Dude Let's Read

a Preface This report is part of Senior Project course (1006480). It has been prepared as a collection of cartoons and exercises for the use of self-learners and readers who are interested in learning English. The main purpose of this report is to provide an alternative learning material for students, readers, or people who are interested in comic strips and English language learning by providing English language tasks or exercises based on the English proficiency level (CEFR) focuses on B2 level vocabulary, phrases, and idiom. The cartoon/comic strips and exercises under the title “Dude, Let’s Read” is a cartoon based on two ordinary Mae Fah Luang students doing their regular but somehow hilarious and weird together. Hopefully, this report will be one of an assisted material on learning English as well as being an entertaining cartoon for leisure purpose.

b Table of Contents Contents Preface .................................................................................................................................................... a Table of Contents.................................................................................................................................... b Introduction............................................................................................................................................. 1 What is cartoon? ................................................................................................................................. 1 Benefits of reading cartoons ............................................................................................................... 1 Objectives ........................................................................................................................................... 2 Language used in cartoons.................................................................................................................. 2 How to read cartoons .......................................................................................................................... 2 Steps of reading cartoons and exercises.............................................................................................. 2 Cartoons and Exercises “Dude, Let’s Read” .......................................................................................... 3 Cartoon: No. 1..................................................................................................................................... 5 Cartoon: No. 2..................................................................................................................................... 7 Cartoon: No. 3..................................................................................................................................... 9 Cartoon: No. 4................................................................................................................................... 11 Cartoon: No. 5................................................................................................................................... 13 Cartoon: No. 6................................................................................................................................... 15 Cartoon: No. 7................................................................................................................................... 17 Cartoon: No. 8................................................................................................................................... 19 Answer Key .......................................................................................................................................... 21 Glossary ................................................................................................................................................ 22 References............................................................................................................................................. 23

1 Introduction What is cartoon? David Kunzle (as cited in Meskin, 2007, p. 369) stated that cartoon is a form of pictorial narration using images and texts to tell a story. Casually explained, a comic strip or cartoon is a type of images that have been set in order to tell a story. Cartoons can be separated into two main types as explained by Zhao and Mahrt (2018, p.218-219); 1. Picture comic; a type of comic displays pictures as the main presentation, and somehow let readers see a number of texts such as the title or author names. 2. Text-picture comic; an optional type of comic that applied juxtaposed texts and pictures to create narration. Words and conversations are primarily presented in speech balloons which are used to illustrate the character’s dialogue and idea. Benefits of reading cartoons Reading cartoons as a choice for learning can give numerous advantages to readers. For example; 1. Cartoon has a good effect on visual. Any pictures shown with text messages or visual can help readers to understand the information correctly, can read the content again and again, can boost the understanding of the text, can give more believable data, can point out an important info and repeat it in more interesting way, and can make texts more attractive and grab readers’ attention (Liu, 2004, p.226). 2. Cartoon is a good way to relax and motivate readers to read more. Cartoon is a clear choice for relaxing and self-rewarding. This reading type can make people to engage with the material, and can make readers aim for further reading and enhance more literacy (Krashen, as cited in Karap, 2017, p.243). 3. Cartoon can be a great tool for learning language. It is because readers can read comic anytime at any speed, which makes comic a very good material in language learning as well as the ability to read comic repeatedly, so it can make reader understand better and remember better, as pointed out by Drolet (2010, p.125)

2 Objectives In order to provide an optional study material for English language learning as well as entertainment, the objectives of the cartoon will be as follows; 1. To create cartoon strips for entertainment and relaxing. 2. To provide the alternative English language exercises in the form of comic focusing on the improvement of English vocabulary. Language used in cartoons The form and structure of words and sentences will be in the complete sentence with the use of English vocabulary according to the English proficiency skill based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The focusing level of English applied in the cartoon will be B2 level which is the upper intermediate level of English language. This language level is suitable for students who can use English in academic and professional environments. How to read cartoons The series of cartoon strips will be set of images with bubbles of speaking that come in four tiles ordered like the letter Z; starting from the top left panel then go to the top right panel, then go to the bottom left panel, then go to the bottom right panel. Students or readers are required to read from each panel one-by-one to understand the content. Steps of reading cartoons and exercises 1. Each chapter of cartoon will include a set of exercises. Read carefully on every panel and try to understand and remember the information given in each specific cartoon. 2. After finished reading the cartoon, do the exercise provided on the next page of cartoon. 3. There will be 8 totals of cartoons with 8 set of exercises. Try to do all of the exercises. 4. After finishing the exercises, check the answers from the answer keys page.

3 Cartoons and Exercises “Dude, Let’s Read” Character Introduction Dude and Man who have been friends for some times are students from Mae Fah Luang University. They live at the same room and like to hang out together around the university. In some weird ways, everything they have encountered is always strange and “fun” because Dude will try to make fun of anything, leaving Man awkward every times.

4

5 Cartoon: No. 1

6 Cartoon No. 1: Exercises VOCABULARY: Choose the correct answer 1. Pass away A) die B) find an answer C) pass through events D) pass items to someone 2. Anxious A) happy B) tired C) confident D) worried and afraid 3. Drastically A) move slowly B) have a few amount C) in a way that is severe and sudden D) reading by using a lot of focus 4. Faith A) lie , false statement B) a speech by someone C) an idea about something D) great trust in something COMPREHENSION: Choose the best answer 5. When Dude told his friend that they will “pass away together”, what is his point? A) to cheer his friend up B) to tell his friend to die C) to go away from their house D) to tell his friend to accept the death 6. What problem did Man worried about? A) money B) family C) Covid-19 D) study 7. Why did Man said “it is not the right word to say” when Dude said the phrase “pass away together”? A) it actually means “die” B) he wants to make a joke C) he did not want to pass away D) he thought Dude will give him something

7 Cartoon: No. 2

8 Cartoon No. 2: Exercises VOCABULARY: Choose the correct meaning 1.) An arm and a leg A) very expensive B) to lose one arm and one leg C) to use arm and leg an money D) to be able to move by one arm and one leg 2. Worth A) new B) useless C) having a particular value D) making a lot of money 3. Evolution A) the act of learning B) a process of development C) the act of setting the value D) an event showing something COMPREHENSION: Choose the best answer 4. Why did Dude lose his arm and leg? A) IPigeon ate his arm and his leg B) he got into an accident C) he sold it for money D) he misunderstood the phrase “cost an arm and a leg” and exchanged it for IPigeon 5. How much is IPigeon? A) 999,999 $ B) 999,999 ฿ C) 999,999,999 ฿ D) 999,999,999 $ 6. What happens to IPigeon after Dude shows it to Man? A) it dies B) it explodes C) it flies away D) Man steals it

9 Cartoon: No. 3

10 Cartoon No. 3: Exercises VOCABULARY: Choose the correct meaning 1. Underwhelming A) to be under something B) plain, nothing C) very strong D) boring, not making any excitement 2. Hold up A) wait a minute B) hold items by hand C) hold items above the head D) keep something at a low level 3. Assigned A) to accept something B) to think about something C) to give a job to someone D) to make or create something 4. Referred to A) to present a work B) to talk about someone or something C) to open something D) to make or create something COMPREHENSION: Choose the best answer 5. According to frame No. 2, what does “this” refer to? A) the meaning of the word “this” B) the meaning of the word “underwhelming” C) the reason why he had to do the assignment D) the reason why Man was sleeping 6. What subject did they study? A) mathematics B) science C) English D) drawing 7. Why did Dude get angry with Man? A) Man was lazy and sleepy B) Man took Dude’s assignment C) Man did not do the assignment for Dude D) Man explained the wrong meaning of the word

11 Cartoon: No. 4

12 Cartoon No. 4: Exercises VOCABULARY: Choose the correct meaning 1. Fabulous A) new B) unique, outstanding C) very good, excellent D) colorful, bright 2. Ripped A) large B) torn, cut open C) clean D) dirty, messy 3. Sneakers A) a long pants B) a long sleeves shirt C) an item placing on the head D) a soft shoe for sports or casual occasions 4. Effort A) the good use of time and energy B) the result of a particular influence C) physical or mental activity to achieve goals D) an uncontrolled expression of strong emotion COMPREHENSION: Choose the best answer 5. Why did Dude get punished? A) informal hairstyle B) rude and violating manner C) inappropriate uniform D) the administrator got jealous on Dude’s clothes 6. Who is the man wearing a glasses in frame 4? A) janitor; cleaner B) teacher C) businessman D) prefect; administration staff 7. By doing “new year, new me”, what did Dude do? A) dying his hair B) wearing fashion clothes C) having a girlfriend D) focusing on studying

13 Cartoon: No. 5

14 Cartoon No. 5: Exercises VOCABULARY: Choose the correct meaning 1. “Run away” or “running away” A) to exercise by running B) to see someone running C) go somewhere by running D) escape or leave the place, person, situation, or problem 2. Quite A) at all times; on all occasions B) making little or no noise C) to a certain or fairly significant extent D) with a great deal of sound 3. Guess A) answer with less knowledge B) answer correctly C) a small piece of practical advice D) exact and accurate COMPREHENSION: Choose the best answer 4. Does Dude really like running? Why? A) yes, he likes to exercise B) no, he prefers playing football C) yes, he doesn’t want to stay still and sleep D) no, he will choose running away from problems rather than running 5. Man likes many sports EXCEPT? A) basketball B) running C) golf D) football 6. How did Dude feel after running? A) he’s tired B) he’s happy C) he’s bored D) he’s sleepy

15 Cartoon: No. 6

16 Cartoon No. 6: Exercises VOCABULARY: Choose the correct meaning. 1. Impossible A) to get better B) to introduce new products C) to invent or make something D) something that cannot happen 2. Blame A) to hit hard B) to speak too proudly or happily C) showing likes/dislikes based on feelings D) to say that someone did something wrong 3.) Diligent A) an unpleasant person B) careful and using a lot of effort C) sad or discouraged D) a fault or problem 4.) Fantastic A) extremely good B) not complete C) not real D) extremely interesting COMPREHENSION: Choose the best answer 5. What subject did they take an exam? A) English B) Chinese C) French D) Thai language 6. Who has better grade? A) Man B) Dude C) both have good grade D) both have bad grade 7. What trick did Dude use to explain his grade to his parent? A) he lied about how each grade is called. B) he lied that he got an A C) he lied that he got a full scores D) he told the truth that he failed

17 Cartoon: No. 7

18 Cartoon No. 7: Exercises VOCABULARY: Choose the correct answer 1. Mind-blowing A) not good B) not violent C) extremely surprising D) being in the middle 2. Thoughtful A) strong B) carefully considering things C) firmly or closely D) hard work 3. Hidden A) extremely funny B) to (cause to) stop C) to make something exiting D) not easy to find 4. Eye-opening A) an idea or belief that is not true B) surprising, and teaching you new facts C) hard to describe D) very attractive or noticeable COMPREHENSION: Choose the best answer 5. What is in Dude’s mind? A) fire trucks B) his friend, Man C) examination D) philosophy 6. What is the funny point? A) the phrase “MY GOD!” B) the time when Man asked Dude that he is okay or not C) a picture of fire truck in frame No. 4 D) Dude and Man realize that fire trucks are not “fire” trucks then they make funny face 7. Did Man agree with Dude about fire trucks? A) he did not listen to Dude B) he disagrees with Dude C) he agrees with Dude D) he has no opinion

19 Cartoon: No. 8

20 Cartoon No. 8: Exercises VOCABULARY: Choose the correct answer 1. Significant A) important or noticeable B) a normal feeling C) not lying or pretending D) to be a sign of something 2. Achievement A) a loud argument or disagreement B) something difficult that you have succeeded in doing C) the process of doing something D) the process of giving out parts of a whole 3. Award A) to wait for something B) to stay away from something C) to give money or a prize D) to treat someone violently 4. Impressive A) having a powerful effect B) necessary or of great value C) impossible to find same opinion D) causing someone to respect and approve COMPREHENSION: Choose the best answer 5. Why did Man make a to-do list? A) he made it as a reminder B) he wanted to make Dude mad C) he did it for Dude D) he did it for fun 6. According to Man’s explanation in frame 2, a to-do list has the following EXCEPT? A) goals B) games C) work D) tasks 7. What is the funny point? A) Dude’s face B) Man writing a to-do list C) Dude doing nothing to complete his to-do list D) Dude listening to music while Man making a to-do list

21 Answer Key Cartoon: No. 1 Cartoon: No. 5 Vocabulary Vocabulary 1. A 2. D 3. C 4. D 1. D 2. C 3. A Comprehension Comprehension 4. D 5. C 6. A 5. A 6. C 7. A Cartoon: No. 6 Cartoon: No. 2 Vocabulary Vocabulary 1. A 2. C 3. B 1. D 2.D 3. B 4. A Comprehension 4. D 5. C 6. C Comprehension 5. B 6. A 7. A Cartoon: No. 3 Cartoon: No. 7 Vocabulary Vocabulary 1. D 2. A 3. C 4. B 1. C 2. B 3. D 4. B Comprehension Comprehension 5. B 6. C 7. D 5. A 6. D 7. C Cartoon: No. 4 Cartoon: No. 8 Vocabulary Vocabulary 1. B 2. B 3. D 4. A 1. A 2. B 3. C 4. D Comprehension Comprehension 5. C 6. D 7. B 5. A 6. B 7. C

22 Glossary The humor point of each cartoon Cartoon No.1: Dude tried to cheer his fried, Man, up by saying that they will “pass away together” as they will pass through all problems together, but it turns out that “pass away” actually means “die or dead”. As a result, Dude mistakenly told his friend to die. Cartoon No.2: “IPigeon 11 Pro Max” had launched and its price was very expensive which made Man said that “it could cost an arm and a leg”. Dude was misunderstood this phrase and actually exchanged or traded his arm and his leg for IPigeon 11 Pro Max. Cartoon No.3: Dude did not know what is the meaning of the word “underwhelming”, so he tried to ask his friend, Man, a question that “what is the meaning of this?” while “this” was the meaning of the word “underwhelming”. Man thought Dude asked for the meaning of the word “this” so he explained the definition of the word “this” to Dude. Cartoon No.4: Dude does a challenge called “New Year, New Me” by changing his clothes to be more fabulous and fashionable. Dude thinks that everyone would give him a full 100 points for his fashion, but the Mae Fah Luang administrative staff gives Dude 50, and what worse is that Dude got 50 hours penalty for inappropriate uniform dressing. Cartoon No.5: Dude and Man go to stadium to exercise. Man talks about his favorite sport then he asked Dude what sports did he like, and Dude answers that he likes running. Man is confused and curious because he did not see Dude running so often. Dude explains that he actually likes “running away” as to escape all the problems and goes to sleep, not the act of running for exercise. Cartoon No.6: Man whines that he will get scolded by his parents for bad grades while Dude did not show any sign of anxiety at all even though he will get F. Man asks Dude why and Dude explains that he told their parent that the grade A means awful, B means basic, C means common, D means Diligent, and F means Fantastic so that his parent will think that F is the best grade. Cartoon No.7: Man asks about what is on Dude’s mind. Dude explains that he think about the “ultimate and eye-opening” fact about how fire trucks are not actually trucks that on fire, but it actually means that trucks that carry water to put out fire. Cartoon No.8: Man makes a to-do list and Dude shows his to-do list to Man. Man is very disappointed on Dude as he finds out that his friend’s to-do list is actually nothing, which means Dude is very lazy.

23 References Drolet, C.A. (2010). Using Comics in the Development of EFL Reading and Writing, TESOL Review, 123-140 Karap, Z. (2017). The possible benefits of using comic books in foreign language education: A classroom study. KÉPZÉS ÉS GYAKORLAT: TRAINING AND PRACTICE, 15(1-2), 243-260. Liu, J. (2004). Effects of comic strips on L2 learners' reading comprehension. TESOL quarterly, 38(2), 225-243. Meskin, A. (2007). Defining comics?. The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, 65(4), 369-379. Navila, A., Komala, A., Yuliviani, D. (2019). The Use of Comic Strip to Improve Students.docx. The Use of Comic Strip to Improve Students, 7. Zhao, F., & Mahrt, N. (2018). Influences of comics expertise and comics types in comics reading. International Journal of Innovation and Research in Educational Sciences, 5(2), 218-224