Gunnerkrigg Court in a classroom in Thailand

[pudgimelon]

Hi,

Last year I posted some Valentine's Day cards from my Grade 2 students at a school in Thailand. However, I also own and operate my own learning center (www.pudgimelon.com), and I often read Gunnerkrigg Court to my students.

I decided to post some videos to Youtube (is that OK, Tom?) of my classroom use of Gunnerkrigg. The following videos are just some of the things we do. We also write our own GC stories and many other activities.

Like I said before, Gunnerkrigg is an excellent resource for young learners. The relatable characters quickly draw the students in the story, and the exciting adventures encourage lots of imaginative discussion and writing.

Unlike many webcomics, Gunnerkrigg is not too nerdy or too adult (nor is it just a gag-a-week comic). So while I, personally, just love "Girl Genius", "Megatokyo", "PVP", "Order of the Stick" and many other comics, they're completely inappropriate for classroom use. The only other comics I can think of that would be suitable for a classroom would be Aaron Williams' "PS238" and maybe Karl Kerschl's "The Abominable Charles Christopher" (although it's a bit high-concept for young EFL learners). Anyone have some other recommendations?

If there's any interest from other teachers (or parents) out there, I could whip up a few PDFs of good Gunnerkrigg classroom materials and/or lesson plans, and then perhaps Tom would be kind enough to post them on his website for people to download.

Here's the videos. Enjoy!

"Gunnerkrigg Court, Chapter 1: The Shadow and the Robot" puppet shows with my students.


Reading "Gunnerkrigg Court, Chapter 5: Two Strange Girls" with my students. Part 1


Reading "Gunnerkrigg Court, Chapter 5: Two Strange Girls" with my students. Part 2


Rehearsing "Gunnerkrigg Court, Chapter 1: The Shadow and the Robot" with my students.


(These are Thai students ranging from four years old to ten years old. Most have been a student at my Center for at least a year, so their English is pretty good. And as you can see, kids of ALL ages love GC!)

[fjodor]

You're a really cool teacher, Pidgmelon! Who's their favourite character?

[pudgimelon]

Apr 20, 2009 8:08:53 GMT fjodor said:

You're a really cool teacher, Pidgmelon! Who's their favourite character?

Thanks!

Antimony, of course. Followed very closely by Kat, Mort, and Reynardine.

[Rasselas]

It is so cute, watching the kids react and talk about GC! You're a great teacher.

[chiparoo]

This is several levels of amazing. I'de love to see more puppet shows!

[Tom Siddell]

This is really great. Thanks again for sharing.

I'd like to hear what the kids think of the story as it has continued (if you have read it all). The chapters tend to be longer now, but do they hold their attention? Or do you tend to focus on the earlier chapters?

[todd]

Your mention of "P.S. 238" in the opening post reminded me of one slight parallel between that comic and "Gunnerkrigg Court" (though I think it's a coincidence): Tyler and Parley. Both are "normal" offspring of parents with abilities (Tyler's parents are super-heroes; Parley's father is - or appears to be (I still wonder about him sometimes) - a psychic), and both have been sent to school with other kids who do have unusual abilities (P.S. 238 for Tyler, medium classes at Gunnerkrigg for Parley) in the hopes that it'll trigger those abilities. Though that's where the similarities end, since Tyler is meek and cautious - almost the reverse of the brash and noisy Parley.

[pudgimelon]

Apr 20, 2009 10:33:58 GMT Tom Siddell said:

This is really great. Thanks again for sharing.

I'd like to hear what the kids think of the story as it has continued (if you have read it all). The chapters tend to be longer now, but do they hold their attention? Or do you tend to focus on the earlier chapters?

Thanks, glad you liked it.

In the classroom I tend to focus on the earlier chapters because I don't have time to get very deep into the story in one or two semesters.

Sometimes what I'll do is read a page or two every morning during homeroom as a treat if the kids are attentive and ready for school.

Other times I'll use a particular story line to get the kids interested in a particular topic, and so the reading might lead into a unit on creative writing or science.

In my learning center, we tend to do a lot of projects, so drama and puppets are always popular. We might also build our own robots or ask questions like "How can you give yourself two shadows?" which lead into science projects about light sources and shadows, etc...

However, many kids have gone on to read the later chapters on their own. I've got several 4th and 5th graders who check out GC every time they get a chance to use the computers in my Center. They are deep into the story now, and they've got no problem with the longer chapters.

The vocabulary is still a bit difficult for them, but they actually will sit and read the comic with a dictionary in hand! So that proves they are just as eager to riddle out the mysteries of GC as any other fan .

[Ulysses]

That's amazing! Your work is famous around the world, Tom! I doubt any other webcomics get used as a teaching aide.

[cenit]

Like I said when you shared the bit about the Valentine Cards, this is awesome!!!

Please try to always be the awesome teacher that you are now, it really makes a big difference for the kids

[audacity]

That is wonderful!

[sheldon113]

One other comic that comes to mind that you may find useful is The Dreamland Chronicles. Bu tI still prefer Gunnerkrigg Court.

[Scheherazade]

That's so neat! Also, cute kids. It's great that you can really get them into learning, especially because it has an advanced vocabulary and some very good twists.

[naigel]

How lovely! I find your lessons very creative.

[Tanya]

You are doing such wonderfull work with your students! one of the things I like about Tom's work is that both adults and children can relate to it on different levels. I like that you're also adding the dimension of the students creating science and art related project stemming off the text. you are such a great teacher!

I mentioned once that my 4 year old loves when I read GC to him. I would love to hear more of your teaching ideas, I think he would enjoy that. thank you for sharing!

[uskuri]

This is adorable. I bet you really enjoy your job.

[pudgimelon]

Here's the script for the puppet show:

Gunnerkrigg Court – Chapter 1: The Shadow and the Robot
Narrator: This is a story about Antimony Carver. She is in Grade 7QN at Gunnerkrigg Court. It is a very strange school.
Annie: Hey, I have two shadows!
Teacher: Can I help you?
Annie: Teacher, I have two shadows!
Teacher: I don’t see anything. Stop playing and finish your homework.
Narrator: Annie talks to her new shadow.
Annie: Can you speak English?
Shadow2: Yes, I can.
Annie: What do you want?
Shadow2: I need help!
Annie: Help with what?
Shadow2: I want to escape!
Annie: Where do you want to go?
Shadow2: I want to go home!
Narrator: Shadow2 is from the forest. The forest is across the river from the school.
Annie: Can you cross the bridge?
Shadow2: No, it has too many lights! I will die!
Annie: Then I will build a robot! It can walk!
Teacher: Can I help you?
Annie: I want to make a robot, can you show me how?
Teacher: No, I cannot. Stop playing and finish your homework.
Annie: Don’t worry Shadow2, I will help you get home!
(Annie sees a room with a sign: “NO Spare Robot Parts!”)
Annie: Hmmm......
Narrator: Annie finds a box of robot parts. She makes a robot. It has one arm.
Annie: Hello, Robot.
Robot: Hello! Thank you for putting me together!
Annie: Can you take Shadow2 home?
Robot: Yes I can!
Annie: What if you fall down?
Robot: I will try my best!
Annie: OK, Shadow2, you can go home with Robot.
Shadow2: Thanks Annie!
Robot: Do I have to come back?
Annie: Only if you want to...
Annie: Bye Robot! Bye Shadow2!
Shadow2: Bye Annie!
Robot: Bye Mommy!
(robot is walking, and making noise, CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!)
Shadow2: I’m scared!
Robot: Don’t worry little buddy! I’m good at walking!
(the Tic-Toc birds come to watch, TIC-TOC, TIC-TOC)
Shadow2: Look! I see birds!
Robot: Nice birdies!
Narrator: Robot walks into the forest. Shadow2 is home.
Shadow2: Hurray! My family!
Robot: I think I will look for a new arm.
----
Teacher: Ms. Carver. What are you doing outside?
Annie: Sorry teacher, I got lost.
Teacher: Come inside, it’s time for class.
Narrator: The end!

(You'll notice that we used the present tense as much as possible. With native-speaking kids you can get away with more complex verb tenses, but with EFL kids it's a bit of a no-no at first).

Puppets can be drawn and colored on regular paper and then glued onto card-stock and taped to a wooden stick, or taped to a small paper ring to be used as finger puppets. Alternatively, the kids could use paper plates to create masks (an adult should cut the eyes out with a scissors for safety reasons) and then dress up as the characters and perform it as a play.

I also use the computer program Scratch, which allows the children to easily create animated versions of their plays. They create models out of old toys, clay, random junk, and paint, and then take photos of those models in front of painted backgrounds posed in different positions. Then they transfer those photos into Scratch and use the software to record their voices to match the script and their photos. They can also add visual effects and animations to the final product. One of the great things about letting the kids record their own voices is that it provides the children with instant feedback on their pronunciation, volume and clarity. And since THEY decide if it is good enough, there is no stress or loss of confidence that often comes when an adult corrects a new English speaker.

If you haven't downloaded Scratch for your kids already, I highly recommend it. It's the modern version of "Turtle", and teaches kids basic object-orientated computer programming skills as well as helping them with visualizing complex problems in their heads. It essentially allows you to teach C++ programming skills to kindergarteners by turning functions and commands into lego blocks.

Scratch is also a blast for adults too, I play with it all the time .

[pudgimelon]

I got inspired to write some guidelines for teachers/parents on how to select and use a webcomic for teaching young learners. I submitted the article to webcomics.com and they've published it.

If you're interested, please read it. Thanks!

[dork457]

Adowable!

[kaziklu]

This is indeed a very good thing. Mind you, I learned English by watching cartoons on Cartoon Network back when I was little. I am not joking. If it's interesting, kids will go to great lengths to understand it. This not only shows the quality of Gunnerkrigg, but also the latent ability of children to comprehend quality. I'm guessing the Gunnerkrigg cast will have way more success in teaching kids a foreign language than say, Dora the Explorer.

In short, keep it up pudgi!

[pudgimelon]

Apr 21, 2009 15:28:45 GMT kaziklu said:

This is indeed a very good thing. Mind you, I learned English by watching cartoons on Cartoon Network back when I was little. I am not joking. If it's interesting, kids will go to great lengths to understand it. This not only shows the quality of Gunnerkrigg, but also the latent ability of children to comprehend quality. I'm guessing the Gunnerkrigg cast will have way more success in teaching kids a foreign language than say, Dora the Explorer.

In short, keep it up pudgi!

Actually, the two little girls in the front row of that reading video are avid Cartoon Network & Disney Channel fans, and it does WONDERS for their English.

The other day I was asking them to come up with words for particular sounds (like "k" or "z"), and they were giving me words like "zucchini" and "bounce" and "cookie". Mind you, these are 4 and 5 year-old non-native speakers, so some of the words they were coming up with so an impressive vocabulary range.

So I think you're right, comics and cartoons have a unique potential to help young learners grasp a language quickly.

[pudgimelon]

This kind of stuff always makes me smile:



This girl had a homework assignment from her teacher at school. She was told to draw a little "poster" about water conservation (probably for Earth Day or Loy Kratong). So she draws some students saying something about turning the faucet off or some such thing. Do they look familar?

I think it's kind of neat that when these kids grow up and talk to their friends about their favorite childhood cartoon/comic characters, they'll probably say something like: "Doraemon, Ariel the little mermaid, and Annie" .

[KudoS]

I'd recommend Kate Beaton, but most of her stuff is Canadian history. Although all of her comics involving her Younger Self are hilarious.

No Rest For the Wicked is much darker and creepier, but so far there hasn't been anything that wouldn't be unacceptable in a classroom, I think. (Then again, this is coming from the girl who had the Tailypo book in her first grade classroom.)

EDIT: Jeez, and how could I forget Kukuburi?! That comic is perfect for kids.

[krazehpenguin]

Heh, that's really cool that you do that.

After looking through my favorites folder, I remembered a webcomic called 'minus.' by Ryan Armand. It's a completed story.

The story is about this little girl named Minus, who has reality bending powers. I thought it was very entertaining and cute.

[rallan]

Apr 20, 2009 12:39:46 GMT Ulysses said:

That's amazing! Your work is famous around the world, Tom! I doubt any other webcomics get used as a teaching aide.

Well there's Penny Arcade for teaching English to highschool students in Japan. But that's about all I can think of, and it's not (quite) as awesome as this