GACW Fall 2025 - Week 5: Plot & Comic Panels
1. Welcome: “Tell Me Something Good”
2. Warm-Up Game: Fortunately / Unfortunately
Students build a story alternating “Fortunately…” and “Unfortunately…” sentences.
Example:
Fortunately, Max brought cupcakes to school.
Unfortunately, the cupcakes were filled with hot sauce.
Fortunately, the teacher loved hot sauce.
Debrief: This back-and-forth tension is the heartbeat of plot — goals, problems, and solutions.
3. Mini-Lesson: Plot Made Simple
A. Introduce “Somebody… Wanted… But… So… Then…”
Define the five parts:
Somebody = main character
Wanted = goal
But = obstacle
So = action to overcome it
Then = resolution
Examples:
Somebody: A student named Jordan
Wanted: to win the science fair
But: their volcano project exploded too early
So: they scrambled to turn the mess into a new experiment about chemical reactions
Then: the judges laughed, loved the creativity, and gave Jordan the “Most Original” award.
Somebody: Maya
Wanted: to have a party and bake a cake for her friends
But: she confused the sugar with salt
So: she changed the theme of the party to “worst cake ever”
Then: her friends laughed and she won the “worst cake” award
Somebody: A parrot
Wanted: to learn how to sing opera
But: every time it hit a high note, the windows rattled
So: it practiced secretly in the basement
Then: it surprised everyone at the pet talent show and won first place
Somebody: Jamie
Wanted: to sit with his friends at lunch
But: the tables were full
So: he asked a new student if he could sit with them
Then: he made a brand-new friend
Comic Connection:
Each panel = one “beat” of the plot.
SWBST can be stretched or compressed depending on how many panels you draw. (Ours today are 14 beats).
4. Brainstorming Practice
Create a couple of SWBST story skeletons.
5. Project: Comic Panel Page
Students choose one story skeleton.
Draw 5 panels (or more if they prefer), one for each major beat.
Include dialogue or captions. Stick figures are fine — clarity is the goal.
6. Sharing & Feedback
