Module 7
Question: What is your own view of comics and graphic novels? Did you and do you read them?
Question: What is your own view of comics and graphic novels? Did you and do you read them?
I grew up reading Batman, Superman, The Justice League and The Avengers. Growing up I was a reluctant reader; too much text scared me. Enter comic books. It felt good being able to finish a long comic (especially if it included a long story arc). It wasn't until I was older I realized character development (relationship between heroes and villains) and plot. Presently, I savour reading historical graphic novels (and maybe the odd DC/Marvel comics).
I am a proponent of using graphic novels in the classroom. I enjoy the sophistication of both visual images and text. Some graphic novels can be simple with a minimum amount of text (e.g. Bone) while others can be complex with a heavy theme (e.g. Maus). Graphic novels are multimodal and supports students' ability to visualize and understand ideas. Similar to wordless picture books, graphic novels are great to teach inference skills. Readers will use their imaginations to turn the words on the page into images in their minds. Also, students can use these skills to imagine what happens between each panel. Graphic novels provides an opportunity for reluctant readers to get excited about reading. Dialogue is short (but complex) and the combination between text and images may deliver the same amount of information similar to a descriptive paragraph. Often, graphic novels contain more advanced vocabulary than traditional books at the same grade level. Thus, readers are actively decoding scenes and comprehending the relationship between the text and images.
During my 3-year reign as teacher-librarian, a goal was to increase the amount of graphic novels in the library. With strategic planning, an eye-catching showcase and book talks, circulation with graphic novels soared. Students were requesting to have their favourites on hold or to purchase more from either the series or author. I had a conversation with a colleague regarding the purchases of graphic novels. She used the common term "comic books" and "not good literature." It was not until I supplied suitable articles about teaching strong reading strategies using graphic novels that she came back to apologize. Teachers should not present graphic novels as an alternative to regular text-only reading, but as a different and useful format. And teachers might also consider graphic novels as another tool in differentiating reading instruction (Boerman-Cornell, p.77)
I am a proponent of using graphic novels in the classroom. I enjoy the sophistication of both visual images and text. Some graphic novels can be simple with a minimum amount of text (e.g. Bone) while others can be complex with a heavy theme (e.g. Maus). Graphic novels are multimodal and supports students' ability to visualize and understand ideas. Similar to wordless picture books, graphic novels are great to teach inference skills. Readers will use their imaginations to turn the words on the page into images in their minds. Also, students can use these skills to imagine what happens between each panel. Graphic novels provides an opportunity for reluctant readers to get excited about reading. Dialogue is short (but complex) and the combination between text and images may deliver the same amount of information similar to a descriptive paragraph. Often, graphic novels contain more advanced vocabulary than traditional books at the same grade level. Thus, readers are actively decoding scenes and comprehending the relationship between the text and images.
During my 3-year reign as teacher-librarian, a goal was to increase the amount of graphic novels in the library. With strategic planning, an eye-catching showcase and book talks, circulation with graphic novels soared. Students were requesting to have their favourites on hold or to purchase more from either the series or author. I had a conversation with a colleague regarding the purchases of graphic novels. She used the common term "comic books" and "not good literature." It was not until I supplied suitable articles about teaching strong reading strategies using graphic novels that she came back to apologize. Teachers should not present graphic novels as an alternative to regular text-only reading, but as a different and useful format. And teachers might also consider graphic novels as another tool in differentiating reading instruction (Boerman-Cornell, p.77)
**Note: all book covers retrieved from Amazon.ca
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References
Boerman-Cornell, B. (2013). More than comic books. In Educational leadership. 70(6), 73-77.
Boerman-Cornell, B. (2013). More than comic books. In Educational leadership. 70(6), 73-77.