CharactersAges 8–11
Top Secret Character File
A detective-style file on your main character: portrait, facts, what they want, what they fear and their secret.
Story sheet · Comic strips · Ages 8–11
The Silent Comic
Draw a four-panel comic with no words at all, then write the story it tells underneath.
- Ages
- Ages 8–11 (grades 3–5)
- Time
- about 35 minutes
- Part of a story
- Comic strips
- Kids practice
- showing, not telling, facial expression and body language, turning pictures into prose
What kids do
“No words allowed in the boxes! Tell it all with pictures, then write it.”
- Now write the story your comic tells:
How to run it
- Remind kids that faces and arms do the talking: big eyes, slumped shoulders, a jump.
- Swap comics before writing: a partner writes the story of your comic.
- Compare the two versions of the story.
Talk about it
- What did you draw to show a feeling without words?
- Did your partner read your comic the way you meant?
- What is easier to show in pictures than in words?
Take it further
Rewrite one panel as a paragraph with dialogue.
Draw first, then write
Free for home and classroom use. Print as many copies as you need.
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Story Map
Draw the map of your story world, mark the danger and the secret spot, then plan the route from start to finish.
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Two friends meet in a two-box comic. Fill their speech bubbles, then draw what happens next.
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