TCS Education Foundation Grant Funds Comic Life Program at Brevard Middle School
Posted on 03/15/2010
The TCS Education Foundation grant will allow Brevard Middle School to purchase Comic Life, graphic editing software, and the related site license. Comic Life was developed by a software development group called Plasq. The software provides a simple interface for integrating images, captions, speech balloons, and other forms of text into a single document. Templates and the user-friendly design allow students to create visually sophisticated projects while focusing on content and substance. This software is especially useful for engaging students who may have difficulty with reading comprehension. These students will benefit from the additional visual demonstration and grasp the more subtle aspects of storytelling. Brevard Middle School teachers Chris Dodson and Cathy Zandecki are enthusiastic about the future projects Comic Life will create. The program will put every aspect of writing into a hands-on inquiry based learning environment. It will help students understand the importance of story plot structure. Comic Life also allows students to experiment with retelling stories. They can illustrate their personal understandings of themes, symbols, pacing, and other narrative elements. Using a trial version, Mrs. Dodson's students created Comic Life graphic novels to retell The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter. They placed and emphasis on major themes in the book, such as the author's presentation of "the Way" a concept from Native American culture and the natural cycles of life.