New Trends in Literature and Graphic Novels in the Classroom

Literature for the Digital Age

Rose HagarNJCH Adolescent and YA LiteratureSummer 2011

New Trends in Adolescent and YA Literature

Not the same books you read at their age

Literature in the Digital Age

We, the digital “immigrants” are instructing our students, the digital “natives.”

What takes us 5 minutes to figure out, they have done in 5 seconds.

Make our lessons and their reading choices relevant to their world

Accommodate for our special needs and ELLs

Radical Change

Eliza Dresang coined the term “Radical Change” in reference to children’s literature when she recognized a change perspectives and topics in books for children. Books that were appealing to children were not appealing to adults. Changes in books reflect the changes in society, a society becoming more interactive and connected through digital networks. Radical Change, 1999.

Types of Radical Change

Changing forms and formats Changing perspectives Changing boundaries

Issues Deal With Their Real World

Culture Gender

Issues Deal With Their Real World

Social Class Relationships

How to Engage Our Students

Voluntary & participatory Choice and variety Collaborative and independent Respect for culture and heritage Situated in local contexts, homes &

communities Real-world topics, issues, and

characters Time and access

Dr. Cheryl McLean, Rutgers University NJCH Adolescent and Young Adult Literature, Summer 2011

Literacy

Traditional View

Reading Writing Printed text

Dr. Cheryl McLean, Rutgers University NJCH Adolescent and Young Adult Literature, Summer 2011

Expanded View Socially-situated;

specific to discourse-group

Multiple and multimodal (visual, aural/oral, animation, digital and technological)

Local and global.

Multimodality and Digital Literacy

Multimodality is communication beyond the printed word

“The world, now, is no longer a world in which written language is dominant.”

(Kress, 1997, p. 5) Includes:

Visuals, sounds, words, animation, movement, story, genre, signs, symbols, and senses

What is Literature?

Books Magazines Newspapers Catalogs Comic Books/Graphic Novels Facebook Twitter Blogs Wikis

Literature in Your Classroom What types of literature do you use in your

classroom? How many of the genres listed above do

you use? Does the literature you use cover any of

the topics that fall under the cover of “Radical Change?”

If not, would you be willing to introduce it in your classroom?

Can you see the need to use a book like Speak with you students?

Literature in Your Classroom “What students do in school needs to feel

important to them, and they need to feel important doing that work.”

“It is vitally important to help students create their own self-sponsored opportunities for reading and to encourage them to read with depth and complexity. When they have the tools…and can apply those tools to things that matter outside school, the reading we do with them in our classrooms will matter to them more. “

Deborah Appleman. Reading with Adolescents.2007

Graphic Novels in the Classroom

Literature for the Digital Age

Rose HagarNJCH Adolescent and YA LiteratureSummer 2011

Comic Book vs. Graphic Novel

Comic Book – A traditional, staple-bound, serialized pamphlet or periodical that tells a story in sequential art.

Comic Book vs. Graphic Novel

Graphic Novel – A book length story, fiction or non-fiction, that is written and illustrated in the comic book style.

A Graphic Novel is…

A unique art form Literature in a cinematic format The reader can be so engrossed that

they feel they are watching a movie of the story in their imagination.

Vocabulary

Anime – Japanese term for animation Manga - Japanese comics in print

form that traditionally read back to front, right to left.

Manga style – graphic novels created outside Japan utilizing the traditional manga style and format.

Graphic Novels as Literature

Look at the pages you have before you. With your partner, read the excerpt and list any elements of literature that you see on the pages.

What did you find? Do graphic novels promote literacy?

Graphic Novels as Literature

Plot Characters Dialog Setting Audience

Graphic Novels as Literature

Linguistically appropriate Demand many of the same skills

needed for traditional prose Often contain more advanced

vocabulary than traditional books at the same age/grade/interest level

Helps develop critical skills necessary to read more challenging works

Graphic Novels as Literature Require readers to be actively engaged

in the process of decoding and comprehending a range of literacy devices including- Narrative structures Metaphor and symbolism Point of view Foreshadowing Use of puns and alliteration Inference

Graphic Novels…

Offer fast-paced action, conflict, and heroic endeavors Classic archetypes such as the reluctant

hero, the unknown destiny, and the mentor wizard

Graphic Novels…

Meet the needs of different learning styles The visual learner will connect in a way

that they cannot with a text-only book Flexible enough that the same title will

appeal to the advanced reader and the reluctant reader

Graphic Novels…

Require readers to be active participants in the reading process.

Use their imagination to fill in the blanks between the panels or the “gutter”. What happened in the gutter?

Develop visual literacy The ability to recognize and understand

ideas conveyed through visual (still or animated) imagery.

The Arrival

Look at these pages from The Arrival. Discuss what you see with your neighbor. How could you use this in your classroom?

Graphic Novels…

Develop strong language arts skills Reading comprehension Vocabulary development Ensure that kids continue to read for fun

outside the classroom. Bridge for transitioning from picture

books to text-only books Stimulate young readers to branch out

and explore other genres

Graphic Novels…

Excellent for ELLs and students who read below grade level because the simple sentences and visual cues allow the reader to comprehend most of the story.

Address important developmental assets and social issues.

Michelle Gorman. Getting Graphic: Comics for Kids. 2008

Why Use in the Classroom?

Graphic novels are visual and students love visual media

Attract and motivate kids to read Combining image and text bridges

the gap between what we watch and what we read

Image and text share the narrative responsibility therefore a great tool for our struggling readers and ELLs

Why Use in the Classroom?

According to Yang, graphic novels are “permanent.” Language, actions on film or animation are time-bound. Graphic novels have a “visual permanence.” Time progresses only as quickly as your eyes move across the page. The rate of information transfer is controlled by the reader.

Graphic Novels in the Classroom . Gene Yang, NCTE, 2008.

How To Use Graphic Novels in the Classroom

Combine all the elements of novels, picture books , film, and poetry in their own unique way.

Compare written narrative vs. visually without words

Character information derived from facial and bodily expressions

Meaning and foreshadowing from the pictures’ composition and viewpoint

How to Read a Graphic Novel

Goal of both traditional novels and GNs is to convince the reader they are not looking at words or lines drawn by an artist, but something imaginatively alive.

In GNs the words have to be read, but so do the pictures. Just as a sentence creates a complete thought, a sequence of panels creates complete movement through time and space.

On Writing (and Reading), the Graphic Novel. Stefan Petrucha, Knowledge Quest, 2008.

How to Read Manga

Multiple Formats to the Story

Wide Appeal – GN to Movie

Graphic Novels in Our Collection

Graphic Novels in Our Collection

Non-Fiction

Why Use Graphic Novels?

Because they are literature!

Because the are fun!!

If reading one graphic novel gets a student to read, then just imagine where they will go from there!

Resources

Bibliography

Alverman, D.E. & McLean, C. “The Nature of Literacies.” Secondary School Literacy: What Researach Reveals for Classroom Practice. Eds. A. Berger, J. Eakle & L. Rush. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, 2007. 1-20.

Appleman, D. “Reading with Adolescents.” Adolescent Literacy: Turning Promise into Practice. Eds. K. Beers, R. Probst, and L. Reif. Portsmouth: Heineman, 2007. 143-147.

Chun, C. “”Critical Literacies and Graphic Novels for English-Language Learners: Teaching Maus.” Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy. 53.2, 2009. 144-153.

Crawford, P. & Weiner, S. Using Graphic Novels with Children and Teens: A Guide for Teachers and Librarians. New York: Scholastic, 1996-2011.

Dresang, E.T. Radical Change: Books for Youth in a Digital Age. New York: H.W. Wilson, 1999.

Gorman, M. Getting Graphic! Comics for Kids. Columbus: Linworth Publishing, 2008. McLean, C. “Adolescent and Young Adult Literature.” PowerPoint Presentation. Richard

Stockton College. New Jersey Council for the Humanities. Pomona, NJ. 31 July 2011. McLean, C. “Hidden Curriculum: Authenticity, the Canon and Multicultural Literature.”

PowerPoint Presentation. Richard Stockton College. New Jersey Council for the Humanities. Pomona, NJ. 1 August 2011.

Petrucha, S. “On Writing (And Reading), the Graphic Novel.” Knowledge Quest: Journal of the American Association of School Librarians. 36.3, 2008. 60-63.

“Using Comics and Graphic Novels in the Classroom (The Council Chronicle, Sept. 05). National Council of Teachers of English. http://www.ncte.org/magazine/archives/122031. Accessed 8/5/2011.

Yang, Greg. “Graphic Novels in the Classroom.” Language Arts. 85.3, 2008. 185-192.