Project kits

17 September 2025

Literacy and creativity through comics

This project brings together primary school pupils from different countries to discover the joy of reading and writing through comics.

A woman and a group of children sitting at a table with books and pens

Mikhail Nilov / Pexels

By taking part in storytelling, vocabulary-building activities and creative writing tasks, pupils will improve their literacy skills while learning about each other’s cultures. Each class will create its own part of a larger story, which all classes then combine into one shared comic book, based on shared themes and ideas from their partners. Pupils will communicate with their international partners along the way to share ideas and feedback and reflect on their personal reading and writing journeys.

Objectives

pupils will learn to correctly use new vocabulary in context
pupils will collaborate with an international partner to create a short comic story, completing at least one scene together (including both narration and speech elements)
each pupil will present one selected part of their comic work to the class (or online audience)
each pupil will identify and describe at least two key elements of a comic (such as setting, dialogue, action) using examples from their own or others’ work

Introduction of partners

To introduce themselves to their project partners, each pupil creates an ‘About me’ poster in which they draw themselves as a comic hero and include their special power. The posters will be shared on TwinSpace to help partners get to know each other in a fun and creative way.

Each class will prepare a group introduction that includes their school’s location, photos of their classroom and something about their typical day.

All project partners collaboratively create a map of the participating schools.

Suggested tools: Padlet, Google Slides, Canva

Orientation

Teachers will introduce the project theme and explore basic literacy and storytelling concepts with pupils. They will begin by discussing why we read and write stories, then move on to what makes a good story – focusing on structure, characters and key elements such as a clear beginning, middle and end. Finally, pupils will explore what comics are and how they are built, including panels, speech bubbles and visual storytelling.

Pupils will also explore examples of comics and identify key elements like setting, dialogue and action. Each class will brainstorm and vote on a theme for the comic book (e.g. friendship, adventure, kindness).

Communication

Pupils will mainly communicate in the forum and during online meetings using the BigBlueButton.

Once some pupils post their introduction posters, the others can ask them questions about their character in the forum. Online meetings can also help pupils discuss and identify topics for their comics or introduce themselves and their comic character.

In other online meetings, each partner class can present the beginning of a short story. Pupils from other countries vote or suggest how it should continue. This activity encourages speaking, listening and creative input.

‘Guess the scene!’ (forum game): One class posts a comic panel without text. Pupils from partner schools guess the dialogue or what's happening, then the original class reveals the real version in the replies.

‘Comic characters interview’ (online session): Pupils take turns pretending to be their comic character during a live call. The others ask simple questions, such as ‘Where do you live?’ and ‘Do you have a superpower?’. This activity builds oral skills in a playful way.

Suggested tools: TwinSpace forums, Padlet, Flip, Canva

Collaboration

Pupils from different countries are paired up to co-create a short comic book. To identify their interests, teachers will ask pupils to vote on a topic and then pair them according to common choices.

Idea exchange: Pairs use a forum to introduce themselves and exchange comic ideas. They decide together on a theme, characters and setting for their story.

Co-creation of comic scenes: Each pupil contributes to the comic by drawing panels, suggesting dialogue or describing actions. For example, one pupil draws the first panel, the other adds speech bubbles, then they swap roles for the next scene. Teachers help with scanning, uploading and combining content digitally or pupils can use an online comic creation tool independently.

Peer communication: Pairs communicate through the forum to discuss story progress and vote on decisions (e.g. ‘Should the character go into the cave or climb the mountain?’).

Literacy challenges together: Each pair completes small tasks that are part of the process, such as ‘Use 3 adjectives to describe your hero’ or ‘Write a problem and solution in two panels’.

Comic presentation: Each pair presents their finished short comic book to the whole group in an online session or shared gallery. They briefly introduce their story and what they liked about working together. The other pairs make comments and, at the end, they vote for the one they liked the most, the one with the best storyline, the funniest one, and more.

At the end of the project, all comic books will be combined and published as one shared online edition, serving as the final output.

Evaluation & Assessment

During the project, teachers monitor how pupils use new vocabulary, their ability to describe characters, settings and actions, and how effectively they collaborate with their partners. Teachers offer support and guidance when they are needed.

Pupils are encouraged to assess their peers’ work by participating in online discussions and forum activities, providing constructive feedback where appropriate.

At the end of the project, each pair receives the comic book of another pair and assesses it using a shared rubric, introduced at the start of the project. The rubric includes criteria such as clear story structure, use of narration, creativity in characters and setting, and overall presentation.

Pupils also complete a final questionnaire to test their knowledge, reflect on their experience and suggest improvements. Teachers can also be provided with a similar questionnaire to share what worked well, the challenges they faced and their recommendations for future editions of the project.

Follow up

Pupils can organise a simple workshop (e.g. a ‘Comic Day’) for other pupils in the school, showing them how to create a comic book – from choosing a theme and designing characters to writing dialogue and narration. Also, pupils could visit a nearby kindergarten to read their comics aloud to younger children.

Comic books can be published digitally and/or in print and shared on the school website and TwinSpace. Parents can be informed through newsletters, school events or social media.

Teachers can present the project during staff meetings or training sessions to promote similar practices.

Finally, pupils might take part in school-wide or local events, and storytelling competitions. Their comic books can also be submitted to national or European contests where appropriate.

Additional information

Age from:

7
Age to:

11
Difficulty:

Intermediate
Education type:

School Education
Target audience:

Teacher

Student Teacher
Target audience ISCED:

Primary education (ISCED 1)

Literacy and creativity through comics

Additional information

Topics

School subjects

Key competences