Title: Sample Lesson: ENG3U 2-3: A Hero's Shield
Course: Course Development Guidelines

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[fa-compass] Campus Plus: | 2-3: Differentiated Resources | [fa-file-text-o] 2-3: Lesson Plan

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If Shakespeare and Michelangelo were alive today, and if they decided to collaborate on a comic, Shakespeare would write the script and Michelangelo would draw it. How could anybody say that this wouldn't be as worthwhile an artform as anything on earth?

- Stan Lee

If you’ve only heard of one comic book creator, it’s probably Stan Lee: the writer who co-created Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Thor, Daredevil, the Hulk, Ant-Man, and the vast majority of heroes, villains, and concepts currently taking over the world via Marvel’s TV and movies. Known as the Shakespeare of Comics, Stan Lee brought beautiful, diverse and unique storylines to the world for over 5 decades. There are many important and valuable lessons that we can learn from this medium of story-telling.

Lesson Overview
Key Idea | This lesson will help you critically analyze different story-telling forms to gain an appreciation for visual representation. It will also help you define your individual perspective on heroism.
Learning Goals & Success Criteria
By the end of the lesson, you will be able to:

Reading and Literature Studies

- Analyze reading texts for a variety of elements
  - I can make inferences about symbolism in texts
  - I can explain the significance of symbols for characterization and theme in comics

Writing

- Use different writing forms for different audiences
  - I can use graphic forms of writing for a specific audience
- Write effective sentence
  - I can write complete sentences without fragments or run-ons
- Proofread writing
  - I can proofread my comic for effective sentences
- Use a variety of presentation styles when writing
  - I can use online templates to publish an original comic

Media Studies

- Identify the conventions and techniques in media texts
  - I can identify the features of comic books
- Consider topic, purpose, and audience when creating media texts
  - I can create a comic with a focus on heroism
- Use conventions and techniques when creating media texts
  - I can use features of comic books to create a story with images and text
- Produce media texts
  - I can create a comic book with that uses specific design features.
  - I can create a unique comic book based on my individual perception of heroism.
Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS)
- Create original creative writing that focuses on theme and character
- Analyze what symbols reveal about character and theme in a given story
- Participate in critical thinking discussion with peers where they listen actively, share ideas, offer constructive criticism
- Reflect and self-assess learning

[fa-bookmark fa-lg] Messengers of Meaning: Symbolism

As the saying goes, a picture is worth 1,000 words, so it's no wonder so many authors incorporate symbolism into their writing. Symbolism is when the author uses an object or reference to add deeper meaning to a story. Symbolism in literature can be subtle or obvious, used sparingly or heavy-handedly. An author may repeatedly use the same object to convey deeper meaning or may use variations of the same object to create an overarching mood or feeling.

In this activity, you will develop a concrete understanding of symbolism and make inferences in texts to explain the significance of symbols for characterization and theme. Symbolism is often used to support a literary theme in a subtle manner. Students need to understand that writers insert symbols into their writing to allude to a feeling, mood or attitude without directly stating the perspective or mood. Symbolism is supplemental to the story.

Read the following presentation and complete the interactive activity on analyzing reading texts for the significance of symbolism.

[fa-bookmark fa-lg] Putting it all Together: Sentence Structure (OSSLT)

The written word - we often take it for granted, but it's truly essential in our society. Writing is a complex system of communication, which means learning how to write can pose difficulties.

Most can learn the alphabet without much trouble, but what comes next? Writing sentences, of course! A major factor of this is sentence structure, or the grammatical organization of a sentence.

If your instructors have ever returned your papers with “frag,” “S.F.,” “R.O.,” or “run-on” written in the margin, you will find this handout useful. Read the following page to learn the various aspects of sentence structure. These tools will help you locate and correct sentence fragments and run-ons.

Now that you can locate and correct sentence fragments and run-ons, check your learning by taking the following quiz:

[fa-bookmark fa-lg] Captain America: Successful Symbols

Symbolism shows up in comics all the time, in part because it's such a strong visual medium: Batman standing on a rooftop, casting his shadow over a burglar; Captain America giving Hitler a whack on the jaw; Superman soaring up in front of a rising sun. Even the Hulk himself is a symbol of Bruce Banner's pent-up rage.

Even the newest superhero fan knows that every hero has their own gimmick: A device intended to attract attention and differentiate themselves from the other heroes. They have their own symbolism contained within their costumes, personalities and tools. These objects carry a personal meaning of who they are rather than what they wish to be. They are symbols. Like the gods of mythology, our heroes’ symbols have power and a romantic definition to them. Cupid and his arrows express the intentions of destiny with imagery. King Arthur’s sword states that power is only inherited by God’s chosen ones. In all situations, these tools speak volumes about the person who uses them and have a profound effect on our understanding of the user.

In this activity, you will understand how to identify the features of comic book. Read the following explanation of symbolism in Captain America to understand the significance of symbols for characterization and theme in comics:

Forums are great opportunities for you to collaboratively learn from your peers and further your thinking about important lesson topics. You have the chance to communicate with course-mates and share your thoughts/ideas/beliefs on a large platform. Your opinion matters and we all want to hear what you have to say!

This activity will help you recognize that there is symbolism in literature all around you. It will also help you decode and analyze features of comic books. You will create a forum post below to express your understanding of the significance of symbols for characterization and theme in comics. This forum will give you the opportunity to analyze reading texts for a symbolism and identify the common features of comics.

Click the link below for more information about the forum post expectations and success criteria.

[fa-bookmark fa-lg] Frame by Frame: Comic Book Features

Comic strips often express messages or provide brief glances of events or stories. Key elements of a comic strip include character, setting, and plot — all conveyed in a few frames through a combination of pictures, captions, and dialogue. Due to its condensed format, a comic strip highlights only the most important elements of its targeted topic.

Read the following page, to learn how to identify the conventions and techniques in media texts. Knowing the features of comic books, will help you consider topic, purpose, and audience when creating your own media texts.

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[fa-compass fa-2x] | Campus Activity: 2-3D: Fill In the Comic Book-CA

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[fa-star fa-lg] Formative Assignment: Making My Comic

In, 2-3D: Comic Book Features, we discussed comic book features. Now you will have the opportunity to make your own comic book. In the days of cold, hard newsprint, only people who could draw were successful comic strip authors. In some cases, this resulted in comic strips that had very nice pictures, but weren't all that funny. Thankfully, the Internet has taught us not to accept an inferior form of comic artistry, but a more flexible one.

Comic strip enthusiasts who want funny but don't care about pretty drawing can have their strips, those who want artistry have theirs, and even those with very specific tastes can find something just right. The best part about these developments is that they allow you, regardless of any talent as an artist or comedian, to create your very own comic strip. Depending on what you're going for, there are a variety of options for every creator. In this formative assignment, you will make your own comic book using an online comic template. This is an opportunity for you to show your understanding of symbolism and comic book features; you can also tap into your creative skills to produce a unique narrative.

Click on the assignment folder below for further information about the assignment expectations and submission requirements:

[fa-cubes fa-lg] Wrap up & Reflection

Now that you have completed the lesson, let's check the things we discussed:

[fa-external-link-square fa-lg] Exit Card

Please take a minute to share your thoughts about this lesson.