Lesson Buffet

This is a great way to integrate social skills into a writing session focusing on narratives and comics.

Introduction

Show children an example of a cartoon and highlight its features: Boxes, drawings, position of text, speech bubbles etc.
Discuss friendship issues that the children have experienced. Select one of these to model an example of a comic. E.g. Two children wanted to make different things using classroom Lego. The cartoon would begin by showing the problem arising and end with a solution. E.g. The children decided to take turns using the Lego.
Again, highlight the important features of this type of text.

Activity

Give children an A3 piece of paper divided up into 8 sections. In the first box children could give their story a title. They then continue to draft their story about a friendship problem, including rough sketches. Once the draft has been checked by a teacher they can complete their final copy.

Conclusion

Select children to share their comics and half-way through reading the stories ask children to suggest what the characters could do to solve the problem, before reading the resolution.