‘Digital Characters’ Lesson Plan Kirk Palayan Computer Animation Class

Culminating Task and Student Outcomes: Students will be able to develop characters on the computer. The characters are based on the stories they wrote using the writing process. Students will rely on stories, model sheets and the storyboards they developed for the creation of the digital characters. These characters will be used in the cartoons they will animate.

Materials: Students’ third draft of stories, model sheets, storyboards, computers and Adobe Photoshop/ Macromedia Fireworks computer programs.

Motivator: Students are required to complete the class project cartoon. This will require that students learn to use the Adobe Photoshop/Macromedia Fireworks program, to create their characters for the cartoon.

Introduction and Background Information: For the past month, all students have been involved in the pre-production process of cartoon production. Each student has developed a story using the writing process-(Brainstorming, 1 st Draft, Revising, Editing, Final Draft). They have also developed the style and design of their cartoons by creating model sheets and a storyboard. These steps have led up to each student being able to develop digital elements of their stories for the cartoon.

Process: After showing a video excerpt of animators behind the scenes of a cartoon, the class will again discuss the importance of planning for a cartoon. After this discussion occurs, students will be taught and then questioned about the steps and specifications for using the Adobe Photoshop/ Macromedia Fireworks programs. These programs will be used to develop characters and backgrounds for the cartoons. Students will be asked to have the model sheets and the storyboards of their stories out during the character development process, as reference.

Assessment / Evaluation: Students will be required to create all the characters and the settings (backgrounds) for the cartoon by next week. Throughout the week each group will be monitored for the creation of the characters and backgrounds. The digital images will be graded on how accurately each student was able to develop the characters and the backgrounds by following all of the references they had developed for the cartoon.

Enrichment / Extension: Students will develop computer skills in animation along with reviewing the step by step process of creating a cartoon that is the intended end goal. My Computer Animation Class was featured in the ‘California Educator’, a magazine For educators. You can view the article here-