Tag: comiclife

Mar 31 2010 March 31, 2010 May 11, 2010 NoComment by David

3rd Grade Simple Machines

Posted in 3rd Grade, Science, Trekkers

Third graders at Laburnum have been studying simple machines (SOL 3.2) so they created Pixie projects to show off what they have learned. If you click here you can see a sample, and if you click here you can download the template to get your started. First we created Word Art (the directions are on the template), then we found Stickers of the simple machines (go to the Science folder, then to the Simple Machines folder). Next the students took their picture and drew their bodies. Finally they recorded an audio voiceover identifying the machines. There are many other project ideas you could do. Using photos of the machines (click here to download it) you can create a ComicLife or an iMovie. There are lots of cool websites on simple machines for your students to explore, and I’ve tried to gather them all together on this webpage. Don’t forget to check out the Trekkers’ simple machines from the past activity. Go ahead and have fun with your simple machines unit!


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Mar 18 2010 March 18, 2010 April 29, 2010 NoComment by David

4th Grade Civil War Comics

Posted in 5th Grade, Social Studies

The Civil War is a new SOL for the 4th grade this year so many teachers are looking for good ideas. One idea to help your students remember the major events in the Civil War is to create comics like this class did at Holladay Elementary. I gave them a template to use which you can download by clicking here. I also gave them a huge (31 MB) folder of pictures to use which you can download by clicking here. The students dragged the pictures they wanted into the boxes on the template, added their own text boxes and speech bubbles to explain the event, and then changed the style of the pictures and text to make it look interesting. You can take a look at some student samples displayed in a cool Prezi by clicking here. One of the neat things about sharing your students’ work in a Prezi is that you can embed it in a website like in the example. Let me know if you’d like to learn more about Prezi.


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Mar 12 2010 March 12, 2010 April 26, 2010 NoComment by David

2nd Grade Matter Comic Life

Posted in 2nd Grade, Science

Second graders at Chamberlayne have been learning all about matter (solids, liquids, and gases) and how matter changes states (melting, freezing, evaporating, and condensing). So today they showed their knowledge by creating Matter Comics. I gave them a template and a bunch of pictures to use which you can download by clicking here. The students’ job was to select the correct picture to go into each box, then add a description with speech bubbles. When they finished they could customize their comics by changing the style of the text and photos and adding their own picture. Comic Life can access the camera right within the program, so no need to open up PhotoBooth! If you’d like a tutorial about Comic Life, I’ve created one here. If you’d like to see a students sample of this project, click here.


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Mar 08 2010 March 8, 2010 March 9, 2010 NoComment by David

4th Grade Scientist Comics

Posted in 4th Grade, Science

Fourth graders have been studying the scientists who contributed to our understanding of electricity (SOL 4.3f) so we created comics about them using ComicLife. I gave them a template and a folder of pictures to use which you can download here. I showed the students how to change the title using the Style button and the Details tab. Next they dragged a picture of each scientist (Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, and Michael Faraday) into the boxes and labeled them. Then they added a speech bubble to each scientist explaining what he did. They could also use the Style button to change the look of the photos. Finally they added their own photo using the webcam feature and wrote about their favorite electrical invention. Take a look at some student samples by clicking here. You might also want to check out a presentation I made about Michael Faraday since there isn’t as much about him as the other scientists. I even composed a special “Michael Faraday Song” for it!


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Jan 28 2010 January 28, 2010 March 8, 2010 NoComment by David

1st Grade Famous People Comic

Posted in 1st Grade, Social Studies

First graders at Chamberlayne made comics about their Famous Americans today using ComicLife (SOL 1.2). I gave them a template and a folder of pictures to use. You can download it by clicking here. The pictures include Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and George Washington Carver. The template already has their names filled in to save time, but the students add the pictures, change the styles, and add the speech bubbles to explain the accomplishments of each famous person. Students can also use the special “Capture” feature in ComicLife to take their own picture and add it to the comic. You can see a finished sample by clicking here. You might also want to check out a site I made a while ago about the famous Americans for first grade. It includes facts about each person and an AppleWorks activity to download.


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Jan 19 2010 January 19, 2010 February 16, 2010 NoComment by David

2nd Grade American Indians Comic

Posted in 2nd Grade, Social Studies

Second grade students have been showing me how much they know about the different American Indian groups by making comics in Comic Life. I gave them a template and a folder of pictures to use which you can download by clicking here. The pictures include the homes, transportation, and occupations of the three Indian groups: the Powhatan, the Sioux, and the Pueblo. After students add the pictures to the comic they use speech bubble to provide facts about each picture. You can take a look at four student samples by clicking here. Notice the variety… that’s one of the neat things about project-based learning. Each child’s work is different but the important ideas are still conveyed. If you’d like to see another idea for your American Indians unit, take a look at this Keynote we made back in November.


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Jan 13 2010 January 13, 2010 January 19, 2010 NoComment by David

4th Grade New Nation Comic

Posted in 4th Grade, Social Studies, Trekkers

SOL VS.6 may be a little dry and difficult to teach, so why not spice it up with a cool project like the fourth grade teachers at Holladay did. They asked me to give them some pictures and a Comic Life template to use, and then they taught their students how to make the comics on their own. That made topics like the Virginia Declaration of Rights and the Constitution a lot more interesting. If you’d like to download the template and pictures click here. To see a finished sample of the “New Nation Comic” click here. And don’t forget about the Constitution website I mentioned in this post for Constitution Day. Finally, if you are looking for a way to show your students the Cumberland Gap (VS.6c), the Virginia Trekkers filmed Podcast #19 there. We’ll take you right through the main passageway that the early settlers used to migrate west!


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Dec 14 2009 December 14, 2009 January 8, 2010 NoComment by David

1st Grade Diversity Comics

Posted in 1st Grade, Social Studies

First graders at Trevvett have been learning about unity, diversity, and contributions of different cultural groups in the United States (SOL 1.12) They wanted to create comic strips about this topic, so I provided them with a folder of pictures to use in their project. To show diversity I included pictures of different foods, music, clothing, maps, and holidays from Somalia, China, Mexico, Vietnam, and India. To show unity I included pictures of the fourth of July, voting, the pledge, and the flag. To see all the pictures in the folder click here. Next, the students created a comic in ComicLife using the pictures. They added their own captions and speech bubbles to explain. You can see a finished example by clicking here and you can download the folder of pictures with a ComicLife template to get you started by clicking here.


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Nov 19 2009 November 19, 2009 November 19, 2009 NoComment by David

3rd Grade Greece Comics

Posted in 3rd Grade, Social Studies

GreeceComicThird graders are currently studying ancient Greece (SOL 3.1), so we have been making comic books about Greece using Comic Life. It’s a lot more fun to study a comic than a regular study guide! I give them a template to help them get started and a folder of pictures to use. There are photos of the Parthenon, grapes, olives, Greek hillsides, ships, maps, pottery, the Olympics, and other elements of life in ancient Greece. You can download the template and all the files by clicking here. The students then drag the pictures they want into the comic, stylize them with the style button, and add facts using the speech bubbles. That’s the most important part! If you do this project with your students, make sure they add good solid facts. Finally, students can add more pages to the comic book by clicking the plus sign (+) in the bottom left corner. You can take a look at a finished sample by clicking here.


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Nov 11 2009 November 11, 2009 November 19, 2009 NoComment by David

4th Grade Jamestown Comics

Posted in 4th Grade, Social Studies, Trekkers

JamestownComicFourth graders at Laburnum have been creating their very own comic books about Jamestown using Comic Life. It’s a cool way to make a fun study guide. I gave them a template and a folder of pictures to use which you can download by clicking here. The students dragged the pictures they wanted from the folder into the Comic Life document. I showed them how to use the Styles button to change the look of the text and pictures. Finally they used the speech bubbles to tell important facts about each person or event. The comics look fantastic, and it’s a study guide they will definitely want to look at over and over again. You can see a finished one by clicking here. If you’re studying Jamestown, be sure to check out the Virginia Trekkers trip to Jamestown. We have a video, Flash activities, and lots of links to other interactive websites. Check out the podcast by clicking here.


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