One Nation, Going Graphic

Or: Why I Love Using Graphic Novels in Class and You Should Too

Abi Morgan

Article Basics:

• Draper, C.A., & Reidel, M. (2011). One Nation, Going Graphic: Using graphic novels to promote critical literacy in social studies classrooms. Ohio Social Studies Review, 47(2), 3-12.

About the Authors

• Christine Draper: Associate Professor of Teaching and Learning at Georgia Southern University

• Interests: Children’s/young adult literature, pre-service teacher education, literacy across the content areas, reading/writing workshop, reader response theory, qualitative research

• Michelle Reidel: Associate Professor of Teaching and Learning at Georgia Southern University

• Interests: Democratic education, social studies teacher education, affective dimensions of teaching and learning

The gist of this article

• What are graphic novels?

• Why should I use graphic novels in class?

• How do I incorporate graphic novels into my class?

What are graphic novels?

Graphic novels are:

• Fiction and nonfiction

• Self-contained stories presented in a comic book format (p. 4)

• Often tell the stories of people who have been marginalized

• Cheap (especially compared to textbooks!)

Why should I use graphic novels?

•70% of middle and high school students read below the proficient level (National Assessment of Educational Progress)

• This means they can decode text, but cannot understand, evaluate or critique them

• 60% of middle and high school students read while watching tv or using a computer (National Endowment for the Arts).

OK, And?

• What if I told you “Outside of school most adolescents engage with a wide variety of multimodal texts such as the internet, comics and film.” (p. 3)

• Adolescents use these tools to interpret their world and tell their own stories.

• But “these ‘everyday literacies’ are rarely recognized and incorporated into our classroom practices.” (p. 4)

• Graphic novels provide a “bridge” between the print-based classroom and the multimodal media environment outside it.

Hmm, interesting. But I’m still not convinced…• Consider: “An effective democratic society depends upon

citizens ensuring that civil liberties are protected and preserved, as well as designing and implementing solutions to common problems and concerns.”

• And: “Critical literacy practices are a vital dimension to effective and meaningful citizenship…” (P. 9)

• But teachers aren’t teaching critical literacy

So?

• If students aren’t learning how to critically engage in the classroom, how can they become effective citizens?

• Graphic novels can help because they offer both visual and verbal modes of communication, which scaffold the students’ comprehension. (p. 4)

Look at all the skills they teach:

• Interpret the connection between text and graphics

• Identify and interpret events that occur between visual sequences

• Must pay attention to plot, characters, dialogue, panel layout, empty space, color, angles and perspectives, and text (p. 5)

Most importantly

• When you read a graphic novel, you must be actively engaged

But wait, there’s more!!!

• They provide support for English Language Learners

• And students with autism, who can use the visual clues to give emotional context

• !!!!!

OK, sounds great!

• But how do I teach with them?

How to read a comic

• The words and pictures have equal importance

• But also!

• The layout of the page tells you just as much information

• I recommend Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art by Scott McCloud for more

Activity

Little Rock Nine, Poe and Linder, p. 45

Think-Write-Pair-Share

• 1. Consider what emotions you feel when viewing this panel

• 2. Write them down

• 3. Find a partner

• 4. Share what you felt, then work with your partner to identify specific elements that affect your interpretation (shading, placement of images, etc.) Why do you think the author chose to present these elements this way? (p. 6)

Make Your Own

• Think about the panel, but redraw it from another person’s perspective. How would that change the images and text?

• This type of activity challenges students to “talk back” to the text, and shows them that “no text is ever neutral.” (p. 7)

Steps for teaching graphic novels

• 1. Select a topic where you think a graphic novel might be helpful

• If a topic is very complex, graphic novels can help

• 2. Determine the length of the text

• 3. Model how to read a graphic novel

• 4. Structure the reading activity similar to other reading activities

• 5. conclude with an opportunity for students to process and apply what they read (p. 8-9)

At last, our heroes learn…

• “Research indicates that reading comic books and graphic novels acts as a gateway to more and varied reading.”

• “Graphic novels provide a framework to access, analyze, evaluate, and create messages…and build the essential skills of inquiry necessary for citizens in a democracy.” (p. 4)