Level+4+Comics

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At VELS level 4 students are developing a more in-depth understanding about the procedures that go into making a comic as well as the metalanguage that is involved with the analysis of them. That’s why when teaching comics at Level 4 it is important to use the necessary language so that students are able gain a better understanding of the terms used.

At Level 4, students read, interpret and respond to a wide range of literary, everyday and media texts in print and in multimodal formats. They analyse these texts and support interpretations with evidence drawn from the text. They describe how texts are constructed for particular purposes, and identify how sociocultural values, attitudes and beliefs are presented in texts. They analyse imagery, characterisation, dialogue, point of view, plot and setting. They use strategies such as reading on, using contextual cues, and drawing on knowledge of text organisation when interpreting texts containing unfamiliar ideas and information.
 * Reading Activities Level 4**

Students are given a list of questions before reading a comic, once finished reading the comic students are to answer the questions. Questions can relate to anything eg the shot angles used, sub text, or even what is happening in the plot of the comic. Students are each given a comic to read they are then to develop questions relating to the content they have just read. Once again questions can relate to various aspects such as tone, movements and sounds used. Students are shown various comics from a newspaper, students are then to analyse the intended purpose of the comics, eg the point of view the comic is trying to get across. After reading other comics to gain an understanding of how to read comics students are given a comic with a middle panel blanked out, the students are then asked to fill-in the panel to make the comic have closure.
 * 1. Answer questions related to a comic **
 * 2. Write questions **
 * 3. Discuss the possible purposes of the different comics in a news paper **
 * 4. Leaving one middle slide blank students need to fill it in **

At Level 4, students produce, in print and electronic forms, a variety of texts for different purposes using structures and features of language appropriate to the purpose, audience and context of the writing. They begin to use simple figurative language and visual images. They use a range of vocabulary, a variety of sentence structures, and use punctuation accurately, including apostrophes. They identify and use different parts of speech, including nouns, pronouns, adverbs, comparative adverbs and adjectives, and use appropriate prepositions and conjunctions. They use a range of approaches to spelling, applying morphemic knowledge and an understanding of visual and phonic patterns. They employ a variety of strategies for writing, including note-making, using models, planning, editing and proofreading. Once students have a good understanding of the functioning of comics students are given a short picture book that they are to re-write as a comic. Students are expected to alter the shot angle for some of the panels, as well as incorporate closure, movement and sound. Once students have developed their understanding of the make up of comics, they are given a comic with blank speech and thought bubbles. This requires students to use their picture literacy skills to interpret what is happening and develop appropriate dialect. Students are given a short comic and the students are then required to develop the plot and characters to devise a more in-depth narrative. A comic is enlarged and given to students they are then required to label as many different aspects of the comic as possible, eg sounds, movement lines, thought or speech bubbles, subtext, shot angle, tone or closure depending on the comic they are given.
 * Writing Actvities Level 4 **
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; msoansilanguage: EN-AU;">1. Create their own comic **
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; msoansilanguage: EN-AU;">2. Fill in the blank speech bubbles **
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; msoansilanguage: EN-AU;">3. Convert a comic into a story **
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; msoansilanguage: EN-AU;">4. Label the comic **

<span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; msoansilanguage: EN-AU;">Speaking and listening Activities Level 4
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times New Roman; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; msoansilanguage: EN-AU;">At Level 4, students plan, rehearse and make presentations for different purposes. They sustain a point of view and provide succinct accounts of personal experiences or events. They adjust their speaking to take account of context, purpose and audience, and vary tone, volume and pace of speech to create or emphasise meaning. When listening to spoken texts, they identify the main idea and supporting details and summarise them for others. They identify opinions offered by others, propose other relevant viewpoints and extend ideas in a constructive manner. ** 1. Act out a comic ** Students form a group and are given a comic, once they have a comic they convert it into a script and present their production to the rest of the class. Individually students take a comic and observe the characters view point that it’s delivered from. Once the view point has been established students then need to invent the comic from a different view point within the comic, eg from another character, or a passer by. Students are given a comic, they are then allowed time to go off and rehearse. Students are to try and develop voices for the different characters as well as personas to create the mood of the comic.
 * 2. Tell the comic from a different point of view **
 * 3. Read the a comic aloud to the class **