About this book
Subject Area: Language Arts
Reading Level: 2.5
Book Summary
George and Harold, heroes of the Captain Underpants series, are back! This time, they chronicle the adventures of Super Diaper Baby and his sidekick, Diaper Dog. Can the heroic duo save the world from evil Deputy Doo Doo? Humor and adventure abound in this sure-to-please graphic novel.
Objective
Students will understand the graphic-novel format and create their own comics.
Standard: Students will use reading skills and strategies to understand a variety of texts (e.g. fairy tales, folktales, fiction, nonfiction, legends, fables, myths).
Before Reading
Comics Are Everywhere!
Comics are a unique form of literature. Perfect for beginning or reluctant readers, they present information using a combination of text and illustration.
- Introduce the concept of graphic art to your students. If possible, bring in an example of a comic (cut from a local paper or magazine).
- Send your children home to be comics detectives. Ask them to bring back one example of a comic. They may look in books, newspapers, magazines, copy down something seen on television, or print something from a home computer.
- Share the samples with your class.
Teaching Plan
Activities
My Comic Adventures
Your class can create their own superheroes!
- Using The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby as an example, ask your students to invent their own comic adventures. Depending on your students' abilities, you may wish to do this individually or as a class. Explain that superheroes tend to have superhuman abilities — what special skills would their superhero possess? Each student should come up with his or her own superhero. Encourage students to use their imaginations, the wackier the better!
- Distribute paper and pencils. Allot a certain amount of class time to this project. Students should write and illustrate to the best of their abilities.
- At the end of the allotted time, share each student's stories with the class. Or, if this has been a class project, read the finished story aloud.
Post the finished project(s) on a classroom bulletin board.
In My Own Words
Students can compare and contrast straight narrative with the comics style.
- After reading the story, ask each student to think about the story that George and Harold have presented.
- Using no illustrations, have students recount the adventures of Super Diaper Baby, from start to finish, in their own words.
- Ask each student to read his or her narrative aloud to the class.
- Talk about the differences and similarities between each student's version. Talk about any nuances that were lost (or gained) in "translating" the story into narrative format.
- If time allows, let students practice drawing the characters using the instructions provided at the back of the book.
Other Books by Dav Pilkey
Dogzilla
A monstrous mutt terrorizes the residents of Mousopolis.
Kat Kong
A spoof of the story of King Kong, with cat and mice characters.
Dog Breath!
Hold your nose! Because here comes the dog with the worst breath in the world?
The Captain Underpants Series
Meet George and Harold's first creation — the amazing Captain Underpants! Children will laugh out loud at the antics of this offbeat superhero...and his creators.
The Ricky Ricotta Series
Ricky Ricotta is a small mouse, but he can do amazing things with the help of his Giant Robot. Evil-doers, beware!
Lesson Plan by Rebecca Gómez
- Part of Collection:
- Subjects:Confronting and Resolving Fears, Cooperation and Teamwork, Main Idea and Details, Literature, Compare and Contrast, Literary Devices, Story Elements, Summarizing, Reading Response, Listening and Speaking, Literature Appreciation, Creative Writing, Narrative Writing, Creativity and Imagination, Class Projects, Visual Arts, Educational Standards, Teacher Tips and Strategies
- Skills:Literary Elements, Compare and Contrast, Drawing Conclusions, Main Idea and Details, Summarizing, Listening and Speaking, Descriptive Writing, Narrative Writing
