Graphic Novels From Students For Students

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Last year, I discovered that one of my students could draw anime characters really well. He showed me his folder full of amazing creations & it left me wondering how I could help him get his work appreciated instead of just doing nothing in a folder in the jungle. Then, I came up with the idea of a graphic novel for the school. I empowered him to form a team of his choosing & gave him the task of producing English language comics for the school. He made a few last year & the students at school loved having something 90% graphic to read.

This year, I improved on the programme. I realised that it was too taxing on 1 team to consistently produce graphic novels throughout the year so, this year, I scouted for 2 more talented students & again allowed them to form teams of their choosing. This year, I have 3 teams producing comics for the school.

The best part is the team members thoroughly enjoyed this English language "homework" (probably a first for some of them). Also, once their work is scanned & printed, they will be helping hundreds of their schoolmates improve their English & be more interested in the language. If you've seen your weakest students devour those graphic novels prescribed by the ministry, you know they'll devour these too.

Student's role: plan, draw, scan, distribute.
Teacher's role: proofread, print, photocopy.

I'd encourage every teacher to do something like this for your school. I'm sure there are talented artists at your school who have yet to be discovered. Find them & give them this opportunity to make a difference at their school.
If you're a student, I bet can organise something like this for your school too.

Here are some examples of this year's work (1 from each team):

The Leech Monsters - Jan 2015
Team 1 (Form 3): Ibesonlee Ak Sandah (Team Lead) & Daved Ak Enggang
You Made My Heart Break - Feb 2015
Team 2 (Form 4): Terence Hugh Ak Stanley (Team Lead) & Keddy Ambau Ak Jeffery
Popeye Ghost Face Aliens - Mar 2015
Team 3 (Form 4): Boniface Ronaldo Baynosa (Team Lead) & Alvin Ann Ak Anhu
View more graphic novels or other presentations/documents I've uploaded here.

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