Sequential Smarts

This is a fun and super-easy project that I’ve done with EFL learners.  My students were Japanese kids between the ages of twelve and fifteen, although I’m sure that this basic idea could be modified to work for any age group studying any language.

You’ve probably heard of this one before, too.  It’s easy: Just pick a comic strip, blank out the word bubbles, hand the “blanked” strip to your students, and let them fill in the word bubbles with their own funny, creative dialogue.

Also, this wasn’t my idea.  I can’t even remember where I first came across this idea, as it’s been posted to many forums and “teacher resources” websites before.  But I do remember that somehow, somewhen, I actually picked up on the idea of using Penny Arcade strips from Karen Healey.  And Penny Arcade strips really do work beautifully, since they tend to feature lush, highly expressive cartoony artwork, which in turn inspires some pretty creative results from students.

Here are two strips that worked well for me.

Original Strip

Original Strip

I’ve admittedly never tried this exercise with other strips before, but I imagine that Peanuts strips, or certain strips from Calvin and Hobbes, would work equally as well.

Now this would be the part where I post some of the best results from what my students have done with their strips.  Unfortunately, I can’t get any of my Japanese students to give me permission to post their strips on this here blog, because they’re shy.  I’m working on it, though.  They were the ones who taught me how to perfect the art of puppy-dog eyes in the first place.

Are you a teacher, student, or tutor who would like to see a certain comic reviewed here, but don’t have the time to write a thorough review yourself?  That’s okay!  Just leave a comment on this post to suggest more comics for us to review.  Please include the comic title, the names of the authors/artists, and any other information that you think would be helpful to us.

Suggest away!

Comic Title: The Baby-sitters Club (Kristy’s Great Idea, The Truth About Stacey, Mary Anne Saves the Day, Claudia and Mean Janine)

Comic Author: Raina Telgemeier (adapted from the books by Ann M. Martin)

Format: Graphic Novels

Reviewed by: Jessica

Centering around a group of tween girls and their babysitting business, Ann M. Martin’s venerable series was one of the most successful kids’ series of all time. Raina Telgemeier updates the early books into a charming set of graphic novels.

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Comic Title: Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2: Roderick Rules

Comic Author: Jeff Kinney

Format: Diary-style novels, but with tons of little comics and doodles

Reviewed by: Jessica

At first Greg is reluctant to write in the journal – not diary! – that his mother gives him, but soon he’s recounting all of his various misadventures as he struggles to be more than just a wimpy kid in the tumultuous world of middle school.

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