1. Once students have read and enjoyed Chester the Crab, talk about the start of the French and Indian War and that it is their turn to become authors. Tell students that the goal is to have them, individually or in pairs, finish the story and provide a more complete “picture” of the event.
2. Provide a list of content ideas for them to focus on. Students then need to research that aspect of the French and Indian War. For example, they may choose a specific event to write about or they may focus on an individual; they may use their text book or supplementary sources to gain information. Students need to create all the parts of the strip in order to be effective. See Rubric.
3. Try to ensure that students cover the key events, people and geographic locations of the French and Indian War. Have students complete a prewriting activity. Here, they plan for the characters, scenes and actions they want in their comic strip. Also, they decide the content of the strip by determining what the captions will be about. The teacher may have students choose which part of the time period they want to focus on or the teacher may guide students’ decisions.
4. Ask students to create a comic strip on one page of paper.
5. When the cartoons are complete, have each student present the ideas and characters of his/her comic strip to the class. Have them explain their research and how they presented it in a creative and humorous way. The teacher may ask the class to take notes as each student presents the information.
6. End the lesson with a discussion by having students predict, what do they think happens as a result of the French and Indian War? Students may hypothesize; Britain may raise taxes immediately to pay for cost of war, increase conflict with the colonists…American Revolution.
