A top student of mine from last year stopped by and encouraged me to introduce Birdleys to other teachers. "Tell them to use the Birdleys," she said, "because they're GOOD." Perhaps it was the visual aspect, but it may also have been that we read the comics aloud alot, which helped get students get involved and remember the comics. This post will mainly introduce a few techniques I use in having students read the comics aloud.
Usually in my classes (grades 6 through 10, typically) I have had students volunteer to read the Birdley comics. Typically they don't need encouragement, but today I introduced it by saying "I need a few Hollywood actors to read the comic." This helped to draw in a few kids who may not otherwise volunteer.
Prior to the reading, I tell all the students, who have a copy of the comic in front of them, to read the comic and highlight key science words during the dramatic reading. The words may be properties, verbs, units, or anything else that I consider important. Sometimes the actors need a primer on what to read, so I go up to the actors and make sure they know their parts. I typically have them stay in their seats but they could also read in front of the class. I've found it's important to smooth things over if a kid makes mistakes, or especially if I make a mistake. As we read it, I also point to kids to cue them on their parts. Students have been pretty flexible about their parts - guys are often willing to play female birds. After the comic, I will ask them a few questions to spark discussion and then give them clues for answering the study questions, which I typically put on the back of the comic. Other resources, such as backgrounds, graphic organizers, and visual exercises, come into play as well during the unit.
If you have any strategies for implementing comics in the classroom, feel free to post a comment or send me an e-mail.
