Classroom comic kit · lesson 6 of 6
Reading manga right to left: a lesson for grades 3–5
Grades 3–5 · 30 minutes. Students explain that some manga are printed the Japanese way, from the back cover and right to left, and number a page's panels in both reading orders.
Materials
- Print the storyboard, 6 panels template, one each.
- A manga printed right to left, from the class or school library
- The student sheet, one each
- Pencils
Steps
- Hand a student a right-to-left manga and ask them to open it to page one. Watch what happens, then let the class explain.
- Show the right way in: the spine on the right, start at the top right of the page, move left, then down a row.
- Explain why: in Japan, books open this way, and many English editions keep the art as it was drawn.
- On the sheet, students number the panels of the left page in comic order, then the same layout on the right in manga order.
- Compare with a partner. Where did you disagree? Most mix-ups are in the top row.
- Students plan a three-panel strip at the bottom of the sheet that reads right to left, panel 1 on the right.
Quick check for understanding
Answer key for the sheet: comic order is 1 2 / 3 / 4 5, row by row from the left; manga order is 2 1 / 3 / 5 4, from the right.
For every learner
More help: Put a small arrow in each row of the manga page before students number it.
A stretch: Look at a right-to-left manga and find a speech bubble order: which bubble do you read first when two share a panel?
Standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.7 · CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.7 · CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.7 · CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.1
Common Core English Language Arts codes; the wording is in your state's copy of the standards.
The two pages, as they print
Reading right to left (manga)
Grades 3–5 · 30 minutes · Peabody's classroom comic kit
Goal
Students explain that some manga are printed the Japanese way, from the back cover and right to left, and number a page's panels in both reading orders.
Materials
- Print: the storyboard, 6 panels template, one each
- A manga printed right to left, from the class or school library
- The student sheet, one each
- Pencils
Steps
- Hand a student a right-to-left manga and ask them to open it to page one. Watch what happens, then let the class explain.
- Show the right way in: the spine on the right, start at the top right of the page, move left, then down a row.
- Explain why: in Japan, books open this way, and many English editions keep the art as it was drawn.
- On the sheet, students number the panels of the left page in comic order, then the same layout on the right in manga order.
- Compare with a partner. Where did you disagree? Most mix-ups are in the top row.
- Students plan a three-panel strip at the bottom of the sheet that reads right to left, panel 1 on the right.
Quick check
Answer key for the sheet: comic order is 1 2 / 3 / 4 5, row by row from the left; manga order is 2 1 / 3 / 5 4, from the right.
Every learner
More help: Put a small arrow in each row of the manga page before students number it.
A stretch: Look at a right-to-left manga and find a speech bubble order: which bubble do you read first when two share a panel?
Standards (Common Core codes)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.7 · CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.7 · CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.7 · CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.1
Which panel comes first?
Write a number in each circle: the order you read the panels.
Plan a 3-panel strip that reads right to left. Panel 1 goes on the right.
Nothing is typed into this page and nothing is sent: the student sheet prints blank, to fill in by hand.
The other lessons
- The parts of a comic · Grades 2–5
- A 4-panel retell · Grades 2–4
- Sequencing: panels in order · Grades 2–5
- Sound words and onomatopoeia · Grades 2–5
- A comic book report · Grades 2–5
All six are on the classroom comic kit.