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- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Bildung
- Sprache: Englisch
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.
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Seitenzahl: 305
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018
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Table of Contents
COVER
NOTES OF THANKS
PREFACE
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
1 GRAPHIC NOVELS
Fears
Facts
How and Where to Find Graphic Novels
Moving Forward: Using this Book to Help You Read and Integrate Graphic Novels into Your Curricula
2 WHY USE GRAPHIC NOVELS? WHY NOW?
Graphic Novels Improve and Enhance Teaching Methods
Graphic Novels Motivate All Kinds of Readers and Learners
Responding to the Naysayers: The Complex History of Graphic Novels and Why
Now
Is the Time to Use Them
References
Note
3 FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS IN GRAPHIC NOVELS, PART 1
Visual Literacy: Teaching How to Critically Read an Image
This Assessment: Understanding What to Expect Developmentally
Teaching Visual Literacy Skills to Your Students
Moving On
4 FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS IN GRAPHIC NOVELS, PART 2
The Anatomy of a Graphic Novel: Panels
The Anatomy of a Graphic Novel: Narrative, Text, and Thought Balloons
Gutters
Putting This All Together and Taking a Page for a Spin
Taking These Basics Further
5 MOTIVATION
Getting to Know Your Students
Are Your Students Comfortable Taking Risks?
Are Your Students Artistic?
Leveraging Collaboration and Group Work
Leveraging Student Affinities
6 USING GRAPHIC NOVELS TO TEACH READING
Addressing the Challenges of Integrating Graphic Novels into Your Reading Curriculum
Using Graphic Novels for Reading Instruction
Graphic Novels and Literary Devices
Graphic Novels and Character Development
7 GRAPHIC NOVELS AND THE WRITING PROCESS
Using Graphic Novels to Teach Writing Prose Fiction
Using Graphic Novels to Teach Writing Prose Nonfiction
Writing Graphic Novels
8 GRAPHIC NOVELS AND CONTENT-AREA CURRICULUM
Reasons for Using Graphic Novels in Your Math Classroom
Reasons for Using Graphic Novels in Your Social Studies Classroom
Reasons for Using Graphic Novels in Your Science Classroom
9 FINAL WORDS
Where We've Come From
Where We're Heading
Where We May Continue Together
APPENDIX A: GUIDELINES AND RESOURCES TO SUPPORT YOUR READING AND GRAPHIC NOVEL CHOICES
APPENDIX B: RESOURCES FOR CREATING AND USING GRAPHIC NOVELS IN YOUR CLASSROOM
For Making Comics and Graphic Novels
For Creating Storyboards
Additional Links and Resources
INDEX
END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT
List of Illustrations
Chapter 1
FIGURE 1.1 Complex vocabulary and sentence structure in
Zita the Spacegirl
Chapter 3
FIGURE 3.1 Artistic use of text in
March: Book One
FIGURE 3.2 Smokey the Bear advertisement
Chapter 4
FIGURE 4.1 Anatomy of a graphic novel
FIGURE 4.2 Panel shapes and sizes in
Boxers and Saints
FIGURE 4.3 Bleed across panel frame in
Space Dumplins
FIGURE 4.4 Use of text balloons of varying styles in
Squish: Super Amoeba
FIGURE 4.5 Use of varied gutters in
March: Book One
FIGURE 4.6 Panel from
March: Book One
Chapter 5
FIGURE 5.1
Pirate Penguin vs Ninja Chicken: Escape from Skull-Fragment Island
, without dialogue
FIGURE 5.2
Pirate Penguin vs Ninja Chicken: Escape from Skull-Fragment Island
, with dialogue
Chapter 6
FIGURE 6.1
Space Dumplins
search and discover
FIGURE 6.2
Xoc: The Journey of a Great White
search and discover
FIGURE 6.3
Tribes: The Dog Years
search and discover
FIGURE 6.4 Text effects in
Sparks
.
FIGURE 6.5 Limited use of text in
Zita the Spacegirl
FIGURE 6.6 Wordplay in
Babymouse: Dragonslayer
FIGURE 6.7 Social cues in
American Born Chinese
FIGURE 6.8 Alliteration in
Hilo: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth
FIGURE 6.9 Hyperbole in
I Kill Giants
FIGURE 6.10 Metaphor in
Babymouse: Dragonslayer
FIGURE 6.11 Metaphor in American Born Chinese
FIGURE 6.12 Metaphor, art, and prose illustrate history in
The United States Constitution: A Graphic Adaptation
FIGURE 6.13 Foreshadowing in
Ghosts
Chapter 7
FIGURE 7.1 Barbara's Everyday Appearance in
I Kill Giants
FIGURE 7.2
Snow White: A Graphic Novel
FIGURE 7.3 In case of fire …
FIGURE 7.4
Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood
(top of p. 6)
FIGURE 7.5
Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood
(bottom of p. 6).
FIGURE 7.6
The United States Constitution: A Graphic Adaptation
FIGURE 7.7
Babymouse: Dragonslayer
FIGURE 7.8 “Dramatic Reading: Mary Shelley vs. the Censors”
FIGURE 7.9 The United States Constitution: A Graphic Adaptation
Chapter 8
FIGURE 8.1 Measuring Panels in
Rust: A Visitor in the Field
FIGURE 8.2 Depiction of the Three-Fifths Compromise in
The United States Constitution: A Graphic Adaptation
Guide
Cover
Table of Contents
Begin Reading
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E1
WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS
USING GRAPHIC NOVELS TO TEACH VISUAL AND VERBAL LITERACY
Meryl J. Jaffe, PhD and Talia Hurwich
Copyright © 2019 by Meryl Jaffe and Talia Hurwich. All rights reserved.
Published by Jossey-BassA Wiley Brand535 Mission Street, 14 FL; San Francisco CA 94105-3253—www.josseybass.com
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-646-8600, or on the Web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201-748-6011, fax 201-748-6008, or online at www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. Readers should be aware that Internet Web sites offered as citations and/or sources for further information may have changed or disappeared between the time this was written and when it is read.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Jaffe, Meryl, author. | Hurwich, Talia, author.
Title: Worth a thousand words : using graphic novels to teach visual and verbal literacy / Meryl J. Jaffe, Talia Hurwich.
Description: San Francisco, CA : Jossey-Bass, 2018. | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018031311 (print) | LCCN 2018047611 (ebook) | ISBN 9781119394617 (Adobe PDF) | ISBN 9781119394631 (ePub) | ISBN 9781119394327 (pbk.)
Subjects: LCSH: Graphic novels in education. | Visual literacy—Study and teaching.
Classification: LCC LB1044.9.C59 (ebook) | LCC LB1044.9.C59 J35 2018 (print) | DDC 371.33—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018031311
Cover design: Wiley
Cover images: © ivector/Shutterstock;© Fernandodiass/Shutterstock
FIRST EDITION
NOTES OF THANKS
First and foremost, thank you to my incredible family who have so enriched my life: to Adam, who has always supported and enabled us all; to Talia, whose strong insightful voice continues to grow and who took this work to places I never dreamed of; to Leah and to Zev, for your honesty and love; and to my mom, Solange, who read aloud to me whenever I asked (especially when she didn't really want or have time to), and to my dad, Lloyd whom I miss terribly and who introduced me to the world of storytelling. I am grateful for all you have given and continue to give me.
To my agent and dear friend, Judy Hansen, for your insights, your letters of introduction, your encouragement, but most of all for your friendship; to our editor Kate Bradford, whose edits and insights have been spot-on and this book is the better for them; to Annette Dorfman, whose friendship I deeply value and who continues to teach me to calm and open my mind – thank you.
To my dear friends, the authors who've joined me on my journey both professionally and socially and who make graphic novels so easy to write about and teach with – Jennifer Holm and Matthew Holm, Janet Lee, Royden Lepp, Cecile Castellucci, Raina Telgemeier, Nathan Hale, Jonathan Hennessey, Jimmy Gownley, Jeff Smith, Scott McCloud, Gene Luen Yang, Kazu Kibuishi, and Joe Kelly (whose book began my journey), and also those whom I've neglected to mention (due to addled brains and deadlines) and those who are yet to come – thank you.
Finally, but most of all, to all the dedicated teachers, librarians and comic book aficionados who helped pave the way for comics in classrooms and to all of you who have picked up this book in hope of expanding your own classroom tools and techniques – thank you.
I consider myself privileged where the people who inspire me (including my family and students) have become peers and friends.
—With my deepest appreciation, Meryl
My path has been slightly different from my mother's, but many of the sentiments are the same. Many thanks to my family: to Lee for his emotional support, delicious meals, and readiness to pick up some of my household chores as I worked on this project; to my parents, who have pushed me to proudly pursue my interests no matter how unconventional they are (in fact, the stranger, the better); to Zev for being my first partner in crime when it came to graphic novels; and to Leah for her skepticism and ability to keep me honest with myself. Thank you to the teachers and administrators who have taught me how to teach: Maxine Borenstein, Jessica Alyesh, and Elisheva Gould. A special thank you to Christie Pearsall, whose creative integration of acting and literature first convinced me that I can bring my hobbies into the classroom (and the source of our tableau vivant activity). Thank you to all my role models at New York University for your interest and your support of a doctoral candidate intensely fascinated by “the funny books”; to the late Harold Wechsler for his infectious, heartwarming enthusiasm and keen ability to guide me – he is deeply missed; and to Bethamie Horowitz, Camillia Matuk, and Miriam Eisenstein Ebsworth for their continued support as I cobble together a research program to better understand the way this medium can be used. Thank you to all the amazing creators of the graphic novels I've encountered: your insights, creativity, and sheer genius regularly reaffirm why I tried to convince my mother all those years ago. Thank you to my students for being guinea pigs for so many of the lessons teachers will find in this book. Finally, thank you to Kate Bradford: your input and insights have been such a boon. You have made this book possible, you have made it what it is today, and for that I cannot thank you enough.
—Talia
PREFACE
This book is a true work of love, the product of years of collaboration, and in need of a couple of confessions as well as the notes of thanks.
My first confession. Until fairly recently, I didn't think graphic novels were appropriate for my classroom or for my kids' reading pleasure at home. I wanted my kids to be well-read and to be reading quality prose and classics. Comics in my mind were, charitably, a nice (occasional) recreational retreat. In my defense, the only comics I knew were the ones I grew up with – featuring Archie and Veronica and assorted superheroes and offering formulaic stories with few substantive aspirations. The proliferation of sophisticated graphic novels that we are now witnessing emerged only when my kids were in their teens.
I got something of a jolt when my kids were in high school and college. At that time, I was putting together a book proposal on how to work with kids to develop and enhance literacy when I overheard them talking about attending Comic Con. My kids were (and still are) good students and avid readers. They are as comfortable reading Neil Gaiman as they are Alexandre Dumas, so noticing them take a literary detour into graphic novels naturally drew my attention. I asked them, “If I'm so passionate about literacy and getting kids to read, maybe I should take a closer look at graphic novels?” Their response? “DUH!!!”
So I gave them a challenge: I'd read one graphic novel of their choice and decide. My kids chose wisely. They gave me I Kill Giants, by Joe Kelly and J. M. Ken Nimura. It was wonderful – deep, beautifully and sensitively written, with metaphors and thoughtful vocabulary. I was blown away by the maturity and complexity of the narrative and how quickly and completely I was swept into the protagonist's world. Tears literally streamed down my face as I read it.
Which leads me to my second confession. This book is not only a work of love for books and literacy, it is a work of love because I co-wrote it with one of those children who helped bring me here, my daughter Talia. I wish for all of you who are reading this the opportunity to take a journey like this with your children someday, where you learn, work, collaborate, and grow – together.
In the meantime, Talia and I hope you enjoy our journey. We hope it gets you thinking as Talia (and her siblings) got me thinking all those years ago. And we hope you keep in touch with us. We will have active websites www.wiley.com/go/worthathousandwords, meryljaffe.com, and taliahurwich.com where we will continue to review books and place paired reading suggestions, lesson suggestions, and links for additional resources. The book’s Wiley website will also have reproducible worksheets from activities shared in this book as well as a Bonus Resource: an extensive list of over 200 graphic novels along with their summaries, suggested grade level appropriateness, and special notes.
Trying new things is never easy, but they often are enriching and they certainly make life more interesting. Good luck with your journeys, and happy reading!
—Meryl Jaffe
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Meryl Jaffe, PhD, is an author specializing in kid-lit and promoting verbal and visual literacies through the use of comic books, traditional prose texts, and multi-multimedia integration. She is also an instructor for the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth – where she teaches critical reading, writing, and visual literacy courses. In her spare time she concocts awesome kid-lit stories, hones her drawing and paper-cutting skills, tries to find quality time with husband Adam and kids, loves reading fiction and artsy, informational, and/or interesting books, and loves hearing from teachers, parents, kids, and fans.
Her previous publications include a featured story, “Dramatic Reading,” and an online Teacher's Guide published in the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund's Liberty Annual for 2014; “Raising a Reader! How Comics and Graphic Novels Can Help Your Kids Learn to Read” (CBLDF, 2013); and Using Content-Area Graphic Texts for Learning (Capstone, 2012). She also writes a featured column for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, “Using Graphic Novels in Education.” Meryl Jaffe began her career as a classroom (K-8) reading teacher and received her PhD in educational and school psychology with research and publications focused on student reading, critical thinking, and literacy skills.
Talia Hurwich is a doctoral candidate and researcher at New York University, specializing in pop culture and literacy in the classroom and looking particularly at using graphic novels and graphic novel adaptations in and out of the ELA, STEM, and Jewish classroom. Previously, she was a middle school teacher and assistant librarian at an independent school in New York City (where she helped to develop the school's graphic novel collection) and a writing instructor and curriculum mentor for the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth, where she taught critical reading and writing and mentored teaching assistants and first-year instructors. In the time gained by procrastinating work, she reads; spends time with her husband, Lee, and other members of her family; and spins fire.
Talia's previous publications include “Using Graphic Novels to Get Your Kids Interested in Classic Literature” (Pop Culture Classroom, 2018); “Jewish Education Going Graphic: Classroom Strategies for Using Graphic Novels” (HaYidion, 2016), and several academic publications such as “Cognitive processes and collaborative supports for knowledge integration among youth designing games for science learning” (Proceedings of the 13th International Conference for the Learning Sciences, 2018). She has presented on educational panels at Comic Con, the National Council of Teachers of English, the International Literacy Association, and the 2016 NYC Board of Education teacher workshop “Comics in the Classroom.”
1GRAPHIC NOVELS: FEARS AND FACTS
We begin by recognizing that most parents and educators have very strong feelings about graphic novels and their place in classroom curricula. For some of you, we will be reinforcing and validating many of your assumptions. For others, we hope to if not convince then to at least leave you open to consideration. For all of you, however, we hope to relay innovative tools and lessons to liven up your classrooms, libraries, and curricula.
Our journey together begins with addressing the fears, concerns, and hesitations teachers have expressed to us during our panels and workshops as we've introduced them to graphic novels. More specifically, we begin by debunking the three most commonly given reasons why teachers are reluctant to incorporate graphic novels into their classroom curricula. All three are valid concerns.
Fears
Fear #1: Classics Versus Graphic Novels and the Fear of Losing the Passion for Prose
As members of a panel addressing graphic novels in classrooms a few years ago at the New York Comic Con, we were presented with the following request at the very end of our session, from a man who sat way in the back of our audience-packed room:
“You make good points about what graphic novels can do, and I hate saying this, but all I see is this dystopian future where people are no longer reading books and are instead totally engaging in screens, online interactions, and popular culture.…Address this.”
This was a challenging request because we don't totally disagree. For us, the classics represent masterful storytelling, and they are as much products of their time as they are timeless works of literature. As teachers, we use them to teach about Western cultural history and as commentaries of the ongoing “human condition.” We use them to develop students' mastery of rhetoric, literacy, aesthetic, and analytic skills that will help them to thrive and to act, write, and sound educated at colleges, parties, interviews, and the workplace.
Recognizing these strengths the classics hold, our humble response is that as parents and educators we must work to find places for both classics and graphic novels in our homes, classrooms, and curricula. They offer very different reading experiences that should not necessarily exclude or preclude one another. There is no “right” way to teach nor one perfect tool to teach with because there is no one “typical” student or one “typical” teacher. We all have different strengths, weaknesses, likes, and dislikes. We all think and work differently. And we all come from different backgrounds that shape us. As a result our teaching tools must also reflect that difference. The books we teach with should reflect diversity in format just as they should reflect diversity in genre, characters, and plot. Furthermore, there is no arguing that we live in a changing society and culture. Images and technology are playing increasingly stronger roles in our lives, and as our modes of communication become more complex, we need to ensure that students have proficiency (if not mastery) in not just written but visual media as well.
Our goal in the pages and chapters that follow is to provide you all a plethora of tools, techniques, and resources from which to make your own choices.
Fear #2: Graphic Novels in Curricula and the Fear of Backlash from Parents or Administrators
There are a number of reasons why teachers fear backlash from parents or administrators for using graphic novels in their curricula. Most of the backlash is due to one or more of the preconceived notions outlined in this section and addressed in greater detail in the chapters that follow. In addition to this information, please make sure to take a look at Appendix A. There, we provide you with specific and detailed steps you can take and references and resource materials you can use to help prevent and/or address backlash or challenges you may encounter due to graphic novel (or any reading text) choices.
Many educators fear backlash for using graphic novels …
Because they're perceived predominantly as tools for weak or reluctant and/or English language learners. This is probably due to the fact that this was the reason graphic novels were initially introduced into classrooms. And while they are outstanding tools for weak, reluctant, and/or English language learners, their value doesn't end there. It merely begins there.
In addition to recognizing the awards kids' graphic novels are receiving as quality children's and teen's literature – including Caldecott and Newbery awards, National Book Awards, and starred reviews from prestigious literary magazines – educators and librarians are finding that today's kids' graphic novels offer strong examples of language use, vocabulary, and storytelling that benefit all kinds of learners. They foster and reinforce attention, memory, sequencing, and higher-order cognitive skills beneficial to all your students in all content-area classes.
Because they're full of violence and mature content. As with most literary formats, there are some books that are appropriate for all readers and some that require adult supervision. While some graphic novels may contain mature content, so do many award-winning prose novels, such as Julie of the Wolves, Lord of the Flies, Of Mice and Men, and The Hunger Games. It is always advisable for parents and teachers to look through books before selecting or assigning them. And if there is no opportunity to read them first, it is advisable to ask knowledgeable colleagues, librarians, or booksellers about intended reading selections.
In an effort to help you find and determine the appropriateness of select graphic novels, we introduce, suggest, and discuss a large selection of our favorite graphic novels throughout this book. We also indicate age and grade appropriateness and whether they contain any mature content that might need vetting. In the Bonus Resource, an online companion download, we provide you with an extensive list of over 200 graphic novels currently available, along with summaries, notes, and grade levels for these books. In Appendix A we provide resources on how to address naysayers and challenges to your reading selections. In Appendix B we offer resources for both creating and using graphic novels in your classroom. Finally, we recommend you check our website periodically, where we will be continually monitoring new works and updating information, and also that you ask your favorite bookseller, librarian, and/or colleagues for guidance when you have questions.
Because their stories are about superheroes and my kids don't really like that kind of stuff. While some graphic novels tell superhero stories, most don't. Graphic novels embrace a wide variety of genres. These genres include realistic fiction, such as Smile by Raina Telgemeier; historical fiction, like the Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales series and Boxers and Saints by Gene Luen Yang; nonfiction, such as The Gettysburg Address: A Graphic Adaptation and The United States Constitution: A Graphic Adaptation, both by Jonathan Hennessey; and books about science, such as the Last of the Sandwalkers by Jay Hosler and HowToons by Dr. Saul Griffith, Nick Dragotta, Ingrid Dragotta, Arwen Griffith, Joost Bonsen, Jeff Parker, Warren Simons, Sandy Jarrel, Meredith McClaren, Jason Marzloff, Leigh B. Estabrooks, Lee Loughridge, Rich Starkings, Comicraft, Jimmy Betancourt, and Andrea Dunlap. Throughout this book you will see examples and sample lesson ideas based on graphic novels, and we encourage you to note the diversity of texts, stories, and genres.
Because I'm afraid I won't meet Common Core or other state standards if my students read graphic novels during our precious class time instead of complex prose. Graphic novels are wonderful tools teachers can use to meet educational standards. Briefly, graphic novels are complex authentic texts that promote both verbal and visual literacies. They contain a rich vocabulary and extensive and concrete use of literary devices. For weak language learners, graphic novels' concise text paired with detailed images helps readers decode and comprehend the text, and their format makes reading feel less daunting and more engaging as the concise verbiage highlights effective language usage and vocabulary. For skilled readers, graphic novels offer a differently formatted reading experience, using both strategically selected words and images to tell a story, and thereby modeling concise language and aiding in vocabulary acquisition. Graphic novels have also been found to foster and strengthen a variety of learning skills essential for success in and out of the classroom, and are being successfully used to help readers and writers better understand sequence and its effect on storytelling.
Note that we unpack Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in the “Facts” section below, explicitly detailing how graphic novels can help you teach the discrete standards listed.
Fear #3: I Don't Understand What a Graphic Novel Is, So I Don't Know How to Teach It
In regard to the first part of this fear, for practical purposes we can define graphic novels as bound texts composed in comic format – where the story is told through both text and image – in sequentially presented panels that follow guidelines similar if not identical to those followed in classic novels or informational texts.
When it comes to the second part of this fear, how one teaches graphic novels is one of the greatest obstacles teachers feel when contemplating adding these works to their curricula. Showing how to teach a graphic novel is the purpose of this book, and it is directly addressed in the chapters to follow.
Facts
Graphic Novels and Common Core Standards
While the Common Core State Standards have had widespread effects on many of our classrooms, we recognize many of you may no longer use them. In an effort to reach as wide and diverse an audience as possible, we limit our discussion of Common Core Standards to this section and do not list how each of our lessons addresses these standards specifically. Also note that we discuss the anchor standards for reading and writing and not the specific standards grade by grade. Please feel free, however, to contact us with questions you may have, via our websites: meryljaffe.com and taliahurwich.com.
Common Core Anchor Standards for Reading attempt to define what students should be able to read at the end of each grade and correspond to the College and Career Readiness (CCR) anchor standards for reading readiness. These standards include the following:
Key Ideas and Details (CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.1-3)
, where students can competently
read and understand a text;
make logical inferences from it;
cite textual evidence (when writing or speaking about the text) to support such inferences;
determine central themes of a text and summarize the key supporting details and ideas; and
analyze how and why individuals, events, or ideas develop and interact over the course of the text.
Craft and Structure (CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.4-6)
, where students can competently
interpret words and phrases as used in a text (including technical, connotative, and figurative meanings) and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone;
analyze the structure of specific sentences, paragraphs, and/or larger chunks of text to better understand how they relate to each other and the whole; and
assess how the author's point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas (CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.7-9)
, where students can competently
integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media formats containing visual images, quantitative expressions, and/or verbal text;
delineate and evaluate reasoning, relevance, and evidence presented in arguments and/or claims in a given text; and
analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity (CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.10)
, where students can read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.
Graphic novels' stories are told through paired text and images, and this often makes it easier for students to more readily recognize and understand developing themes, analyze social interactions, and recognize and incorporate “key ideas and details” (CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.1-3). An uncle of ours loves telling a story of how he was the only student in his class who got 100% on an Ivanhoe test because he was the only one who could describe Ivanhoe's shield and coat of arms. He could do this because he was the only one who had read the graphic novel adaptation of the classic, in which the shield and coat of arms were frequently and prominently displayed.
Graphic novels are great tools for teaching “craft and structure of text” (CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.4-6). As you'll see in Chapters 3 and 4, graphic novel stories are told in any number of boxes (of various sizes and shapes), where text and image vie for valuable space, and therefore everything represented on the page is intentionally chosen. The critical reading of graphic novels requires readers to evaluate the author's choice of words, sentence structure, images, font size, shape and color, even design for intent and meaning – all of which is required in this standard. In Chapters 4, 5, and 6 we demonstrate how to help students evaluate these choices, thus addressing craft and structure issues that work not only for graphic novels but translate well for analyzing any given text.
Regarding the Common Core Standard “integration of knowledge and ideas” (CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.7-9), graphic novels by their very nature require readers to integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media formats. And while they have a textual component, they're not limited to text. Instead, they engage in visual and verbal communications, requiring students to engage and discuss multiple ways to communicate and discuss ideas.
Finally, regarding the last anchor standard for reading, “range of reading and level of text complexity” (CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.10), graphic novels offer quite a range of reading and level of text complexity. As we detail in Chapter 6, graphic novels offer both complex vocabulary and sentence structure. Furthermore, they often offer varied types and formats of text.
Figure 1.1 (taken from Zita the Spacegirl) displays just one example of the complex vocabulary and sentence structure that graphic novels offer their readers. On these pages, we see Zita talking with Piper. She's rifling through descriptions – alien mug shots – in “Gilliam's Guide to Sentient Species,” in the hope of finding who ran off with her friend Joseph in this alien world. In this graphic novel (for ages 8 to 12), the language is both complex and varied, as there are two very different types of texts here. The mug shots Zita is looking through contain informational text and images about various alien species, while the graphic novel story continues around this with narrative text and dialogue. On page 56, we read through descriptions of Dozers, Whiskersmiths, and Tentacled Tubbs, after which Zita excitedly shouts, “… found him!” On page 57, we see that Zita has identified a Screed, whose species is “… dangerous, agile and enigmatic … working as bounty hunters and mercenaries.” Piper informs Zita, “your friend is in terrible danger,” as the tension increases and the hunt begins. As you can see in this example, the vocabulary, language use, sentence complexity, and text formats vary and provide very different reading experiences for readers to navigate (and enjoy).
FIGURE 1.1 Complex vocabulary and sentence structure in Zita the Spacegirl
Source: Ben Hatke, Zita the Spacegirl (New York: First Second, 2011), pp. 56–57.
Common Core Anchor Standards for Writing attempt to define what students should be able to do at the end of each grade, and correspond to the College and Career Readiness (CCR) anchor standards for writing. These standards include the following:
Text Types and Purposes (CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.1-3)
, where students can competently
write arguments to support claims using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence;
write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content; and
write narratives that relay real or imagined experiences or events that contain well-chosen details and well-structured event sequences.
Production and Distribution of Writing (CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.4-6)
, where students can competently
produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to the text's task, purpose, and audience;
develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach; and
use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.
Research to Build and Present Knowledge (CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.7-9)
, where students can competently
conduct short and/or more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation;
gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism; and
draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Range of Writing (CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.10),
where students can competently write routinely over extended time frames (where time is spent on research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Graphic novels are well suited for teaching and reinforcing “text types and purposes” (CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.1-3). In Chapter 7
