Teachers

The Mysterious World of Dr. Biology is a creative and flexible classroom teaching tool. This page provides theory and practice, along with lesson plans and state and national standards. The comic book adventure works well for the following curriculum areas.

• language arts
• fine arts
• science
• technology

This adventure mystery is provided in comic book format. In it we have a collection of biology-based science clip art that can be downloaded and used in the classroom to construct comic book stories. An instrument key is included as part of the packet and can be used to keep the stories based on real-world technology and terminology. However, there is no reason that students cannot be left to their imagination when constructing their comic book, or should we say, reconstructing the many mysteries that surround Dr. Biology's laboratory.

As an added motivation for students, we plan to publish the most creative stories on the Ask-a-Biologist web site. If your students do submit stories, please be sure they fill out the "Top-Secret Declassification Release Form" (a.k.a. permission to publish and distribute their stories on the Web).

We have prepared a document that details the teaching standards for both National and Arizona teaching standards. We have also included links to some excellent resources for using comics in the classroom at the bottom of this page. If you to plan to use the materials, please take the time to fill out and submit the permissions request form. It is one of the ways we are able to continue Ask-a-Biologist and develop new content.

Teaching Standards

Arizona

National

Theory, Practice, and History behind comic books in the classroom.

Comics In Education by Gene Yang

Using Comics and Graphic Novels in the Classroom  from NCTE

Pow! Zap! Wham! Creating Comic Books from Picture Books in Social Studies Classrooms by Gregory Bryan, George W. Chilcoat, and Timothy G. Morrison

Lesson Plans

Comics in the Classroom as an Introduction to Genre Study by Lisa Storm Fink
this lesson requires:

• Access to the Internet
• Comic Creator Student Interactive
• Overhead or LCD projector
• Examples of comics

Comics in the Classroom as an Introduction to Narrative Structure by Lisa Storm Fink
also found on this page are:

• Comic Strip Narrative Rubric
• Comic Strip Narrative Planning Sheet
• Plot Structure Graphic Organizer

The Comic Book Show and Tell by James Bucky Carter
also found on this page are:

• Comic Book Primer
• Sample Comic Script and Visual Interpretation
• Comic Book Scripting Techniques
• Comic Book Planning Sheet Comic
• Vocabulary Interactive
• Comic Vocabulary Definitions

Suggestions about Ask-a-Biologist materials are always welcome and can be submitted using our "Feedback" form.

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