Project Audubon Super Heroes
Fostering a Culture of Critique
Throughout the Super Hero Project, students would display drafts of their work to each other in order to receive feedback. We looked at exemplary models of comics and talked about what made them beautiful (the visual representation, the content within the writing and the work required to create it). The critique led to a student-generated rubric. The students would constantly refer to their rubric when giving each other kind, specific, and helpful feedback.
Super Hero Documents
I have included the super hero brainstorm sheet, critique sheets for our drafts and presentations, and two different types of comic strip panels that we used during this project.
Project Audubon Super Heroes Steps
Essential Questions:
· Do super heroes exist on earth?
· What makes a human turn into a super hero?
· Why are super heroes needed?
· How can we become super heroes at Audubon?
Learning Objectives:
Students will know:
· Significant leaders (past and present) to society
· Story elements
· Biographies
Students will understand:
· Characteristics of a what made significant leaders (past and present) influential to society
· How to transform themselves into super heroes at Audubon using characteristics of the super hero people during research
Students will do:
· Transform themselves into super heroes at Audubon using biography and interview hero elements
· Design themselves as a super hero in a comic strip with story elements
Project Description:
Students will transform themselves into super heroes at Audubon using characteristics researched from biographies and interviews of significant leaders who are influential to society past and present. Students will create a comic strip using their self-made super hero. Their comic strip will contain story elements (i.e. characters, setting, problem, solution, sequential order). Students will also design their own costume. For exhibition, students will “pass their powers” on to other Audubon community members during a presentation of their comic strip.
Project Duration:
4 weeks
Project Steps/Benchmarks
Steps, Due Date, & Assignment
Step 1: Jan. 1-20
Pose essential questions:
-Is it possible to be a super hero on earth?
-What makes a human a super hero?
-Why are super heroes needed?
-How can humans become real-life super heroes on earth?
-How can we be super heroes at Audubon?
Critique model of super hero comic strip to develop criteria/rubric for beautiful product (visual and writing) & work habits & go over steps during project
Read comic strips on toonbooks.com:
-discover definition of story elements
-do activities to support reading comprehension and comic strip techniques
Read biographies of MLK, Jr, Rosa Parks, Ruby Bridges, Harriet Tubman
Interview a hero of choice in community or family
Develop own elements of what makes a human a super hero
Step 2: Jan. 23-27
Design own self into a super hero using elements from previous week
-picture and 3 character traits
-gather costume items
First draft (pencil only) of comic strip implementing story elements (characters, setting, sequence, problem and solution)
Critique
-gallery comic strip & costume
Second draft (pencil & crayon color) of comic strip
Email comic expert Gene Yang our questions
Step 3: Jan. 30- Feb. 3
Third draft (pencil & crayon) based on feedback from Gene
Critique small groups comic strip & costume
Final draft (black pen & fine tip markers)of comic strips
Create invitations to exhibition
Step 4: Feb. 6-10
Fine tune last steps on comic strip and costumes
Critique models of beautiful presentation skills
-critique each other’s presentations
-develop suggested questions for exhibition
Exhibition to Audubon community (10th day and evening)
Reflect on the process
-use to speak into next project
Grouping Strategies:
Students will be working independently and creating their own product, however they will be collaborating in the form of critique and peer revision throughout the project and check in with their “critical buddy” as needed. Students with similar super heroes can collaborate during the project but are not held to that format. Experts among our class community will serve as supports during the project as well. Buddies from an upper-grade leveled classroom will support the students in their research. During workshop times, small groups will gather based on academic needed support. Students will have multiple opportunities to partner with different classmates during reflective moments throughout the project process in order to foster learning community where all support and rely on one another.
Assessment:
Students and I will create a rubric for what is considered “beautiful work” for their comic strips and presentation skills by critiquing models. We will constantly refer back to the student generated rubric to guide us in our own critique of each other’s products during specific check-in points of the project. Throughout the project, students will be given reflective writing prompts that ask them to think about the process and product of their work. We will invite the expert partners to give us feedback during and after the project.
Exhibition:
As guests enter, students will serve as tour guides to the various stations. Students will present their comic strips to the Audubon community while in costume, speaking in character and with partners so that they may share each other’s work. All the comic strips will be compiled into a comic book titled Audubon’s Super Heroes and be presented as gifts to the super heroes they interviewed. Students will answer suggested questions they created that will be placed on their stations. All facets of exhibition is with the purpose of “passing our powers” on to the Audubon community.
· Do super heroes exist on earth?
· What makes a human turn into a super hero?
· Why are super heroes needed?
· How can we become super heroes at Audubon?
Learning Objectives:
Students will know:
· Significant leaders (past and present) to society
· Story elements
· Biographies
Students will understand:
· Characteristics of a what made significant leaders (past and present) influential to society
· How to transform themselves into super heroes at Audubon using characteristics of the super hero people during research
Students will do:
· Transform themselves into super heroes at Audubon using biography and interview hero elements
· Design themselves as a super hero in a comic strip with story elements
Project Description:
Students will transform themselves into super heroes at Audubon using characteristics researched from biographies and interviews of significant leaders who are influential to society past and present. Students will create a comic strip using their self-made super hero. Their comic strip will contain story elements (i.e. characters, setting, problem, solution, sequential order). Students will also design their own costume. For exhibition, students will “pass their powers” on to other Audubon community members during a presentation of their comic strip.
Project Duration:
4 weeks
Project Steps/Benchmarks
Steps, Due Date, & Assignment
Step 1: Jan. 1-20
Pose essential questions:
-Is it possible to be a super hero on earth?
-What makes a human a super hero?
-Why are super heroes needed?
-How can humans become real-life super heroes on earth?
-How can we be super heroes at Audubon?
Critique model of super hero comic strip to develop criteria/rubric for beautiful product (visual and writing) & work habits & go over steps during project
Read comic strips on toonbooks.com:
-discover definition of story elements
-do activities to support reading comprehension and comic strip techniques
Read biographies of MLK, Jr, Rosa Parks, Ruby Bridges, Harriet Tubman
Interview a hero of choice in community or family
Develop own elements of what makes a human a super hero
Step 2: Jan. 23-27
Design own self into a super hero using elements from previous week
-picture and 3 character traits
-gather costume items
First draft (pencil only) of comic strip implementing story elements (characters, setting, sequence, problem and solution)
Critique
-gallery comic strip & costume
Second draft (pencil & crayon color) of comic strip
Email comic expert Gene Yang our questions
Step 3: Jan. 30- Feb. 3
Third draft (pencil & crayon) based on feedback from Gene
Critique small groups comic strip & costume
Final draft (black pen & fine tip markers)of comic strips
Create invitations to exhibition
Step 4: Feb. 6-10
Fine tune last steps on comic strip and costumes
Critique models of beautiful presentation skills
-critique each other’s presentations
-develop suggested questions for exhibition
Exhibition to Audubon community (10th day and evening)
Reflect on the process
-use to speak into next project
Grouping Strategies:
Students will be working independently and creating their own product, however they will be collaborating in the form of critique and peer revision throughout the project and check in with their “critical buddy” as needed. Students with similar super heroes can collaborate during the project but are not held to that format. Experts among our class community will serve as supports during the project as well. Buddies from an upper-grade leveled classroom will support the students in their research. During workshop times, small groups will gather based on academic needed support. Students will have multiple opportunities to partner with different classmates during reflective moments throughout the project process in order to foster learning community where all support and rely on one another.
Assessment:
Students and I will create a rubric for what is considered “beautiful work” for their comic strips and presentation skills by critiquing models. We will constantly refer back to the student generated rubric to guide us in our own critique of each other’s products during specific check-in points of the project. Throughout the project, students will be given reflective writing prompts that ask them to think about the process and product of their work. We will invite the expert partners to give us feedback during and after the project.
Exhibition:
As guests enter, students will serve as tour guides to the various stations. Students will present their comic strips to the Audubon community while in costume, speaking in character and with partners so that they may share each other’s work. All the comic strips will be compiled into a comic book titled Audubon’s Super Heroes and be presented as gifts to the super heroes they interviewed. Students will answer suggested questions they created that will be placed on their stations. All facets of exhibition is with the purpose of “passing our powers” on to the Audubon community.