Teaching Graphic Novels in the Classroom -Ryan J. Novak

Yaritza Morales English 486 Graphic novel outline: -     In Teaching Graphic Novels in the Classroom: Building Literacy and Comprehension, Novak presents a wide range of graphic novels that can be implemented to teach literature. Novak explicates that teaching graphic novels can help students with reading anxieties, students need visuals to enhance their literature experience, and learn how to analyze and interpret the graphic novel.

Description:

This is a great resource book because it presents suggested timelines on how long it can take for teaching a chapter, discussion questions, additional resources to connect text to text, essential questions, essay topics, handouts at the end of each chapter for projects or activities.  Novak does a great job throughout each chapter to connect the suggested graphic novel to another text, self, and world. 

In chapter 1, it’s called History of Comic Books and Graphic literature it explicates how in each era comic books or graphic novels changed. In Chapter 2, this section called Superheroes it has student pay attention to recurring themes of a superhero’s story. In chapter 3, it’s called Fantasy that focuses on the Sandman because it emerged this new genre. In chapter 4, Novak explains the rise of science fiction due to World War II. Chapter 5, Manga was heavily influenced by U.S. occupation in Japan and Novak focuses on the theme of self-identity. In chapter 5, Fiction concentrates on the idea that comic authors created comics on real world issues, like political corruption, drug abuse, and faith. In chapter 7, Biography and Memoir explicates how authors told their own stories in comics or novels. In chapter 8, the Teenage Experience it is about teenage alienation, racial identity, racial stereotype, and experiences. And the final chapter, the teacher can have students create their own graphic novel.

WHY????????

 

-I chose this text because I wanted lesson ideas on how to incorporate graphic novels inside my future classroom. As a future Social Studies and English teacher, I can use graphic novels in various ways. Before reading this book, I did not know much about graphic novels or comic books. I understood that graphic novels can help ELLs or students struggling with reading fluency. I was fascinated to learn that comic book authors integrated various elements occurring in the real-world. After reading this book, I gained a better understanding what graphic novels are and how I can use it. This text influenced my thinking on how to teach certain history curriculum. 

 

Teaching Ideas: 

      I.        Since I am a Social Studies major, if I was teaching a lesson on the Holocaust, I would use the graphic novel Maus. The author Art Spiegelman addresses racism in a symbolic way in his use of cats and mice. I would incorporate free-writes, small-group and whole class discussion, and an essay at the end of the reading. In the different parts of Maus, Novak presents really good essential questions that I can use in the whole-class discussions.

    II.        For my future English language arts classroom, I would use Ghost Worldthat explores the teenage experience or American Born Chinesethat is about racial identity. I think this would be a great opportunity to use graphic novel that students may relate too. Incorporating this lesson on the teenage experience would give me the opportunity to connect with my students and create classroom culture. Before assigning my students the writing activity, “My Own Ghost World” I would share my personal essay that I wrote for that assignment. 

  III.        I can use V for Vendettain my Social Studies or English language arts classroom. After reading the novel, I would have students complete a fun activity where they would be placed in small groups. Each group would be responsible for a different aspect of culture to speculate the future. Once they figure out as a group what clothing, education, religion, etc would be like they would share that information with each group. As a class, we would create this fictional world and discuss why each group imagined the future that certain way. 

Challenges

A challenge I may anticipate is students feeling insecure when sharing their thoughts and opinions. If I incorporate one of the teaching ideas I came up with, it involves a lot of small and whole discussion. As well as, group activities that involves sharing and communicating difficult topics. I understand that having my students create a fictional world and taking into account current events to drive their thoughts and ideas, it can bring up political disagreements, various views of culture and other aspects of government. I hope that I do not encounter this classroom challenge since I am planning build a strong classroom culture at the start of the school year. For example, in my current placement we have been discussing ancient forms of government and one of the students attempted to connect it to current events. I was shocked when I heard one of my sixth graders state to that student, “let’s not get all political.” The other student automatically stopped to share her thoughts and ideas because the other student asked her to not go there. I want my students to respect one another and understand that individuals will have their own stance on certain topics. Before diving into a lesson or activity like the one for V for Vendetta, I would have students watch Ellen de Generes episode. The episode where she discusses the moment of her and George W. Bush at the Cowboys game. She reminds us that we all have different beliefs and that those beliefs should not define the relationships we make with others. 

Final Thoughts

I think that this is a great resource book that all English language arts teacher would benefit from. The book presents various activities, readings, media, and information on how to incorporate graphic novels inside a classroom that builds literacy and comprehension. Especially, as new teachers we can grab teaching methods and lessons from this book that we can make our own. This book also presents great teaching strategies that will build a student-centered classroom. 

Visual Literacy

I believe using various forms of media is important to a student’s learning. As a Social Studies teacher, I can use media so that students can interpret, investigate, and communicate values that are portrayed in an image. I want students to understand that images can be interpreted differently as well as, that images can have different themes, messages and biases. As a teacher, I want to use various types of media inside my classroom because I believe visuals helps students remember what they have learned. I recall learning about WWII in middle school and specifically about the Invasion of Normandy. I enjoyed and recall so much information on our unit about WWII because at the end of the unit we got the chance to see Saving Private Ryan that provided an amazing visual of what occurred in the battle ground. I believe that as a teacher, anytime I can integrate media with the curriculum I am teaching it will increase my future student’s learning engagement. When a student can view and/or listen to media, it can engage all students and help English Language learners, IEP or 504 students, and overall help all students. In today’s society, media is such a big impact on children’s lives that I think that teachers should integrate it within the class. Today, students enjoy creating short video clips, podcasts, music, and use other forms of technology that students can use to illustrate what they have learned and present information. In my placement, my mentor teacher uses this online program called Kahoot. It is an educational game-based program that provides students an opportunity to use technology in their learning process. The students were beyond excited to learn about first, second, and third person narration because it was made into a game. The teacher creates the trivia quiz and students are in pairs with laptops ready to answer. This also great for the teacher because he can assess if students or class still needs further instruction on the material.  

Speaking and Listening

The first thing that stood out to me and I agree with is that in the U.S. we discourage silence in conversation and prepare to respond rather than listen. As teachers, we must teach students how to listen, critically think, and respond respectfully. In the reading it suggests for teachers to encourage students to respond directly to what the last student said before they add their ideas or new comments in small or large group discussions. A teacher had not previously told or presented me with this communication skill. So many times, I catch myself interrupting others and it is such a bad habit I am trying to break. Most of the time it is because I have an idea in my head that I want to say before I forget it. But this is so rude of me because it is showing or making the listener feel that I do not care what they are saying. I do not want my students to have these same bad habits, so I would like to use some of the strategies that the book provides. I believe the book provides great strategies that educators can use to help students become effective participants in group discussions. It suggests starting with pair discussions to help those shy students who may not contribute to larger groups. As a teacher, I do not think I would have discussions graded because I do not want shy student’s grade to be impacted by it. As a teacher, the hardest suggestion it presents is being ok for wait time period for response from students. I think teaching the concept of silently thinking before responding is very important in any discussion a student may have outside or within a class. 

In evaluating the common core standards for speaking and listening, there are major differences of what is expected of students in different grade levels. As a teacher one cannot expect a fifth grader to go and research, evaluate, and find evidence in texts in preparation for a discussion the following day. By twelfth grade, students can research other texts that can support their claims, draw conclusions, and be able to create thoughtful ideas that stimulate further discussion. During discussion, the common core for speaking for a seventh grader is a lot different to a twelfth grader. The speaking common core for seventh graders still applies the concept of appropriate communication behavior like eye contact, using inside voices, and clear pronunciation. Whereas, for a twelfth grader speaking common core standards concentrates on conveying information with organization, style, and development that allows listeners to follow. As the school-years progress, each standard develops from the year before and the skills or application advances further. 

Blog 3

In “Discussions as a Way of Teaching” by Brookfield it states that discussions fail because there are unrealistic expectations, unprepared students, no ground rules, reward system askew, and no teacher modeling. I believe before having small or large group discussions, as a teacher I have to create a safe learning environment for students. In the beginning of the year, I would like to implement academic team-building exercises so students learn and understand the environment they will be learning in. I believe that implementing discussions inside in all content areas is important to help students do collaborative learning. In the article, it lists common claims for discussion on how it helps students. I agree that discussion helps students explore diversity perspectives, develops habits for clear communication, become connected to a topic, and recognize and investigate their assumption. Those common claims are so true and important for me to implement inside my Social Studies classroom.  I want students to be able to analyze, critically think, connect, and share their ideas on the given topic we may be covering. 

I really enjoyed this article because it provided a set of ground rules for class discussions and in-group discussion models. My favorite technique for setting ground rules is allowing students to develop those rules for discussion. I want my future students to feel and know that I care of their thoughts and ideas. In creating those ground rules together, it helps develop community within the class. I believe this would change student’s view from seeing these as rules from the teacher to behavior expectations of one another. I also believe that it is important to check if students are prepared for full group discussions. One of the suggestions from the article is doing a learning audit, where we question the students on what they know. This can be in a form of a 3-2-1 exit ticket where they write three things they learned, two thing they want to learn, and one question on the day’s lesson. In receiving this feedback, as a teacher I can evaluate what I need to reteach, what interest the students, and determine whether students are ready for discussion. 

Blog 2

In the reading Lieb evaluates the impact of culture distance between Japanese students and NESTs.  The research explicates that students had a significant amount of stress and anxiety learning from a Native English-speaking teacher. It was interesting to read that there might be some moral conflicts that can arise because of the cultural difference. From personal experience it was stressful learning English from a Native English speaker. But I believe that my teachers did a great job creating a culturally diverse classroom. I did not feel that the culture distance defined my interaction or learning within the class and my teacher. I did not begin to learn how to speak, read, and write English until I started Kindergarten because my parents and family’s native tongue is Spanish. I understand that the study evaluated college students and that there is a difference learning English as a child versus as an adult. But I question the comment that the social distance makes it more difficult for learners to acquire proficiency in the new language. Throughout my years in school, I was at a culture distance with various teachers because there was a significant amount of non-Hispanic teachers. I believe that my family as well as educators carry high standards or beliefs about the importance of education. Even though I may not have had the same cultural, ethnic, or religious background as my teachers we shared the belief on the importance of education. I also think that in the university level since professors have the freedom to teach their curriculum how they see is best fit. As students we stress and get anxiety at the beginning of the quarter because we do not know the instructional environment we are going into. I do strongly agree that if teachers had similarities or knowledge of their student’s cultural background it would help students achieve within a class. It seems very uncommon for Japanese students to learn from a Native English-speaking teacher, whereas in the United States it is a common thing. In the reading it explains that there was a significant amount of frustration and misunderstanding between the students and teacher because of the culture difference. I believe that the NESTs should have taken the time to research Japanese culture to have a better understanding of it and create a positive learning environment.