Why Cave Art Isn't Just Ancient History!
9/20/2014
 In the "Hands" of Students, it's so much more! Recently, Erlynn Kirsch and Amanda Helfrich got in touch with Comics in Education about a fantastic project that their students put together. So here is what they did, in their own words... Thank you Comics in Education! After reading a great post, the "Cave Art Activity", we came up with a similar activity for our 8th grade Ancient History students. For a final project on Pre-History we had students analyze Paleolithic cave-art and discuss how it could have portrayed humans' daily lives and emotions. Students researched the definitions of graffiti and graphic novels and thought about how it compared to pre-historic cave art. We discussed as a group the ideas of tagging public places, signatures on art, and leaving their mark on the world. Next we had the entire 8th grade create a mural, leaving their "mark" on our school Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School in Falls Church, VA. Students reflected personally upon how they wanted to be remembered and the type of "mark" they want to leave on history. Below I have attached some pictures of our project and of student work.The worksheet we made is attached below.   Erlynn and Amanda also included work that their students put together while reflecting on this activity. It's clear from what the students wrote that they had a lot to say about it! If you're interested in trying this wonderful assignment with your own students, Erlynn and Amanda have been kind enough to include the handout that kids worked on. What a fantastic activity for students to be engaged in. Not only are they working together to produce a piece of beautiful visual art, but they are learning about their connection to ancient cultures and traditions, and the role that visual narratives plays in all of this. Great job, Erlynn and Amanda! If you're interested in this activity, you might also be interested in:
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Oh, the Humanity! -- Fan Expo 2014
9/4/2014
 This year's Fan Expo was fantastic, with hundreds of people to see, places to go, and things to do. We went on the Saturday, and after getting a photo of our kids with Stan "the Man" Lee in the North Building, we headed over to the South Building to stop by and see the awesome Mike Rooth before spending lots of cash along Artists' Alley, buying a completely retro Dirk-the-Daring t-shirt, and ending our day at the Steve Blum panel. One thing that those of us who've attended Fan Expo in the past and who went on Saturday this year noticed is the sea of humanity in attendance. The above shot of the floor of the North Building was taken around 11:30am, and the image doesn't really do the crowd justice. It was, in short, unbelievable. No doubt many will weigh in with suggestions about how to manage such a crowd, specifically with regards to getting them from the North to the South Building in a timely fashion. The folks at Fan Expo do want to hear from you so click the link above to get them on Twitter and share your thoughts. I myself thought it was fantastic that the event was attracting the thousands upon thousands in attendance, and it was through and through a celebration of what comics, video games, television and film have brought to popular culture. And to show just the size and scope of just what and who Fan Expo attracted this year, check out what was, hands down, the coolest exhibit at this year's show.  That's right...you could have gone this year to pick up some Spiderman comics and a Nathan Fillion autograph and ended up being recruited by the Canadian Secret Service! How cool is that?! If you enjoyed this article, you might also enjoy: Thanks a Million!
9/1/2014
by Glen Downey, Comics in Education, www.comicsineducation.com 
Although we've only been around a short time, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank the thousands of you interested in comics and education for dropping by our site. We've just gone past the 1,000,000 mark and we're not slowing down. In the coming months, we'd love to feature the work you're doing in the fields of comics and/or education, so if you have a Kickstarter you'd like promoted, a cool project you'd like some press for, or if you'd just like to touch base, please don't hesitate to contact us. As well, if there's anything you'd like to see on the site that you don't yet, let us know. Comics in Education is really only as useful as the great ideas that make their way to our inbox! In honour of our 1,000,000 page view, I thought I'd provide a link to arguably our most popular post to date. It shows the power that visual media can bring to the classroom, and what a phenomenal student can do with it to develop an enduring understanding of, in this case, poetry! Enjoy! Margaret Atwood, Comics, and the Awakened Imagination 
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Glen DowneyDr. Glen Downey is an award-winning children's author, educator, and academic from Oakville, Ontario. He works as a children's writer for Rubicon Publishing, a reviewer for PW Comics World, an editor for the Sequart Organization, and serves as the Chair of English and Drama at The York School in Toronto. 
If you've found this site useful and would like to donate to Comics in Education, we'd really appreciate the support!
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