Prince Caspian

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Character Comic”

In this activity, students illustrate a scene from the novel in comic book form, using pictures, dialogue, and descriptions to show a character’s experiences and explain how they are important to the plot.

Choose one major character from the novel and consider a moment in which they are particularly pivotal or an experience that is especially significant to their development. How might you represent that scene in comic book form?

• Review the scene as depicted in the novel, paying particular attention to any wording you’d like to include in your comic. Consider how you can visually depict the scene’s impact on/significance for the character you chose, including how many panels you will need (7-10 total is likely a good target).
• Plan what you will depict in each panel, including illustrations, dialogue/thought bubbles, and narrative description. Then, create your comic, either by hand or using a digital tool.
• Share your comic with the class and explain why this scene is important for this character.

Teaching Suggestion: This activity asks students to consider critical moments in character development—i.e., a scene in which a character experiences something that causes them to change, demonstrates how they have changed, or both. It may be helpful to brainstorm a handful of such moments as a class before beginning. For example, one of Prince Caspian’s significant experiences is meeting Doctor Cornelius; this helps him understand his family’s past and learn more about Narnia’s problems, which in turn prompts his escape from King Miraz and the major plot events that follow.

Differentiation Suggestion: Kinetic learners might instead choose to act out the scene of their choice and then afterward discuss its significance.