Eco-Comix has been designed for Years 5-6 high-ability students.  Professional Cartoonist, Sarah Howell has worked in conjunction with members of the Ecolinc team to develop this exciting hands-on VCES workshop. 

The duration of the program is 2 hours which will be broken up into 2 sessions.

The first session will commence with a presentation and Q&A session introducing cartooning as an exciting career pathway and asking, ‘How can cartoons impact on environmental messaging?’ 

After a short break, students will commence a hands-on workshop led by Sarah.  The award winning comic text, ‘World Without End’, will be used as a springboard for students to brainstorm and develop their own environmental comic storyboard using techniques explored in the workshop.

IMPORTANT PREPARATION DETAILS:

1. For this VCES program, teachers will be posted the necessary STEM-in-a-box materials
2. There are limited numbers of tickets available.  Only ONE ticket of up to 25 high ability students per school for each event. 
3. NOTE: Rural and regional students will be a priority in the event of large booking demand.
4. Program flyer VCES Eco-Comix

How to book your group

1. Book your students into either of the dates available.
2. Tickets can be booked using the link below (NOTE: one ticket is for a group of up to 25 students)
3. Download and complete the attached Student details  spreadsheet and email this through to ecolinc@education.vic.gov.au

After your booking is confirmed

Please download the parental invitation and student nomination forms and distribute them to the families of the students.

• VCES Student Nomination Form
• VCES Parent Info

The Victorian Challenge and Enrichment Series (VCES) is an initiative funded by the Victorian Government to extend and engage high-ability students across the state. The series provides opportunities for students from Foundation to Year 12 in Government Schools to participate in enrichment learning experiences that challenge their thinking, build advanced skills, and encourage creativity, problem-solving and collaboration. Delivered by specialist organisations and education providers, VCES programs immerse students in authentic, real-world learning beyond the classroom.

• Year Level: Year 5-6
• Duration: 2 hours

Yes, a kit of resources will be sent to your school

No prior knowledge is required.

In this video conference students will:

• Analyse how visual and written elements in comics work together to communicate complex ideas, using ‘World Without End’ as a mentor text
• Identify how humour, exaggeration and visual metaphor are used to explain scientific and environmental concepts
• Understand that everyday products and activities require energy and resources across their manufacture, transport, use and disposal
• Recognise that human actions have environmental impacts, both visible and hidden
• Apply scientific thinking to explain cause-and-effect relationships between daily choices and environmental outcomes
• Think critically about systems, recognising that simple actions are part of much larger environmental networks
• Reflect on how their own choices connect to broader environmental issues

In this video conference students will:

• Participate in a presentation and question and answer session with a professional cartoonist
• Plan and create an original comic strip that clearly communicates an environmental message to an audience
• Experiment with layout, panels, pacing, captions, speech bubbles and sequencing to enhance meaning and engagement
• Use creative thinking strategies (visualisation, exaggeration, analogy) to communicate complex ideas simply

English – Reading and Viewing

• Explain how different types of texts, both print and digital, adapt text structures and language features for specific purposes.  Explain the effects of imagery and sound devices in texts.  Explain how still images, moving images and sound create point of view.

The Arts: Visual Communication Design – Exploring

• Investigate ways that visual communication practices are used to communicate ideas and information across cultures, times, places and other contexts VC2AVC8E01

The Arts: Visual Communication Design – Developing Practices

• Develop skills in visual communication practices by exploring and experimenting with visual language, methods, media and materials VC2AVC8D01

Science -Science as a Human Endeavour

• Scientific knowledge, skills and data can be used by individuals and communities to identify problems, consider responses and make decisions VC2S6H02

Science – Science Inquiry

• Scientific ideas, findings, patterns, trends and relationships can be communicated for a specific purpose and audience, using various presentation formats, scientific vocabulary and digital tools as appropriate VC2S6I06

Critical & Creative Thinking – Questions and Possibilities

• An extended range of strategies to generate new ideas and possibilities including forming a link between different information sources VC2CC6Q03