Pixton Lesson 1:

Getting Started

Learning Objective: To infer and gather evidence from a picture to enhance understanding.

Overview: In this lesson, students will hone their inferencing skills while exploring the world of comics. A final activity will have them creating an inference comic of their own.

Success Criteria:

  • I can use inference skills to represent what an image shows.

  • I can gather evidence to figure out what is happening in an image.

  • I can apply my knowledge to create an image that represents a certain mood.

Materials Needed:

  • A copy of the Google Slides for this lesson (see below).

  • Pixton.

Lesson Plan

Minds-On:

  • Using Slide 2, brainstorm what makes a comic a comic? 

  • Move the blue box to reveal the answer: It is telling a story through illustrations and words.

  • Slides 3-7: Work through the slides to learn more about the history of comics.

Inquiry:

  • Slides 9-10: Spot the difference in the two panels:

    • What is different and what is the same?

    • Answers are on Slide 10.

  • Slide 11: Have students infer what might be happening in this image. Now would be a good time to introduce the term.

  • Slide 12-15: Have students practice inferring.

    • What’s happening in the comics?

    • How are the characters feeling?

    • View the speaker notets for additional questions.

Activity:

  • Have students create a one-panel comic depicting a particular emotion by following the steps on Slides 16-22.

  • To save the comic, students can press DONE in the top right-hand corner of the Pixton screen. 

  • View all of the comics by clicking on STUDENT COMICS in your classroom. 

  • Share student comics with the class and see if the students can infer which emotion the character(s) is showing.