary of their projects. This summary should be about a page long, single-spaced. It will explain the purpose of their comic, its storyline, and what materials they used to make their comic accessible to a certain group. This summary will be presented along with their finished project.
  3. Remind the students that they need to have all materials needed for someone to experience their comic. If they need a laptop and headphones, they should find one (ask you or a librarian for one, etc). These materials all need to be present in the next class–otherwise their classmates won’t be able to experience their comics!

DAY FIVE

  1. PROJECT IS DUE! The students will set up their projects in designated spaces around the classroom. Their projects will be accompanied by their single-spaced summary. All of the students will move from station to station, experiencing each other’s comics.
  2. During the last part of class (20ish minutes), have the students settle into their seats. Have them write a reflection about their project. Why did their group choose to do that certain project? What do they think went well? What would they change if they could repeat the project? Finally, do they plan on giving the project to anyone who might benefit from its accessibility?

What did your students think of this project? Is there any way in which you wish comics were more accessible? Is there any issue that you think this lesson plan could better address? If so, let me know in the comments!

Writing Stan Lee-Worthy Comics

Posted on by Kirt Ethridge

“I don’t think anything can really beat the pure fun and pleasure of holding a magazine in your hand, reading the story on paper, being able to roll it up and put it in your pocket, reread again later, show it to a friend….I think young people have always loved that. I think they always will.” —Stan Lee

EXCELSIOR!

One of the most gleeful moments as a Marvel fan is spotting the latest Stan Lee cameo. He’s ridiculous and funny, kind of like your grandpa when he gets a little tipsy at Christmas dinner.

He’s also a writing god. Stan Lee, Jack Kirby–everyone who’s come after them has had to fight to live up to the standards they set. Jack Kirby passed away (before I was born, which is a damn shame. I’d like to take that up with whoever’s running this whole universe show). But Stan Lee’s still around, drinking too much Asgardian mead, being oblivious to Spider-Man, and dispensing advice to wannabe comic writers.

Recently, Buzzfeed interviewed Stan Lee. Out of this interview came five pieces of advice for people who want to create superheroes.

This week’s lesson plan is a unit on creating heroes based on Stan Lee’s advice.

Writing Stan Lee-Worthy Comics

Students will engage in lecture, whole group instruction, discussion, and a project.

Materials Needed:

  • Loose leaf lined paper
  • Blank white sheets of paper
  • Pencils, pencil sharpeners, rulers, pens, markers, and other art supplies for drawing comics
  • A computer
  • A projector and whiteboard/something to project onto
  • Optional: copies of comics previously used in the classroom

Standards Met

  • “CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.”
  • “CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.3.A Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or observation, establishing one or multiple point(s) of view, and introducing a narrator and/or characters; create a smooth progression of experiences or events.”
  1. Have the students take out a loose leaf sheet of lined paper. On one side of this sheet, have them list each superhero they have studied so far in class. Make sure they leave a few lines between each name. Then have them describe each hero’s character traits in the space by each character’s name. This should take about ten minutes.
  2. Have the students flip over their sheet of paper. On this blank side, have them expand on the character traits of one superhero. Why does this hero have these traits? How are these traits shown in the comic–through dialogue? Through art? This should take about ten to fifteen minutes.
  3. Pull up the Stan Lee interview linked above on the whiteboard. Go through his advice with your students. This should take about ten minutes.
  4. Introduce them to the main project by telling them that they are going to use Stan Lee’s guidelines, as well as their own observations about superheroes, to create a short (one-to-three-page, not including a cover) comic about their own original superhero. This comic should reveal the hero’s character. The first draft will be sketched. Then, after a peer review and revisions, a full-color or fully-inked comic will be submitted for a final grade.
  5. For the rest of the class period, have the students map out a plan for their superhero. Who are they? What do they look like? Where are they from? What are their powers? What is their family/their friends like? If the students finish this task early, they may get a blank piece of white paper to start sketching their comic’s cover.
  6. Over the next few class periods, and/or outside of class, depending on time constraints, your students should continue to work on their comic. Remind them that, as a first draft, their comic does not have to be colored or ink. Keep Stan Lee’s interview pulled up on the whiteboard so the students can review his advice.
  7. When the students turn in their first drafts, have them exchange these drafts with another student. Provide them with a checklist for peer review: Does the comic fit the required structure of a cover and one-to-three pages of actual comic? Does the other student seem to have used Stan Lee’s advice? Is the superhero’s character obvious through action and dialogue? What doesn’t make sense? What does? Remind your students that this review is meant to be constructive.
  8. Have your students revise their comics while bearing in mind their peers’ advice as well as your own advice. Remind them frequently that their final draft should be colored or inked.
  9. Enjoy reading all of their comics!

What superheroes did your students create? What heroes have you created? If you use this or any other lesson plan in your classroom, please let me know in the comments!

Captain America and Propaganda: A Four-Day Unit

Posted on by Kirt Ethridge

“Captain America is among the truest of superheroes. He was born out of something very real and immediate. We were on the cusp of entering World War II and he stood as an answer to the fears of many American children.” –John Cassaday

All superheroes have been criticized for being one-dimensional, but Captain America gets the worst rap. His single-minded obsession with justice seems like an obvious choice for a guy prancing around draped in an American flag. In his most recent incarnations, Steve Rogers has felt more well-rounded: When he is asked in the film Captain America: The First Avenger if he wants to kill Nazis, he says, “I don’t want to kill anyone. I don’t like bullies. I don’t care where they’re from.”

(This is, for the record, my favorite superhero quote. I have it, along with Cap’s shield, tattooed on my shoulder.)

But Captain America began as nationalistic propaganda. Obviously he started out as a specifically anti-Nazi character. In more recent years, he’s been pro-American in different ways. The most blatant use of Cap as propaganda within the past fifteen years came just after 9/11.

{Image is a scan of a comic book cover. Captain America's shield takes up most of the page. Faces of various men and women are in the background. Gold script at the top of the page reads,

{Image is a scan of a comic book cover. Captain America’s shield takes up most of the page. Faces of various men and women are in the background. Gold script at the top of the page reads, “Captain America.” Gold print at the bottom of the page reads, “Honor Them.”

Today’s lesson plan is a four-day unit about Captain America and propaganda in the 1940s and early 2000s. The unit’s plan assumes that your classroom runs on block scheduling with 90-minute classes. If you have shorter class periods, you can definitely amend the unit to match your time constraints.

Captain America: The First Avenger (film), dir. Joe Johnston, screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely

Captain America: Honor Them (#5), John Ney Rieber (writer) and John Cassaday (artist)

Students will engage in lecture, whole group instruction, discussion, and a project.

Materials Needed:

  • Copies of Captain America: Honor Them
  • DVD copy of Captain America: The First Avenger
  • DVD player and projector
  • Poster board
  • Computers for research
  • Markers, glue, and other art supplies

Standards Met:

  • “CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.6 Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.”
  • “CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.6 Compare the point of view of two or more authors for how they treat the same or similar topics, including which details they include and emphasize in their respective accounts.”

DAY ONE

  1. Have the students define propaganda. This should take less than five minutes.
  2. Show the students propaganda from World War II. Compare this to Captain America propaganda of the same time period. Have the students point out similarities and differences. This should take ten to fifteen minutes.

captain america 1

{Image is of an old Captain America comic. It shows Captain America punching Hitler in the face.}

{Image is of an old Captain America comic. It shows Captain America punching Hitler in the face.}

{Image is a World War II propaganda poster. A Nazi soldier is in the foreground with a bayonet pointed at his neck. He is holding his hands up in surrender. A German WWI soldier is in the background, mirroring this position. The text reads,

{Image is a World War II propaganda poster. A Nazi soldier is in the foreground with a bayonet pointed at his neck. He is holding his hands up in surrender. A German WWI soldier is in the background, mirroring this position. The text reads, “We beat ’em before..we’ll beat ’em again!”

{Image is a World War II propaganda poster. A dead soldier lies across a barbed wire fence. The text reads,

{Image is a World War II propaganda poster. A dead soldier lies across a barbed wire fence. The text reads, “You talk of sacrifice…he knew the meaning of sacrifice!”}

{Image is of Rosie the Riveter in her traditional

{Image is of Rosie the Riveter in her traditional “We Can Do It!” pose.}

  1. Begin watching Captain America: The First Avenger. Have the students keep an eye out for any propaganda in the film. For example, how does Steve Rogers react to propaganda? How is he used as propaganda?

DAY TWO

  1. Continue watching Captain America: The First Avenger. (The film is 124 minutes long.)

DAY THREE

  1. Have the students recap Captain America: The First Avenger. What propaganda did they notice? How was that propaganda similar to what they saw of the original comics/the other 1940s propaganda? What did the students think of the film overall? This discussion should take 5-10 minutes.
  2. Remind the students of the events surrounding 9/11. Discuss America’s mood directly after 9/11. What do the students already know? What gaps need to be filled? This discussion should take 5-10 minutes.
  3. Show the students this image of Cap from the Ultimate Comics directly after 9/11, when some Americans were angry with the French for not supporting the War on Terror:
{Image is a scan of a comic. It is a close-up of Captain America's face. He is pointing at the A on his cowl and yelling,

{Image is a scan of a comic. It is a close-up of Captain America’s face. He is pointing at the A on his cowl and yelling, “You think this letter on my head stands for France?”}

  1. Divide the students into groups and give each group a copy of the comic to read. I advise this just because single issues of comics, especially older comics, can be so expensive. Captain America: Honor Them is available on Amazon for $2.97.
  2. Pass out poster boards to each student. Have the students design posters explaining Captain America’s role as propaganda. They can refer to the notes they took on The First Avenger as well as any notes they took on Honor Them. How is Steve affected by propaganda? How is he used as propaganda? How does the effectiveness of this propaganda change over time—is it effective now? Would it have been effective when it was first published? This project may be completed outside of class.

DAY FOUR

  1. Hang up the posters around the classroom. Give the students about ten minutes (can be more or less depending on how the class is acting) to study their classmates’ posters.
  2. Have the students discuss elements of each other’s posters. What seems to be the overall consensus about Captain America and propaganda? What do the students like about Captain America? Do they prefer him as propaganda? What do they think makes comics fun?

As usual, if you use this lesson plan or any of the other lesson plans from this blog, tell me about it in the comments!