Goals
Brief description of the issue
A strong endorsement of gender stereotypes is associated with higher school dropout rates, for boys as well as for girls. These stereotypes are widely shared by some of the most popular comic book characters, particularly those targeted at children. It is therefore important to put specific activities on this topic in place (like this one!) to break down gender stereotypes with children.
This lesson plan named Comic Book Characters has been created by MediaSmarts, “a Canadian not-for-profit charitable organization for digital and media literacy. Our vision is that children and youth have the critical thinking skills to engage with media as active and informed digital citizens.”
According to the website’s description, this lesson brings students to “look at how male and female characters are depicted in comic books. Using a Comic Book Analysis sheet, students will record the attributes of male and female comic book characters. As a class, students will record common attributes on a master sheet and discuss what messages about men and women are reinforced. In groups, students will be asked to design and create a non-stereotypical comic book character.”
Click on the link below to download the lesson plan.