Learning kitGrades 6-8

Art and writing: comics

Make a four-panel comic

Learn how comics tell stories, plan a story with a beginning, middle and end, sketch your panels, build them in Comic Maker, and add the words. Ages 11 to 14 or grades 6 to 8.

Time
About 90 minutes, in one or two sittings
Steps
5 steps, 2 of them in Comic Maker
You need
A computer or Chromebook, paper and a pencil. Printing is optional: every step works on screen. No account needed.
Unlock the kit, $5 I have a code

$5 for one learner: every step, the Comic Maker activities that check the work, the printable lesson, and the certificate with a page of the learner's own work.

A four-panel comic: a wizard zaps a cat to make it fly, the cat turns into a dog, and the dog says Meow.

The 5 steps

  1. 1Delve into the world of comicsRead and quizComics tell stories with pictures and words working together. Learn the tools comic artists use.
  2. 2Choose a story to tellPlan itA good short comic has a character who wants something, a problem, and a surprise or payoff.
  3. 3Draw it outSketch itComic artists sketch thumbnails first: tiny, quick drawings of each panel, to try layouts before the final art.
  4. 4Frame it in four panelsIn Comic MakerNow build it. Pick a four-panel layout in Comic Maker and put your characters in place.
  5. 5Add the wordsIn Comic MakerWords finish the story: what characters say, think and shout.
Comic Maker: panel layouts and tools on the left, the comic in the middle.
Each step shows how Comic Maker works, then opens it with a checklist that ticks as the work gets done.

Work on a computer. The apps need a keyboard and a bigger screen than a phone: a laptop, desktop or Chromebook. You can pay here and open the emailed link on the computer.

One learner

Unlock the kit, $5

  • All 5 steps, worked on screen, with a lesson you can print if you like paper
  • Comic Maker activities that check the work as it is done
  • A numbered certificate with a page of the learner's own work: your story plan, your panel sketches and your notes

We email a link that opens the kit on any computer. No account needed. We keep the email only to send the kit and certificate links: privacy.

Have a discount code?
Co-ops and classes: unlock it for a group

One payment and one code. Each learner types the code to unlock the kit on their own computer, and gets their own certificate at the end. Your pack page shows who has started and finished.

See a sample certificate (PDF) · Already paid? Find your link

Questions

What does the learner do in Make a four-panel comic?

It has 5 steps: 1. Delve into the world of comics; 2. Choose a story to tell; 3. Draw it out; 4. Frame it in four panels; 5. Add the words. Learn how comics tell stories, plan a story with a beginning, middle and end, sketch your panels, build them in Comic Maker, and add the words. Ages 11 to 14 or grades 6 to 8.

What age is it for?

Grades 6-8. About 90 minutes, in one or two sittings.

What is needed?

A computer or Chromebook, paper and a pencil. Printing is optional: every step works on screen. No account needed.

Is there a certificate?

Yes. A numbered certificate with a page of the learner's own work, for your records or a portfolio. It is not course credit.

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