Editorial cartoonists are made -- not born

SW Parra, an artist at The Bee, challenged a classroom of fourth- and fifth-grade students at Nelson Elementary School in Pinedale to create editorial cartoons. The winner was Zhuam Navarro, who was concerned about air pollution. Good for her! The cartoon showed alternative transportation options people should use instead of always driving their cars. Good point, Zhuam! Steve Parra used curriculum from the Newspaper in Education organization if you want to try this lesson in your own classroom.

The winner received a $25 gift certificate to Aaron Bros. Zhuam had never been there, so her world was about to get much bigger.

Do you draw editorial cartoons for fun? If so, e-mail them to me at gmarshall@fresnobee.com and if not -- give it a try, you might like it. Here is some inspiration: www.editorialcartoonists.com and if you click on classroom lessons on the left, you can teach yourself how to do it!