Starting A Graphic Narrative
This class begins the process of creating graphic narratives. This class teaches that history is constructed based on which events historians choose to share and emphasize and which events we as a society deem important.
Learning Objectives
Students will be able to:
- explain the difference between history and the past.
- examine how history is constructed.
Guiding Question
- How is a historical narrative created?
Preparation
- blank pieces of paper
- means for students to listen to Holocaust survivor testimonies (Individually, as a class, or in small groups)
- Envelopes (1 per group): in an envelope, collect images that together suggest a personal narrative; these images are pieces of evidence (just the images, no explanations)
- Handouts on graphic narratives and the means to project it
- Project outline, 1 per student
Introduction
Think-Pair-Share
What is the difference between history and the past?
- history: parts of the past that have influenced and shaped our future; key significant events
- past: anything and everything that has come until this point
Lesson Activities
Envelope Exercise
It is recommended that this activity is done as a small group.
In each envelope there is a collection of pieces of evidence of a person’s life; these could be artefacts from their life or traces that imply or connect with events in their life.
Students will attempt to construct a story based on the different pieces, determining which evidence they deem important. Keep the story simple when you build these envelopes.
Follow-Up Discussion
Choose a member from each group who is going to share their group’s stories to the class. Note how each group has a different story. Connect this back to how we create and tell history. While we created criteria to determine what evidence was significant, the influence of our groups as the historians or storytellers, changes how we interpret the evidence.
Discuss the influence of teachers and curriculum on shaping student and societal knowledge, as well as the influence of accessible resources.
The main take away is that history is a story and the narrative told is influenced by the historian collecting the pieces of evidence and building the stories they wish to tell.
Visual Narratives Introduction
As a class define the word testimony (a formal written or spoken statement).
Explain how students will be using historical testimonies to create graphic narratives.
In groups, students listen to the different testimonies provided. For example, the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre Testimony Collection.
While they are listening, ask students to draw a visual representation of whatever strikes them from the testimonies. Remind them that this is not an art class, and is meant to be a free-form visualization exercise.
Repeat this process a few times so they can get the feel for the creative process.
Wrap-up discussion points:
- discuss the visualization process
- note how testimonies change over time
- note that age and life experiences change how events are processed and understood
Conclusion
Project the preliminary sketches and discuss how this project connects to the Narrative Art and Storytelling project.
- the comic book project, explaining how students will connect what they have learned by making comic books
- how students will use narratives and historical evidence
