The Nibelungenlied is an epic poem set in pre-Christian Germany. The tale contains many adventures, fights, and triumphs. In this activity, students prepare a graphic-novel version of the Nibelungenlied.
To introduce this activity, the teacher gives students a synopsis of the Nibelungenlied and describes the various interpretations of the saga (including Richard Wagner’s opera and J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings triology). The teacher then explains that the class will create a graphic novel of the Nibelungenlied on a continuous scroll of paper. The teacher shows models of various graphic novels and discusses the conventions of graphic novel representations.
Students are divided into groups of three or four, and each group receives one chapter or section of the Nibelungenlied as its assignment.
After reading their sections, the groups meet to discuss possible graphical representations of the action in their chapters and present their ideas to the teacher for approval. After gaining approval, student groups work, one group at a time, to draw and color their chapters on the scroll. When the scroll is finished, each group makes a short presentation explaining what happens in their chapter and how they chose to represent the action. The final scroll can be displayed around the classroom walls or along a school hallway.
Materials required by the students:
None
Materials required by the teacher:
Easel paper roll (200 feet)
Markers, colored pencils, and crayons
Copies of Nibelungenlied chapters for students (or refer students to Http://omacl. org/Nibelungenlied/)
World History
