Graphic Novel Unit Final Due: Thursday, May 5

Reader’s Workshop
Rubric

For this final project, there are two choices: a creative option where you script a comic, and an
analysis option where you complete an OPTIC analysis of pages from your book. Pick one and
follow the directions. Read carefully.

Creative Option
Goal: to create a short, original comic or comic script

Purposes: to deepen our visual analysis skills; to develop and practice our ability to combine art
and text in thoughtful and meaningful ways

Directions:
1. Decide on what you want your final product to look like. Do you want to write out a
script? Draw thumbnails? Or do you want to try and write a polished, finished comic?
2. Outline. No matter which final product you want, outlining your story is an important
step; you want to make sure you know where you’re going before you start. This can be
done in a Doc or a scrap of paper.
a. General Steps:
i. What do you want your story to be about?
ii. Who do you want your story to be about?
iii. What do you want to happen in your story?
1. Make a list of possible events and then decide which events you
want to occur and put them in a logical order
iv. What are some ways you can visually represent some of the events in
your story? Brainstorm
b. Some other possible ways to outline are listed and explained here
3. Begin scripting your comic. Along with panels and gutters, you must use at least 5 other
features of graphic novels (list is below in requirements). Remember to be thoughtful of
the relationship between art and text you’re creating
a. It may be helpful to review How to Script a Comic or read this.
4. Peer Review: Exchange scripts with a classmate. Using the rubric provided, evaluate each
other’s work and provide feedback. Edit your scripts based on feedback.
5. OPTIONAL: If you have decided to create a finished comic, your next step is to bring your
script to life. Using a blank sheet of paper, draw out your comic.
6. Analysis: In one bulky paragraph, analyze your own work and explain why you made the
choices you made. Thoughtfully use 5 of the vocab words below in your analysis; for
 example, explaining why you decided to have multiple small panels with no frames, or
why you didn’t use any captions and instead chose to only use spiky speech bubbles.
Explain the effect these choices have on your work.

Requirements:
● Minimum panels: 9
● Minimum pages: 2
● You must use at least 5 of the following features: open panel, inset panel, foreground,
background, splash, bleed panel, speech bubble, special effect lettering , sound effects
(SFX), caption, emanata (review these words here)
● The story must be your own, and any images must be your own
● It must tell a complete story with a beginning, middle and end
● If you are writing a comic script that does not involve drawing you must be clear,
specific, and detailed about the visuals
○ Weak:
■ Panel 1: man thinking
■ Panel 2: his daughter enters the room and says, “Dad!”
■ Panel 3: his daughter runs towards him happy, and she leaps into his
arms. He hugs her happily
○ Strong:
■ Panel 1: zoomed out, on the right, a tall man sits in a chair, slumped with
elbow on knee, hand cupping his chin, face scrunched in thought.
■ Panel 2: in the upper left, in a bold and childish handwriting, loud, “Dad!”
Man is bolt straight, surprised, eyes wide. Jolted
■ Panel 3: we see 4 separate images of the daughter, 3 getting closer and
closer to her father, with the last showing her about to jump until at far
right we see the 4th image of her jumping in her standing father’s arms,
hugging
OR
■ Panel 3: we see a close-up of the girl mid action running to the right. We
do not see her father in this panel, but know she is running towards him
■ Panel 4: a similar shot to before, however now her knees bend, ready to
leap, smile still on her face
■ Panel 5: in her father’s arms, hugging, both smiling
● You must include a written piece where you explain the choices you made (Step 6)
○ You can use “I” statements! “I decided… I wanted…”
Analysis Option
Goal: to write two, one-page analyses on two pages from one of your graphic novels.

Purposes: to deepen our visual analysis skills; to develop and practice our ability to write
nuanced analysis on the relationship between art and text

Directions:

1. Pick two pages from your graphic novel. They do not have to be next to each other, but
they should be visually interesting and significant in some way.
2. Complete an Optic Analysis for each of the pages. This is your brainstorming and a rough
draft of sorts. Follow all the instructions, including using and analyzing 4-6 vocab words
per page.
3. First Draft: Using the information from your first OPTIC Analysis, begin writing the first
draft. It should include all the same parts, but should flow and run smoothly with
transition sentences and follow writing conventions. Depending on your OPTIC Analysis,
you may need to go into more detail.
a. If you are having difficulty expanding, think about the following questions:
i. What effect does [element] have on the story? The reader?
ii. Why might the author have chosen to do [element] the way they did?
b. When you have finished writing your first OPTIC analysis, move on to your
second chart and your second analysis.
4. Insert Photos. You can take a picture of the page with you phone or find the image
online, and insert it on its own page after its analysis (So the document would have,
Analysis 1, Picture 1, Analysis 2, Picture 2)
5. Solo Review:
a. Double check that you’ve included all aspects of the OPTIC analysis (Overview,
Parts, Title & Text, Interrelationships, and Conclusions.
b. Read your analyses out loud to yourself to check for clarity, grammar, and all
those other things that are easier to catch when speaking
6. Peer Review: exchange analyses with a classmate and use the provided rubric to
evaluate each other’s work and provide feedback. Edit your work based on feedback.
7. When you are satisfied with your work, you may submit on Canvas

Requirements:

● Must include all aspects of an OPTIC analysis

● Along with your written analysis, submit images of each of the pages you analyzed.
● Two pages long, about one page per analysis
○ double spaced, 1-inch margins, Times New Roman 12