Schools

The Superheroes: Words Are Our Power Project was made possible by funding from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.

Super heroes stand up for what is right and change the world for the better, with this WoW literacy project doing just that!

'As a result of working with Writing on the Wall, the pupils developed and expanded their existing vocabulary and continued to apply this to their future pieces of writing in school.'

Super Heroes: Words are our Power sees children across Merseyside create brand new super heroes that reflect them and the world they live in. An exciting take on a school literacy project the children create stories and comic strips that are then published into a professional comic book, with each child receiving their own copy. With the likes of Marvel comic artist, writer and editor, Tim Quinn flying in to teach a class, this literacy project has been inspiring thousands of children across Merseyside. 

Tim Quinn was born in Liverpool in 1953. He spent many years as scriptwriter, illustrator and editor on such noted titles as The Beano, The Dandy, Sparky, Buster, Dr Who Magazine, and Whizzer & Chips before he headed Stateside to work for the mighty Marvel Comics Group on the world famous Spider-Man, X-Men and The Incredible Hulk.

During five sessions, children create a super hero, write several short stories and create a comic strip, all for publication. The project develops their literacy and creative writing skills, looking at narrative and character creation through writing bursts, creative mind mapping and hot-seating.

‘The children at Blackmoor Park Junior School really engaged from the beginning and the project appeals to all children. Having Tim Quinn, from Marvel, deliver a session was brilliant. The boys who were reluctant writers have been doing their own work at home and bringing it in, really trying harder with their writing. One child with behavioral issues was grabbed from the very start, he has written so much more than usual and produced more than we would have expected!’ 

Year 5 Teacher, Blackmoor Park Junior School
 

Getting a chance to create their own superhero gives students a chance to produce a world of their own; a place of diversity and inclusivity. Creating Super Heroes is great way to encourage students of all abilities to think creatively and critically, often challenging the world they live in. Students who are deemed as underachieving thrive in a creative and engaging environment, engaging with literacy in a new and accessible way.

‘The sessions were fully inclusive, enabling all of our learners to access the writing activities and really helped one of our own pupils to build self-confidence who included her own disability as a positive in her own story.’

Year 6 teacher, Holy Cross Primary.