Graphic Novels Graphic Novels in My in My Classroom?Classroom?

Larry BedenbaughUCF College of Education

8th Annual Literacy Symposium

Food for Thought“My father used to try and

help me, and I got to loving to read, because he allowed me to read comics, which most people said you shouldn't let your child read because they will spoil him. But that gave me an extraordinary hunger for reading.”

~ Bishop Desmond TutuNobel Prize Winner

Food for Thought“On the basis of my personal

experience and the research available, I would go so far as to say if you have a child who is struggling with reading, connect him or her with comics. If an interest appears, feed it with more comics.”

~ Jim TreleaseAuthor and Educator

Food for Thought“As one of only five art forms native to America: the banjo, jazz, musical comedy, the mystery novel, and the humble comic book, comic books deserve their place in our history, our culture, and our society."

~ David Jay Gabriel, PresidentNew York City Comic Book Museum

Food for Thought“The great sorrow of my life is never having done comics.”

~ Pablo Picasso

Food for Thought"Graphic novels are terrific in

that they have a good story but they have pictures and images that teens can relate to and enjoy. So you get the combination of the words and the images that help pick up on the power of images in teens' lives." ~ Maurice Freedman, President

American Library Association

What are Graphic Novels?Will Eisner who initiated the term graphic novels, said they are “Sequential Art…the arrangement of pictures or images and words to narrate a story or dramatise an idea.”

What are Graphic Novels?Keith R. A. DeCandido, an international best-selling author, defined a graphic novel as “a self contained story that uses a combination of text and art to articulate the plot.”

Middle

What are Graphic Novels?Diamond Comics defines graphic

novels:

A comic book that is longer in format than a pamphlet, and typically contains a complete story unto itself. Graphic novels usually have higher production values than the typical stapled comic book – they may be squarebound, for example, with cardstock covers. Some may be hardcover volumes. Although a graphic novel usually stands on its own as a complete story, it is possible to have a ongoing series or limited series of graphic novels telling a single story or series of related stories.

High

What are Graphic Novels?ALA RUSA Codes Materials ReviewingCommittee defines graphic novels as:

Books created in the format recognized as graphic novels are presented in sequential art, with the requirement upon creator and reader to work between image and word for a full understanding of narrative content. Such books usually include a structure of panels. For review purposes, graphic novels include independently conceived full-length narratives, bound volumes of longer sequential art series, and collections of works as brief as comic strips.

Middle

Genres of Graphic Novels• Superhero• Fantasy• Science fiction• Historical• Action/Adventure• Realistic Fiction• Biography• Adaptations of classics• Manga (Japanese comics)• Humor• Horror• Romance• Political commentary

Middle

Types of Graphic Novels

• Human Interest Story• Adaptations or Spin-offs• Satire (Cartoon

Journalism)• Nonfiction• Superhero• Manga

Middle

Milestones

1837 • The Adventures of

Obadiah Oldbuck —earliest known comic book

Milestones

1897 • The Yellow Kid in

McFadden’s Flats coined the phrase, “comic book”

• Beginning of the Platinum Age

Milestones

1934 • Famous Funnies #1

Milestones

1939 • Jerry Siegel and Joe

Schuster create Superman, one of the first modern superheroes

• Begins the Golden Age of Comics

Milestones

1954 • Dr. Frederic Wertham

published Seduction of the Innocent, condemning comic books as a negative influence on young children

Milestones

1954 • US Senate

investigates the relationship between comic books and juvenile delinquency

Milestones

1954 • Comics Code Authority

(analogous to Hollywood’s Code, but far stricter)

Milestones

1956 • The Silver Age of

Comics begins

Milestones

1961 • Marvel publishes

Fantastic Four #1

Milestones

1978 • Will Eisner writes 1st

graphic novel, A Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories

High

Milestones

1992• Art Spiegelman, won

the Pulitzer Prize for his 1986 Maus I, an examination of the Holocaust

Middle/High

Milestones

1997• Doug Murray, won the

Best Media of the Vietnam War Award from the Bravo Organization for ‘The Nam

Middle/High

Milestones

2000• In November The

New York Times Book Review includes a review of four graphic novels

Milestones

2001• Chris Ware’s graphic

novel, Jimmy Corrigan, won Britain’s Guardian First Book Award

Milestones

2002• The American

Library Association's 2002 Teen Read Week theme was Getting Graphic @ Your Library

Milestones

2002• C.O.M.I.C.S. (Challenging

Objective Minds: An Instructional Comicbook Series), by Dan Tandarich with the New York City Comic Book Museum, is developed to teach reading and writing skills

Milestones

2002• First Annual Free Comic

Book Day

Urban Legends of Graphic Novels

• Nudity• Sex and innuendo• Excessive violence• Sexist• Inappropriate language• Crude humor• Frivolous entertainment• Short on redeeming social,

educational, or moral value • Typically written at a fourth to sixth

grade reading level• Hinders literacy development

Adult

What Does the Research Say?

In 1981, Lee Dorrell and Ed Carroll performed a study in which the mere presence of comic books in a collection increased library use 82%, with a 30% increase in the circulation of non-comic book material.

Middle

What Does the Research Say?

In a study of "rare words per 1000," D. P. Hayes & M. G. Ahrens (1988) showed that the oral language of college graduates as the low—17.3 rare words per 1000, and the abstracts of scientific articles as the high—128 rare words per 1000 and comic books introduced more new words than did adult books (53.5 vs. 52.7).

High

What Does the Research Say?

A 1992 study of more than 200,000 students from 32 countries revealed that Finland, the nation with the highest proportion of comic book reading students (nearly 60%), also had the highest literacy rate (99%), as well as the highest library usage.

Elementary

What Does the Research Say?

Stephen Krashen reported (1993) that research showed graphic novels are linguistically appropriate and bear no negative impact on language acquisition, and, in fact, light reading (e.g., graphic novels) positively correlated with achievement.

Middle

What Does the Research Say?

In a 1993 study in the Journal of Child Language, researchers concluded that the average comic book introduced kids to twice as many words as the average children’s book, and five times as many words as they were likely to be exposed to in the average child-adult conversation.

Middle

What Does the Research Say?

M. R. Lavin (1998) suggested that reading graphic novels may require more complex cognitive skills than the reading of text alone.

High

What Does the Research Say?

Sherry Kerr and T. H. Culhane (2000) concluded that children who grow up with comic books often seem to have a better vocabulary and understanding of how to use verb tenses than those who, all other things being equal, do not read comics.

Middle

What Does the Research Say?

M. W. Smith and J. D Wilhelm (2002) reported that boys in particular gravitated toward reading materials that were highly visual.

Middle

What Does the Research Say?

Tabitha Simmons (2003) reported that in a graphic novel, readers must not only decode the words and the illustrations, but must also identify events between the visual sequences.

Elementary

What Does the Research Say?

Robyn Hill (2004) concluded that reading comic books may help to (among others):

– develop an increased interest in reading

– develop language skills and a rich and varied vocabulary

– foster interest in a variety of literary genres

Teachers

What Do Librarians Say?

Steve Weiner, a Massachusetts librarian, saw his circulation jump 42% the first year he added superhero comics to his collection.

Middle/High

What Do Librarians Say?

Sharon Richert said her Florida high school library Fiction section doubled in circulation and in one fifteen day span circulated almost 1,000 graphic novels.

What Do Librarians Say?

Francisca Goldsmith, the Collection Management and Promotion Librarian at Berkeley Public Library, said, “Some reluctant readers will gladly pick up a graphic novel over a typical novel and since the illustrations support the text, graphic novels also help encourage literacy.”

Middle

What Do Librarians Say?

Middle school librarians, Larry Dorrell and Ed Carroll, noted at the conclusion of a study in Missouri that, “Library traffic experienced an immediate and lasting change after the introduction of comic books into the school library.“

Middle

What Do Librarians Say?Allyson A. W. Lyga, a Maryland elementary media specialist said, “Since I started stocking our school library with graphic novels six years ago, I’ve discovered that kids love them. Our collection, for students in kindergarten through fifth grade, now has around 125 graphic novels, and they’re by far our most heavily circulated items.”

Elementary

The Appeal of Graphic Novels

• Motivating • Visual • Permanent • Intermediary • Popular

High

How Can They Be Used?

Literary Devices• Setting• Plot• Character development• Allusion• Allegory• Foreshadowing• Irony• Satire• Stereotyping• Flashback• Metaphor• Symbolism• Imagery

Middle/High

How Can They Be Used?

Examine and Compare Cultural Knowledge• social roles and conventions• power structures• formal and informal

communication styles• dress• mannerisms• values• stereotypes

Middle

Curricula Focus

Cultural Issues• The Four Immigrants Manga

– Henry (Yoshitaka) Kiyama, 1999

Middle/High

Curricula Focus

Cultural Issues• Still I Rise

– Roland Owen Laird, Taneshia Nash Laird, & Elihu Bey, 1997

Middle

Curricula Focus

Cultural Issues• 2024

– Ted Rall, 2001 High

Curricula Focus

Cultural Issues• Stuck Rubber Baby

– Howard Cruse, 1995 High

Curricula Focus

Math• The Cartoon Guide

to Statistics– Larry Gonick & Wollcutt

Smith, 1993

High

Curricula Focus

Math• Prof. E McSquared's

Calculus Primer: Expanded Intergalactic Version– Howard Swann & John

Johnson, 2002

High

Curricula Focus

Math• Math Game 1• Math Game 2• Math Game 3

– Tori Jung, 2005

Middle

Curricula Focus

Science• The Cartoon Guide to

Genetics– Larry Gonick & Mark

Wheelies, 1991

Middle/High

Curricula Focus

Science• The Cartoon Guide to

Physics– Larry Gonick & Art

Huffman, 1991

High

Curricula Focus

Science• The Cartoon Guide to the

Environment– Larry Gonick and Alice

Outwater, 1996

Middle/High

Curricula Focus

Science• The Cartoon Guide to

Chemistry– Larry Gonick and Craig

Criddle , 2005

High

Curricula Focus

Science• Dignifying Science:

Stories About Women – Jim Ottaviani, 2000

Middle/High

Curricula Focus

Science• Clan Apis

– Jay Hosler, 2000 Middle

Curricula Focus

Science• Two-fisted Science:

Stories About Scientists– Jim Ottaviani, 2001

Middle/High

Curricula Focus

Science• Fallout

– Jim Ottaviani, 2001 High

Curricula Focus

Science• The Sandwalk Adventures

– Jay Hosler, 2003 Middle/High

Curricula Focus

Social Issues• I Think I Was An

Alcoholic…– John Callahan, 1993

High

Curricula Focus

Social Issues• Our Cancer Year

– Harvey Pekar, Joyce Brabner, & Frank Stack, 1994

High

Curricula Focus

Social Issues• The Tale of One Bad Rat

– Brian Talbot, 1995 Middle/High

Curricula Focus

Social Issues• The Amazing “True” Story

of a Teenage Single Mom – Katherine Arnoldi,

1998

High

Curricula Focus

Social Issues• Pedro and Me: Friendship,

Loss, and What I Learned– Judd Winick, 2000

High

Graphic Novels Help Students:

• Develop an increased interest in reading

• Increase literacy in the broad sense of the word

• Develop language skills and a rich and varied vocabulary

• Foster interest in a variety of literary genres

• Foster interest in a broad range of topics

Elementary

Graphic Novels Help Students:

• Stimulate a creative imagination• Develop an appreciation of art• Develop the ability to discuss

and critique art and writing• Increase understanding of how

meaning is found in visual phenomena

• Enhance understanding of popular culture and other media

Middle/High

Questions To AskBefore Purchasing a Graphic Novel:• Is the book physically well

produced and attractive? • Is the storyline coherent,

imaginative, interesting and well written?

• Is the language accessible and appropriate?

Middle/High

Questions To AskBefore Purchasing a Graphic Novel:• Does the cover

illustration do justice to the material inside?

• Are the words and pictures interdependent?

• Does the book treat race, gender, and social class positively?

Middle

Questions To AskBefore Purchasing a Graphic Novel:• Is violence part of the

nature of the story or is it gratuitous?

• Is the text legible or is it obscures by illustrative matter, making it difficult to read?

Middle/High

Questions To AskBefore Purchasing a Graphic Novel:• Do the illustrations

provide a subtle commentary on the printed word and move the story forward?

• Are the illustrations of high standard, both artistically and technically?

Middle

Caveat

Jacquie McTaggart reminds us that it “is important to understand that comics should supplementsupplement a balanced literacy program, not replacereplace.”

Middle

Additional Resources

Recommendations for Your Collection

• No Flying, No Tights– http://www.noflyingnotights.com/

• Graphic Novels Guru– http://www.graphicnovelguru.com/titles.html

• Comic Books for Young Adults– http://ublib.buffalo.edu/lml/comics/pages/recommended.html

• Recommended Graphic Novels for Public Libraries– http://my.voyager.net/~sraiteri/graphicnovels.htm

Additional Resources

Professional Journals that Review Graphic Novels• Voice of Youth Advocates

– http://www.voya.com/

• School Library Journal– http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/index.asp

• Publisher’s Weekly– http://www.publishersweekly.com/

• Library Journal– http://www.libraryjournal.com/

Additional Resources

Reference Books• The 101 Best Graphic Novels

– Stephen Weiner, 2001

• Getting Graphic! Using Graphic Novels to Promote Literacy with Preteens and Teens– Michelle Gorman, 2003

• Graphic Novels in Your Media Center– Allyson A. W. Lyga, 2004

• Developing and Promoting Graphic Novels– Steve Miller, 2005

Additional Resources

Other Sites Not to Miss• What Parents/Teens/Teachers & Librarians

Want to Know About Comics & Graphic Novels – http://www.informationgoddess.ca/Comics&GraphicNovels/index.ht

m

• Graphic Novels in Libraries– http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/books/graphicnovels.asp

• Diamond Bookshelf– http://bookshelf.diamondcomics.com/

• The Secret Origin of Good Readers: A Resource Book– http://www.night-flight.com/secretorigin/SOGR2004.pdf

Graphic Novels Graphic Novels in Your in Your Classroom?Classroom?

I Hope So!