Pairing Graphic Novels With Young Adult Texts to Increase Visual Literacy and Teach A More

Coplex !nderstanding o" #istorical $vents in a Multicultural World

North %a&ota 'tate !niversity
Maddie McClellan
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The conteporary vie( o" literacy is changing) today*s students are gro(ing up in an era
o" vast literacy expansion that re+uires a ore coplex understanding o" (hat literacy really
eans, The shi"t in the eaning o" literacy (ill no( re+uire students to understand ho( to
interpret iages and other visuals in addition to traditional text -Monnin., Graphic novel
specialist and educator/ 0aes 1uc&y Carter/ asserts that 2texts are no longer 3ust (ords on a
page/ 4ut anything in the surrounding (orld o" the literate person5 -1uilding Literacy
Connections 67., As a "uture educator/ I agree (ith Carter and (ant to prepare y students to 4e
a4le to navigate and succeed in the (orld around the, In order to prepare ysel" to teach
graphic novels in the 'econdary $nglish classroo/ I conducted research on the e""ectiveness o"
teaching graphic novels/ using Young Adult texts to 4uild connections (ith students/ and pairing
Young Adult literature (ith graphic novels to teach history in a (ay that engages students and
allo(s the to 4uild eaning"ul and coplex connections (ith their learning,
1e"ore delving into the (orld o" graphic novels/ it is crucial to understand the iportance
o" visual literacy, Visual literacy is the a4ility to read an iage as you (ould a traditional text,
'tudents should 4e a4le to analy8e/ interpret/ and evaluate iages in order to succeed in an
increasingly iage9driven (orld, $xaple: 'tudents are 4o4arded (ith advertiseents every
day, In order to 4e success"ul in navigating today*s (orld/ consuers ust 4e a4le to sort
through the thousands o" iages thro(n at the every day, %eterining (hat iages ean/
including connotative and denotative essages/ the overall essage/ purpose o" the essage/
and e""ectiveness o" the ediu are all necessary "acets o" thought"ully and purpose"ully
analy8ing a visual,
Today*s counication is 4eing revolutioni8ed/ (hich leads teaching ethods o" literacy
to change ore no( than they ever have, Literacy no longer re"ers to text alone99today*s students
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ust 4e literate in 4oth text and graphic representations, The "ocus has shi"ted "ro traditional
literacies to Ne( Literacies/ (hich include graphics/ "il/ and other ultiedia, In order to
teach our students ne( literacies/ teachers ust include iage94ased literacies such as graphic
novels -Monnin., While soe (onder ho( the graphic novel "its into the Coon Core/ ;atie
Monnin points out that 3ust 4ecause (e have standards does not ean that teachers can not
extend past the standards, The Coon Core is "ocused not 3ust on literacy/ 4ut text coplexity,
'tudents need to 4e reading texts that challenge the and are content9rich, Although graphic
novels ay not have a high voca4ulary coplexity/ any historical graphic novels such as
Maus/ Perspepolis/ and 1are"oot Gen/ contain coplex iages and ideas that challenge students
to thin& a4out history/ (ar/ huan rights/ pre3udice/ and huan experiences in ne( (ays,
The Coon Core 'tate 'tandards/ no( accepted 4y <= states/ attept to converge all
state*s individual standards to are a set o" aligned standards, Creators o" the Coon Core
explain that the goal o" these standards are to prepare students not only "or success in the
classroo/ 4ut 4eyond the classroo, Critical thin&ing s&ills derived "ro engaging in coplex
texts e""ectively prepare students "or 2college/ career/ and li"e5 -The Coon Core 'tate
'tandards., The Coon Core explains that the standards are laid out as a 2vision o" (hat it
eans to 4e a literate person (ho is prepared "or success in the 76st century5 -The Coon
Core 'tate 'tandards., The Coon Core is not restricting educators "ro using a variety o"
texts99the vision o" Coon Core sees +uite accepting o" using ne( "ors o" text/ such as
graphic novels/ to increase visual literacy/ a crucial trait o" a (holly literate person in the 76st
century,
There are several (ays that teachers can help their students develop their visual literacy/
including deep vie(ing techni+ues that ay 4e applied to a variety o" visuals/ including
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coercials/ print advertiseents/ and graphic novels, %eep vie(ing is an activity in (hich
students 4rea& do(n the visual into categories and analy8e each category, As students are
analy8ing and using deep vie(ing techni+ues/ they are exercising the three levels o" deep
vie(ing/ including o4servation/ interpretation/ and evaluation, These s&ills are siilar to
techni+ues used in reading and analy8ing literature and in"orational texts/ 4oth o" (hich are
part o" the Coon Core 'tate 'tandards that students are re+uired to eet,
'tudents do not necessarily have to read coics to reap the 4ene"its o" visual literacy,
Including in"ographics in education is a siilar idea to utili8ing graphic novels/ as 4oth re+uire
students to create or interpret visuals to convey a essage, #aving students create in"ographics is
very siilar to having the create coics in that it has students use visuals to convey a essage,
While reading graphic novels ay help students coprehend coplex ideas that they ay not
have (ithout visuals/ having students create their o(n in"ographics ay help the coprehend a
traditional text in a siilar (ay, $ducator Meryl 0a""e posted an interesting exaple on his
educational 4log/ %eparting the Text/ o" ho( in"ographics can help students understand
'ha&espeare,
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http:>>departingthetext,4logspot,co>7?6<>?=>sha&espeare9through9in"ographics,htl
While in"ographics could 4e especially 4ene"icial in 'ha&espeare units due to the
con"using character relationships and un"ailiar language/ tie period/ and setting/ the idea o"
using in"ographics to trac& plot and character relationships could 4e trans"erred to any literature
unit, The teacher could create an in"ographic as a class (hile they read a text/ and then have
students create their o(n in"ographic that includes setting/ plot line/ character relationships/
iportant thees or sy4ols, This is 3ust one (ay that visuals could enhance an other(ise
traditionally textual unit and help students 4uild their understanding o" the thees (hile also
getting to 4e creative, #aving students develop the s&ill o" designing and interpreting
in"ographics helps 4uild critical thin&ing s&ills that students (ill use outside o" the classroo as
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they encounter these types o" visuals in their daily lives on television/ advertiseents/ and the
ne(s,
While In"ographics are a great (ay to enhance a literature unit/ using coics in the
classroo can either enhance a traditional text or stand alone as its o(n unit o" study, 1ecause
soe teachers/ adinistrators and parents are a little (ary o" teaching graphic novels in the
classroo/ using sections o" a graphic novel to enhance another text could 4e a great (ay to
introduce the genre and still 4ene"it students 4y providing opportunities to increase visual
literacy, Teachers need not have the class read a (hole novel99they could use a section o" a
graphic novel to enhance other texts or class topics -Carter., 1ecause soe teachers are nervous
a4out ipleenting an entire graphic novel into their classroos/ using one as a suppleent
ight 4e a good place to start,
Another (ay to introduce coics into the classroo is to use 'cott McCloud*s
!nderstanding Coics to learn a4out the genre/ and then have students practice those
conventions 4y having the create their o(n coic strips, McCloud is an coics expert (ho
(rites a4out the history/ 4ene"its/ and intricacies o" coics, McCloud*s approach o" de"ining and
explaining coics (ill help students 4ecoe "ailiar (ith the genre as they read, 'tudents could
"ocus in on (hatever they are reading to create coic strip suaries/ or teachers could have
students tell their o(n stories in graphic novel "orat/ (hich (ould easily align (ith narrative
(riting standards, $ither (ay/ coics let students express creativity and experient (ith ne(
genres (hile also learning ho( e""ective visuals can 4e in conveying a essage,
Although using coics as suppleentary aterial adds to a traditional unit/ graphic
novels on their o(n should not 4e "eared/ as they certainly reach the sae curriculu standards
that any traditional text ight reach, In "act/ Maureen 1a&is/ an experienced english educator/
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has expanded her graphic novel expertise to teach a (hole class on graphic novels -2Welcoe to
the Graphic Novel Classroo5., 'he argues that 24ecause iages are open "or interpretation5
students 4ecoe involved in 2rich discussion5 and 2pro4le solving5 -1a&is =., This &ind o"
deocratic classroo helps students reali8e that there is no one right ans(er -1a&is =., @yan 0,
Nova&/ another graphic novel educator siilar to Carter and 1a&is/ has (ritten a 4oo&/ Teaching
Graphic Novels in the Classroo/ detailing lesson exaples "or di""erent graphic novels in the
classroo and deonstrates ho( each reaches a lengthy list o" Coon Core 'tate 'tandards, I"
students are truly engaged in graphic novel reading/ they get to exercise creativity/ and the unit
allo(s the to eet re+uired standards/ (hy (ould (e not include graphic novels in the
curriculuA
Not all educators have as uch "aith in graphic novels as Carter/ 1a&is/ and Nova&99
Marla #arris states that graphic novels serve as great suppleentary aterial/ 4ut should not 4e
taught alone, While I disagree (ith #arris/ I do see the 4ene"its o" pairing t(o di""erent &inds o"
texts, Including a variety o" genres and edius allo(s students to explore di""erent genre
conventions and gain a variety o" vie(points, Young Adult Literature advocate 0oan ;ay(ell
explains the 4ene"its o" pairing Young Adult literature (ith classic texts, I vote "or a siilar idea:
pairing graphic novels (ith traditional -non9graphic. texts, While graphic novels can certainly 4e
4ene"icial on their o(n/ pairing the (ith another text to teach a certain thee or tie period
allo(s "or deeper understanding and engageent,
Although coics have 4een popular since the 6B<?s/ graphic novels have only gro(n as
an educational tool in ore recent years, Cor a long tie/ coics (ere not considered a "or o"
art or (orthy o" serious reading994ecause soe underground coics included graphic content
such as sex and drugs/ 2alternative coics (ere un"airly associated (ith su4versive or ta4oo
McClellan 8
topics5 "or any years -Nova& 76., Novels such as Maus 4y Art 'piegelan/ (hich (on the
Pulit8er Pri8e in 6BB7/ helped readers reali8e that coics could 4e an e""ective (ay to convey
history and iportant essages, 'piegelan (ent on to stretch readers* ideas o" coics 4y
(riting @a(/ a coic 4oo& anthology "ocused on art/ (ith his (i"e/ Crancoise Mouly, Maus is
not the only historical graphic novel hit99the 1are"oot Gen series 4y ;ei3i Na&a8a(a/ (hich
detailed the 0apanese experience o" WWII/ (as pu4lished (ith great success in 6BD?s/ and
Persepolis 4y Mar3ane 'atrapi shared a girl*s experience in revolutionary Iran in 7???, 'ince
'piegelan*s Pulit8er pri8e/ graphic novels have gro(n in popularity and are availa4le "or all
ages o" readers, In a poll o" sixth9grade classroo/ Carter discovered/ not surprisingly/ that
seventy9"ive percent o" his students had recently read a graphic novel -2Carving a Niche5.,
While graphic novels and coics are considered 4y any to ean the sae thing/ there
is an iportant di""erence, Critics thin& that the only di""erence is 2in the 4inding/5 4ut Nova&
explains that graphic novels di""er "ro coics in the 2intended scope o" the story5 and have a
2de"inite 4eginning/ iddle/ and end5 -77., Although any o" these graphic novels are easy
enough "or a "i"th9grader to read/ they are still coplex and engaging "or even graduate9level
students, Coics specialist/ 'cott McCloud/ de"ines coics as/ 20uxtaposed pictorial and other
iages in deli4erate se+uence/ intended to convey in"oration and>or to produce an aesthetic
response in the vie(er5 -B., 'oe assue that graphic novels are easy 4ecause the graphics
reiterate (hat the text already says/ 4ut McCloud explains that this is not the case, Graphics and
text are separate entities that allo( "or coplex interpretations, At ties/ a graphic (ith little to
no text says ore than (ords ever could, These &ind o" "raes allo( "or students to practice
their analytical s&ills and critical thin&ing as they try to interpret coplex graphics,
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In this "rae "ro Persepolis/ students could (rite a4out the 3uxtaposition o" Mar3ane*s 2pun&
party5 (ith the iage o" the dying young soldiers in the ine"ield,
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http:>>(((,d,un,edu>Ecstroupe>ideas>assets>satrapiFsuicideF4o4ersFpun&Fdance,3pg
McClellan 11
This iage "ro 1are"oot Gen sho(s the a"terath o" the atoic 4o4 in #iroshia,
http:>>aniei8,"iles,(ordpress,co>7?66>?7>ig?GD,3pg
$ducators ay (onder (hy they should 4other ipleenting graphic novels into their
classroos, Why should today*s teachers/ (ho are o"ten "eel pressured to con"or to standards
and prepare students "or high9sta&es testing/ 4other ipleenting a ne( "or o" literature into
their classroosA 'iply put994ecause they (or&H Maureen 1a&is explains that in her graphic
novel classroo/ students are actively engaged and they care, 1a&is explains that 4ecause
graphic novels are o"ten +uic&er reads/ students get to experience ore novels than in a
traditional english classroo -2Welcoe5., $ven though these novels ay not 4e as tie9
consuing/ they still challenge all reading levels/ cater to teaching t(enty9"irst century s&ills/
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and eet Coon Core 'tandards, $ven 4ig9nae pu4lishers are e4racing the e""ectiveness o"
the graphic novel, Cor exaple/ 1ed"ord>'t, Martin*s have recently pu4lished !nderstanding
@hetoric/ a college text4oo& (ritten entirely in graphic novel "orat -Losh/ Alexander/ Cannon
and Cannon., In order to +uell any nervousness and address parental or adinistrative concern/
Carter suggests (riting strong rationales a4out (hy the novel (ould 4e 4ene"icial "or the
students and discuss any controversial aterial up"ront -2Going Graphic5., Teachers have no
need to "ear graphic novels/ and should e4race this ediu to help students develop as (ell9
rounded critical thin&ers,
Clearly/ graphic novels are an e""ective (ay to reach standards and allo( "or textual
diversity/ 4ut (hy are coics so e""ective in conveying in"orationA 'cott McCloud o"
!nderstanding Coics explains that (hile realistic dra(ings "it only a select "e( people in our
(orld/ doodles could 4e any nu4er o" illions o" readers, McCloud argues that coic 4oo&
characters are a4le to connect (ith readers eotionally 4ecause ore readers are apt to see
theselves in the characters,
http:>>digitalantipodes,"iles,(ordpress,co>7?6?>?B>(e4logFusa4ility,gi"
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#istory teacher 0, 'pencer Clar& asserts that non"iction graphic novels can proote historical
thin&ing 4y providing di""erent vie(points and coplex narratives through the co4ination o"
text and iages, While text4oo&s can oversipli"y and dehuani8e historical events/ including
non9"iction narratives such as Maus/ Persepolis/ and 1are"oot Gen/ helps students understand
historical agency and engage (ith history -Clar&., 0ust li&e Young Adult literature/ this &ind o"
text gives readers opportunities to see theselves in the text and create eaning"ul connections
as they read,
Aside "ro the connections that graphic novels provide all readers/ graphic novels help
provide sca""olding "or struggling readers and $LL students (ho ight other(ise not 4e a4le to
engage in a traditional classroo text, Ine exaple o" sca""olding and di""erentiation is provided
4y Classical Coics: 1ringing Coics to Li"e, This site gives exaples o" graphic novels (ith
the traditional text/ +uic&9text/ and no9text versions, This (ould allo( "or students to all read the
sae novels/ 4ut read at their level, $ducational researchers/ Ching and Coo&/ studied students
(ho (ere given opportunities to read no9text novels/ no9text novels (ith audio narration
provided/ or graphics/ text/ and narration, 'urprisingly/ they discovered that students per"ored
4est (hen they (ere a4le to "ocus on the graphics and listen to the narration, This deonstrates
the po(er o" iages and (ould 4e a great opportunity "or $LL learners to increase their literacy,
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http:>>(((,classicalcoics,co>titles>roeo9and93uliet,htl
Graphic novels clearly have their place in historical story9telling and education/ 4ut they
can 4e even ore e""ective in 4uilding a unit plan (hen paired (ith Young Adult texts, While
traditional $nglish education taught students to read and interpret texts "ro 2the canon5 or 2the
classics/5 students today o"ten "ind these texts disengaging and inaccessi4le, While the classics
still have a place in today*s education/ teachers ust strive to choose texts that allo( students to
a&e connections (ith characters that inhi4it positive reading experiences, Young Adult texts do
3ust that, $ducator Linda @ice explains ho( historically94ased Young Adult literature helps
students connect (ith characters on a personal level to actually experience the eotions o" (ar/
discriination/ or persecution as the characters experience the, @ice argues that learning a4out
these historical events through Young Adult literature (ill encourage students to change the
(orld "or the 4etter,
Young Adult texts allo( "or students to a&e connections (ith characters 4y either
seeing theselves in the characters li&e a re"lection in a irror or experiencing ne( cultures/
ideas/ and "eeling 4y loo&ing through a (indo( into another young adult*s li"e, 0oan C, ;ay(ell
McClellan 15
argues that Young Adult texts can 4e used as a great (ay to pair (ith classic texts in order to
have students study the sae thee through t(o di""erent eans, 'tudents "irst read the Young
Adult literature to get the used to the coplex ideas and thees 4e"ore they read the classic
text, This sho(s ho( Young Adult text can prepare students "or a ore coplex text and
increase understanding and engageent, While I agree that Young Adult texts are a great
introduction to a classic text/ I also thin& that Young Adult texts a&e a great pairing (ith
graphic novels "or siilar reasons99students are a4le to experience siilar thees through
di""erent eans and are presented (ith ultiple points o" vie( that allo( "or a ore
coprehensive understanding o" the culture or tie period they are studying,
Graphic novels can certainly 4e taught solo in the english classroo/ 4ut pairing the
(ith Young Adult texts allo(s "or a ore diverse learning experience, %ouglas Cisher and Nancy
Crey de"ine the english teacher*s priary role in the classroo as developing students* 2thin&ing
s&ills5 4y "ocusing not so uch on a certain text/ 4ut on the purpose o" the text -7J., !sing
ultiple "ors o" text allo(s "or students to explore the sae topic through di""erent genres and
experience ultiple points9o"9vie(, Teachers could certainly have students all read the sae
pairing/ 4ut allo(ing students to choose 4et(een pairings that all have the sae thee (ould
create an even ore diverse classroo in (hich students could teach and learn "ro each other,
1y "ocusing on an idea rather than insisting on one text "or all students/ educators ay choose
any di""erent texts "or students to read in order to reach the sae goals, In order to address a
variety o" reading/ (riting/ and thin&ing strategies/ Cisher and Crey assert that teachers should
avoid using a (hole class text and allo( "or di""erentiation, In order to accoplish this type o"
classroo/ Cisher and Crey explain ho( to structure the classroo through "ocus lessons/ guided
instruction/ colla4orative learning/ and independent learning,
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Another (ay to assign pairings (ould 4e to have all students read the sae graphic
novel/ and then have students choose "ro a variety o" traditional texts that have siilar thees,
I personally li&e the idea o" having students select a pair so they could (or& in sall groups and
4oo& circles throughout the unit, %i""erentiation specialist Laura @o44 provides "rae(or& "or
having sall group instruction as a (ay to di""erentiate in her 4oo&/ %i""erentiating @eading
Instruction, Many students do not "eel co"orta4le spea&ing up in a (hole9class setting/ so
structuring the class into ostly sall9group instruction (ill encourage all students to
participate, #aving ixed9level grouping also helps 4oth lo(er9level learners and advanced
learners, Lo(er9level learners receive sca""olding 4y (or&ing (ith advanced learners/ and
advanced learners gain understanding 4y getting the opportunity to teach,
Although having one class reading three or ore di""erent pairings sounds coplicated/ it
is not as scary as it sounds, The &ey is to split class tie into individual/ sall9group/ and (hole9
class instruction and designate assessents "or each, #aving a variety o" groupings and activities
caters to a (ider variety o" learners and eets students* diverse needs, You could assign students
to a pair 4ased on their reading levels/ 4ut I (ould let the choose their o(n/ (hich (ould li&ely
create ixed9level groupings, #aving ixed9level groups allo(s students to 4ridge the gap
4et(een the, I" advanced students are al(ays separate "ro the under9grade9level students/
they (ill actually 4e held 4ac&, #aving ixed groups lets advanced students teach/ (hich (ill in
turn enhance their learning experiences/ (hile struggling students (ill 4e provided sca""olding
4y having higher9level learners push the in their group activities, As students (or&/ the teacher
could sit in on group discussions to ensure groups are staying on tas&/ have ini9con"erences to
see ho( groups are progressing on their pro3ects/ or conduct ini9lessons (ith sall9groups or
individuals (ho need extra support,
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In order to "ully understand ho( pairing t(o texts (ould (or& in a unit/ I read three
di""erent Young Adult text and graphic novel pairings, To 4egin the unit/ I pic&ed a coon
thee that I (anted all students to learn, This thee (ould then 4e taught in (hole class
instruction and (ould 4e explored in class discussions and lectures, As a (hole class/ I also
recoend using 'cott McCloud*s !nderstanding Coics at the 4eginning o" the unit in order
to 4uild &no(ledge a4out graphic novel conventions, 1a&is has used McCloud*s 4oo& to help
students understand the the coplexity o" graphic novels and give the practice ipleenting
each s&ill as McCloud introduces it -2Loo&ing at the Coics Mediu5., This (ould 4e relevant
"or all students regardless o" (hat 4oo& they chose a"ter(ards/ and (ould set students up "or
success in "uture graphic novel assignents, 'tudents (ould 4e split into groups depending on
(hat pair they chose/ (hich (ould lend itsel" (ell to sall9group instruction in (hich students
(or& together in groups to coplete We4+uests to gain 4ac&ground in"oration a4out the culture
they are studying/ do 4oo& circles together/ panel9shares/ in (hich students pic& a panel that they
thought (as iportant and (orth sharing (ith the group/ and snapshot (riting/ in (hich students
pair up to (rite a4out the sae "rae or iage/ copare their interpretations/ and discuss (hy it
is iportant to the plot line or thee in the novel,
In an individual level/ students should coplete an assessent in (hich the previously
learned s&ills converge, 0ac+ueline N, Glasgo(/ an educator (ho created a "rae(or& "or pairing
$lie Wiesel*s Night and Lois Lo(ry*s Nu4er the 'tars to teach the #olocaust/ suggests having
students create a eorial scrap4oo& and (rite creative responses to usic/ "il/ or photos
related to the novels, 'iilarly/ I (ould have students coplete their "inal pro3ects through
creating their o(n graphic novel using McCloud*s coic 4oo& conventions to tell a historical
story that they got "ro either an older "aily e4er or respected adult, This tas& increases
McClellan 18
students* creativity (hile also re+uiring the to use their understanding o" eoir and graphic
novel conventions, Ither tas&s that students ight coplete during this unit could 4e panel
suaries/ in (hich students suari8e (hat they have read in a chapter into a three9"rae
panel suary, This has the practicing the s&ills o" suari8ing and also re+uires the to
&no( ho( coics "unction, Another option ight 4e a copare>contrast essay (here students
dra( connections 4et(een the t(o texts that they read or they could copare the sae text in
t(o di""erent edius/ (hether it 4e graphic text to traditional text or graphic text to ovie,
As exaples/ I suggest several di""erent pairings that could 4e used to teach historical
events, The "irst is Maus 4y Art 'piegelan and Night 4y $lie Wiesel or A %iary o" a Young Girl
4y Anne Cran&/ either o" (hich (ould 4e a eaning"ul (ay to teach the #olocaust, The next is
auto4iographical graphic novel 1are"oot Gen 4y ;ei3i Na&a8a(a or Callout 4y 0i Ittaviani and
the non9"iction text 1o4 4y 'teve 'hein&in/ ideal "or a diverse learning experience a4out the
4o4ing o" #iroshia, The last is Persepolis 4y Mar3ane 'atrapi and 0ourney Cro the Land o"
No: A Girlhood Caught in @evolutionary Iran 4y @uya #a&&a&iyan/ 4oth great educational tools
to learn a4out Iran in a tie o" revolution, The strongest tie 4et(een these pairings is (ar/ the
ain characters* persistence through iense ties o" struggle/ and huan rights issues, All
novels also deal (ith racis and pre3udice during ties o" con"lict, Although each pairing deals
(ith a di""erent cultural con"lict/ the connections (ill lead to "ruit"ul discussion during (hole9
class instruction a4out the coon thees,
As a sall group 4ased on the students* 4oo& circles "or the seester/ students could
create a cultural presentation 4ased on the the culture o" their 4oo& pairing, 'ince each 4oo&
circle is reading a pairing "ro a di""erent culture/ students could 4ene"it 4y learning a4out the
sae thees in other cultures, Many students learn 4est 4y teaching/ and teaching the class a4out
McClellan 19
the culture they experienced (ill help solidi"y (hat they*ve learned, Groups could 4e assessed
through options o" (riting/ per"oring/ or creating, The &ey is to assess the sae thees/ so the
product does not really atter, This allo(s "or di""erentiation 4ased on students strengths and
interests,
Although group (or& (ould 4e crucial in this unit/ students (ould also get the
opportunity to (or& on their o(n, Nova& suggests reading Maus to have students "irst learn
a4out 4iography and eoir and then (rite their o(n through an intervie( and essay, 1a&is
suggested a siilar assessent in her Persepolis unit/ in (hich students (ould dra( "ro
techni+ues they learned a4out in 'atrapi*s novel to (rite their o(n eoir, 'tudents (ould use
the thee o" eoir in the pairings to have students conduct intervie(s (ith an older "aily
e4er or respected adult to (rite a story a4out "aily history, Carter suggests that having
students create helps the express creativity and practice graphic novel conventions/ and Nova&
supports this &ind o" unit in chapter nine o" Teaching Graphic Novels in the Classroo, #e
sho(s ho( students ust use plot devices and organi8ation/ 3ust as they (ould in narrative
(riting, I suggest the idea o" Nova&*s and 1a&is* "ocus on 4iography and eoir and Carter*s
"ocus on creating coics to have students create a graphic novel eoir, 'tudents (ould use
their graphic novel as a re"erence to create their o(n graphic novels using iagery/ sy4olis or
allegory, 'tudents (ould use their understanding o" coics "ro McCloud*s text to either
illustrate or create their coics online using tools such as Mo8illa We4a&er/ (hich allo(s users
to create coics using text 4oxes and photos, Allo(ing students to choose 4et(een dra(ing or
creating online gives the opportunity to exercise artistic or technological s&ills,
Including coics in the curriculu allo(s students to explore ne( genres/ en3oy their
reading/ supports lo(er level and $LL learners/ and encourages creativity and critical thin&ing
McClellan 20
s&ills, Although introducing graphic novels into the classroo ight 4e deanding/ it (ill help
provide today*s students (ith an education that eets standards and is exciting/ creative/ and
relevant, #elping students gro( ore than they ever have soeties re+uires teachers to do
(hat they have never done, Ta&ing ris&s in teaching is part o" staying relevant, I" teachers (ant
to help students connect (ith their learning/ 4uild literacy and coprehension/ &eep up (ith
today*s expanding literate (orld/ and get excited a4out reading/ graphic novels in the classroo
are a "antastic start to that solution,
1ecause today*s idea o" literacy has changed to incorporate 76st9century s&ills and visual
literacy/ students (ho experience coplex visual texts in secondary education (ill 4e ore
prepared "or success in their "uture outside the classroo, Incorporating in"ographics/ coics/
and graphic novels (ill help students 4ecoe ore "ailiar (ith interpreting visuals/ (hich
4uilds critical thin&ing s&ills that they (ill use in everyday li"e as they encounter di""erent "ors
o" coplex visuals/ such as advertiseents/ graphs/ charts/ and in"ographics on television or in
the ne(spaper, Avoiding introducing visual texts and graphic novels into the classroo is a
disservice to our students99helping students 4uild visual literacy alongside their critical thin&ing
s&ills is crucial to helping students 4ecoe (ell9rounded/ prepared/ educated individuals,
Teachers (ho are apprehensive a4out introducing graphic novels to their classroos need only
4e prepared 4y (riting detailed rationales that explain the 4ene"its o" the text, $ven college
text4oo& copanies have started using the graphic novel "orat99proo" that our (orld is
4ecoing increasingly visual, Pairing graphic novels (ith traditional text allo(s "or
di""erentiation/ colla4oration/ and sall9group instruction that propts all students to participate,
The ipleentation o" graphic novels paired (ith relata4le Young Adult texts help students
McClellan 21
create eaning"ul connections (ith their learning as they 4uild deeper understandings o" history
and the (orld around the/ as (ell as 4uild s&ills that they (ill use "or the rest o" their lives,
Wor&s Cited
McClellan 22
1a&is/ Maureen, 2Welcoe to the Graphic Novel Classroo,5 The Graphic Novel Classroo,
Thousand Ia&s: Cor(in/ 7?67, 6966, Print,
1a&is/ Maureen, 2Loo&ing at the Coics Mediu,5 The Graphic Novel Classroo, Thousand
Ia&s: Cor(in/ 7?67, 6<9=?, Print,
1a&is/ Maureen, 2Loo&ing at Meoir in the Graphic Novel Classroo,5 The Graphic Novel
Classroo, Thousand Ia&s: Cor(in/ 7?67, K796?7, Print,
Carter/ 0aes 1, 2Carving a Niche,5 1uilding Literacy Connections (ith Graphic Novels, $d,
0aes 1uc&y Carter, !r4ana: National Council o" Teachers o" $nglish/ 7??K, 697G, Print,
Carter/ 0aes 1uc&y, LGoing Graphic,L $ducational Leadership JJ,J -7??B.: JD9K7, $ducation
'ource, We4, < Apr, 7?6<,
Ching/ #ii 'ii/ and Cong 'oon Coo&, 2$""ects o" Multiedia94ased Graphic Novel Presentation
on Critical Thin&ing Aong 'tudents o" %i""erent Learning Approaches,5 The Tur&ish
Inline 0ournal o" $ducation Technology 67,< -7?6=.: GJ9JK, We4, =6 Mar, 7?6<,
Clar&/ 0, 'pencer, 2$ncounters (ith #istorical Agency: The Value o" Non"iction Graphic Novels
in the Classroo, The #istory Teacher <J,< -7?6=.: <DB9G?B, We4, < Apr, 7?6<,
Cisher/ %ouglas/ and Nancy Crey, 2Altering $nglish: @e9exaining the Whole Class Novel and
Ma&ing @oo "or Graphic Novels and More,5 1uilding Literacy Connections (ith
Graphic Novels, $d, 0aes 1uc&y Carter, !r4ana: National Council o" Teachers o"
$nglish/ 7??K, 7J9=K, Print,
Glasgo(/ 0ac+ueline N, 21earing Witness to the #orror o" the #olocaust -6B=B96B<G.: Children
Who 'u""ered and 'urvived,5 What Was it Li&eA $d, Linda 0, @ice, Ne( Yor&: Teachers
College Press/ 7??J, KK9BD, Print,
McClellan 23
Harris, Marla. Showing and Telling History through Family Stories in Persepolis and Young
Adult Literature. 1uilding Literacy Connections (ith Graphic Novels, $d, 0aes 1uc&y
Carter, !r4ana: National Council o" Teachers o" $nglish/ 7??K, =D9G=, Print,
;ay(ell/ 0oan C, Adolescent Literature as a Copleent to the Classics, Nor(ood:
Christopher9Gordon Pu4lishers/ 6BB=, Print,
Losh/ $li8a4eth/ 0onathan Alexander/ ;evin Cannon/ and Mander Cannon, !nderstanding
@hetoric, Ne( Yor&: 1ed"ord>'t, Martin*s/ 7?6=, Print,
McCloud/ 'cott, !nderstanding Coics, Ne( Yor&: #arperCollins Pu4lishers/ 6BB=, Print,
Monnin/ ;atie, 2Aligning Graphic Novels to the Coon Core 'tandards,5 ;no(ledge Nuest
<6,= -7?6=.: G?9GK, We4, 6 Apr, 7?6<,
Nova&/ @yan 0, Teaching Graphic Novels in the Classroo: 1uilding Literacy and
Coprehension, Austin: Pru"roc& Press/ 7?6=, Print,
@ice/ Linda 0, 2Active Learning in Theory and Practice5 What Was it Li&eA $d, Linda 0, @ice,
Ne( Yor&: Teachers College Press/ 7??J, G97=, Print,
@o44/ Laura, %i""erentiating @eading Instruction, Ne( Yor&: 'cholastic Teaching @esources/
7??D, Print,
Iages Cited
Aniei8, 2MMC: 1are"oot Gen/ Grisly read o" Atoic 1o4 survival,5 Wordpress, 6< Ce4,
7?66, We4, 7J 0un, 7?6<,
Classical Coics, Classical Coics Ltd,/ 7?6=, We4, 7J 0un, 7?6<,
McClellan 24
%igital Antipodes, 2I Loved My Ipod,,, #er Nae Was Clea,5 Wordpress/ 7?6?, We4, 7J 0un,
7?6<,
0a""e/ Meryl, 2'ha&espeare Through In"ographics,5 %eparting the Text, 1logger/ 7?6<, We4, 7J
0un, 7?6<,
'troupe/ Craig, 2Ideas,5 Craig 'troupe, !niversity o" Minnesota/ n,d, We4, 7J 0un, 7?6<,