This is a fun, easy prompt to get students started on writing and creating comics! It works great for any skill level, even comics beginners.

Examples

Show the class some examples of "if ___ could ___" comics.

• If People Acted Like Dogs (Martin Rosner)
• Great examples for if birds could talk (False Knees)

My own example: If plants could talk

As with any comics lesson, you can take this time to go over basic comics elements and terms.

Choose your topic

I'll give students the option to choose one of these topics:

• If people acted like cats
• If animals could talk
• If objects could talk
  

Of course, you can also pick one topic and have everyone work from the same one.

Brainstorm (optional)

Students can either do a quick little list brainstorm in their notebooks, or you can do a brainstorm as a group based on one of the topics. I love doing group brainstorms because it really gets the ideas flowing. The funnier you can make the example, the more creative and excited kids usually are to get started on their own ideas!

Here's an example that you can put on the board for your students:

If people acted like cats:

• ‍they would scratch up their furniture
• they would try to jump onto shelves
• they would walk on your table and across your keyboard

Students will then choose one or two ideas from their list to draw about in their comic.

Script and draw!

Students can now script out their comics! This lesson makes a great 4-panel comic. I usually check over scripts to make sure that there aren't any panels that have too much information or dialogue in them. Once they're ready, that's when I pass out the comic paper, and I'll usually let them draw their comics in whatever art style they like.

Here's some templates you can use.

If you used this comics prompt, I would love to see what you create! Email me your creations (janice@janiceliu.com) or tag me @janiceliuart on instagram or twitter - it would absolutely make my day.

_{This resource is free to use for students, school teachers, or self-employed tutors and teaching artists! For commercial use, especially if you are duplicating or re-distributing my images and lesson plan, please contact me to inquire about usage terms and fees.}