When Tech Goes Too Far — Comic Activity Book for Kids, Ages 7-12 | Reading Comprehension & Critical Thinking

The car locks them in. The cameras are watching. And Gizmo has a crypto opportunity Bruno would be mad to miss.

Three comics about technology behaving exactly as badly as we all quietly suspect it does - and a reader young enough to still be deciding what they think about any of it.

The three comics

• Electric Car Scare - Duchess, Bruno and Boxer get a shock when the car turns on them.
• Surveillance State - Bruno is unsettled by cameras watching everything. Gizmo says it's nothing to worry about. Gizmo owns the cameras.
• Gizmo's Crypto Scam - Bruno invests in a sure thing. Reader, it was not a sure thing.

What's inside

• All three comics in colour and black-and-white
• Question sheets that work through each story properly
• Blank comic panels so they can draw their own
• Full answer sheets, plus a guide explaining the three levels of questioning
• 16 pages

The questions do more than they look like they do

Each comic is followed by three kinds of question: find it in the story, work out what wasn't said, and then decide what you think about it. Literal, inferential, evaluative - none of which appears anywhere on the page. As far as your reader is concerned, they're just arguing about a comic.

This one starts conversations. Whether a camera on every corner is a good idea is not a settled question in most households, and the pack is happy to leave it open.

Who it's for

Ages 7 to 12 - particularly the ones already online, already asking questions, and already being sold to.

What you'll receive

Printed Booklet - a 16-page booklet posted to your door from the Gold Coast.
Digital Only - the same 16 pages as an instant download, yours to print as often as you need.

Curriculum alignment

Australia (ACARA, English Years 4-6) - comprehension of literal and implied meaning; analysis of characters, events and ideas; creating literary texts; understanding how visual features make meaning; discussing texts and expressing opinions.

United Kingdom (Key Stage 2) - drawing inferences about characters' feelings, thoughts and motives; predicting from stated and implied detail; planning and developing creative writing.

United States (Common Core, Grades 4-6) - RL.4.1-6.1 drawing evidence to support inference; RL.4.3-6.3 describing characters and events; RL.4.7-6.7 analysing visual elements; W.4.3-6.3 narrative writing.