Use graphic novels to teach visual and verbal literacy
While our kids today are communicating outside the classroom in abbreviated text bursts with visual icons, teachers are required to teach them to critically listen, think, and read and write complex texts. Graphic novels are a uniquely poised vehicle we can use to bridge this dissonance between student communication skills and preferences with mandated educational goals.
Worth a Thousand Words details how and why graphic novels are complex texts with advanced-level vocabulary, and demonstrates how to read and analyze these texts. It includes practical advice on how to integrate these books into both ELA and content-area classrooms and provides an extensive list of appropriate graphic novels for K-8 students, lesson suggestions, paired graphic/prose reading suggestions, and additional resources for taking these texts further.
- Provides research to back up why graphic novels are such powerful educational tools
- Helps you engage diverse student learners with exciting texts
- Shows you how to make lessons more meaningful
- Offers advice on implementing new literary mediums into your classroom
Perfect for parents and teachers in grades K-8, Worth a Thousand Words opens up an exciting new world for teaching children visual and verbal literacy.
Table of Contents
Notes of Thanks vii
Preface ix
About the Authors xi
1 Graphic Novels: Fears and Facts 1
Fears 1
Facts 4
How and Where to Find Graphic Novels 8
Moving Forward: Using this Book to Help You Read and Integrate Graphic Novels into Your Curricula 9
2 Why Use Graphic Novels? Why Now? 11
Graphic Novels Improve and Enhance Teaching Methods 11
Graphic Novels Motivate All Kinds of Readers and Learners 17
Responding to the Naysayers: The Complex History of Graphic Novels and Why Now Is the Time to Use Them 19
References 21
3 Foundational Skills in Graphic Novels, Part 1: Reading Pictures 25
Visual Literacy: Teaching How to Critically Read an Image 26
This Assessment: Understanding What to Expect Developmentally 31
Teaching Visual Literacy Skills to Your Students 33
Moving On 37
4 Foundational Skills in Graphic Novels, Part 2: How to Teach Graphic Novels 39
The Anatomy of a Graphic Novel: Panels 41
The Anatomy of a Graphic Novel: Narrative, Text, and Thought Balloons 45
Gutters 49
Putting This All Together and Taking a Page for a Spin 51
Taking These Basics Further 56
5 Motivation 59
Getting to Know Your Students 59
Are Your Students Comfortable Taking Risks? 60
Are Your Students Artistic? 65
Leveraging Collaboration and Group Work 70
Leveraging Student Affinities 71
6 Using Graphic Novels to Teach Reading 75
Addressing the Challenges of Integrating Graphic Novels into Your Reading Curriculum 75
Using Graphic Novels for Reading Instruction 82
Graphic Novels and Literary Devices 96
Graphic Novels and Character Development 102
7 Graphic Novels and the Writing Process 107
Using Graphic Novels to Teach Writing Prose Fiction 108
Using Graphic Novels to Teach Writing Prose Nonfiction 114
Writing Graphic Novels 124
8 Graphic Novels and Content-Area Curriculum 131
Reasons for Using Graphic Novels in Your Math Classroom 131
Reasons for Using Graphic Novels in Your Social Studies Classroom 138
Reasons for Using Graphic Novels in Your Science Classroom 144
9 Final Words 151
Where We’ve Come From 151
Where We’re Heading 151
Where We May Continue Together 152
Appendix A: Guidelines and Resources to Support Your Reading and Graphic Novel Choices 153
Appendix B: Resources for Creating and Using Graphic Novels in Your Classroom 155
For Making Comics and Graphic Novels 155
For Creating Storyboards 156
Additional Links and Resources 156
Index 157
