This past week I was a presenter at the state conference for school librarians (SCASL) in Greenville, SC. I had a blast in my session with a group of media specialists; demonstrating how to draw cartoons and discussing ways to incorporate comics into the classroom. I also had a nice visit in the exhibit hall with the always cheerful and ever-helpful Randa Edmunds and her husband & genuine nice guy Sam. Sam even joined us in our cartooning and comics session; and he had so much fun, I think he just may be inspired to create his own book!
But the coolest part of the whole day was my visit to Barbara Wagher's 4th grade social studies class at nearby Wren Elementary School! Barbara Wagher had attended my "Hamster Sam: Using comics to bring SC Standards to Life" Teacher Workshop last summer, and has really put the principles into motion in her classroom. As Hamster Sam puts it- she "Thinks outside the cage!" Her students and Team Teacher Kim Brock's students had recently created comics that told various stories of the American Revolution, including that of George Washington's crossing of the Delaware, and the Battle of Bunker Hill. You can see in the photo, that the wall outside of her classroom is filled with 54 students' works. I was thrilled when a few of the students were able to take some time and share their comics with me personally! They were so proud of their work; and they should be- They used great storytelling elements such as narration boxes, dialogue balloons, sound effects and one young girl even incorporated primary source images into her comic- Fantastic!!! I wish I could showcase all of their artwork here; but here are just a few of the wonderful comics that I got to enjoy(sorry- a bit fuzzy). I could tell right away that they knew the material; they were very familiar with the history that they spoke of as they talked me through each panel of their comics. This just validates for me that comics can be a great tool for learning. After our group photo, they presented me with a very thoughtful gift and a very sweet handcrafted Hamster Sam 'Thank you' card for stopping by. I was very impressed with Wren Elementary; these students demonstrated great manners, asked very good questions, listened well and couldn't have been nicer! I hope they keep drawing, writing and creating comics, and I am very thankful for their hospitality.
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