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.