Prototype

Challenge A: Comics

September 17, 2025

This comic is being created as an extension to my light and sound unit that I created for grade 1 students. I chose the topic because of my interest in science and the excitement of being able to help students learn about light and sound through short yet detailed information. My goals for the project are to create a comic that is clear and concise that students can read with their parents as a form of review of the light and sound unit prior to an interview style evaluation. My hope is that students will engage with the comic in a way that develops a fascination for light and sound and science as a whole, with the overall goal of creating lifelong learners.  

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Understand 

Describe the challenge 

The purpose of the comic is to teach elementary students about the properties of light and sound, the difference between natural and artificial sources and where they can be found in their environment. 

Context and audience

The focus audience for this comic will be for students in grades 1-3, as they are beginning to explore the ideas and concepts of light and sound. In extreme cases, this comic could be used in a middle school or high school science classroom to teach the basic facts about light and sound before delving into more complex topics. For younger learners their needs are to be able to understand difficult topics through easy to follow visuals and relatable characters that align with the BC elementary curriculum. The goals of the comic are to understand concepts related to light and sound and to connect their findings to simple concepts or ideas that they have unknowingly observed in their lives, as well as begin to develop scientific vocabulary. The motivation for the comic comes from younger students’ love for stories and colourful images along with their curiosity about the natural world. 

Demographic

Since this comic will primarily be used for students aged six to nine, representing a diverse cultural background, it is important to consider the language being used. In public and private schools at the primary age, many students are still developing in their reading fluency and comprehension; therefore, it is important to tailor the comic using clear language and descriptive images. As well, since the properties of light and sound are new to many students, using simple vocabulary is key and encouraging students to read it with their families as a support system. 

Psychographic/Behavioural

Primary elementary students tend to have short attention spans; therefore, this comic supports students who may struggle to concentrate for long periods of time. In elementary school I was reluctant to read, which caused me to fall behind my peers. The hope with the comic is that for those students who are reluctant to read they are hopefully more likely to find joy in the strong visual element. Elementary students enjoy stories with characters they can relate to or find amusing, which makes a comic format ideal.  

POV statement

Elementary students at the primary age need to learn about the properties of light and sound through age appropriate language and graphics in order to make connections to their real life environment and develop a lasting passion for science. 

Learning objectives (taken from the BC elementary grade 1 curriculum) 

– Natural and artificial sources of light and sound (sources) 

– Properties of light and sound depend on their source and the objects with which they interact

– Examples: brightness, colour

– Interactions of light with different objects create images and shadows

– Light interactions can make plants grow, make shadows, or cause sunburn, depending on the source and location (seasons depend on light from the sun and how spread out the sun’s rays are)

– Examples: pitch, tone, volume

Sub learning objectives

– Develop reading comprehension and proficiency

– Begin to understand key scientific vocabulary

– Encourages a discussion of science with family members

– Promotes a love for science

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Plan (Ideate, Sketch, Elaborate)

Ideation

I wanted to connect my comic to myself as an elementary teacher and how I could make a resource that would help me in my future classroom. I thought back to the different units that I taught and instantly I wanted to do something related to science that would serve as a final review for a unit. As media, I looked through the BC grades 1, 2 and 3 curriculums and my previous unit plans that I had made. Through interest and applicability to real world concepts I made the difficult decision to focus my comic on the concept of light and sound instead of matter. 

Promising prototype

My most promising prototypes were “Matter Matters”, which looks at two characters (Rick and Joe) learning about the different states of matter. My other most promising prototype and the one I decided to use is “Light and Sound Adventure” which is a story of Lisa and Larry as they look to learn about the complex world of light and sound. 

Storyboard

I hand-drew my images from a script that I made, which follows the sequencing of my light and sound unit plan. I am not a great artist, so my pictures are not the best, but I plan to use Canva to create my final comic so it is more visually appealing. 

Principles applied

The principles applied were Dual Coding Theory, Active Processing, segmenting, contiguity principle and germane load. 

– Dual coding theory: Since our brains are broken into two parts, one for pictures and words, the comic uses both at the same time to help students learn better. 

– Active processing: How the comic is broken up into panels will hopefully make it easier for students to think about the information, sort it and connect to prior learning. 

– Segmenting: Ideas are broken down into smaller parts; therefore, a student can review each panel to gain an understanding before moving to the next one. 

– Contiguity principle: Related pictures and words are kept together to make it easier for the reader and give context clues. 

– Germane load: Since the information is repeated from the unit, it should hopefully be just the right effort to help students remember the content long term.