Welcome!
If you're interested in using graphic novels or comic books in your classroom, then you've come to the right place! This website has it all! Here you will find a huge list of recommended graphic novels for your classroom, lessons plans & activities, and tons of other helpful resources to get you started with graphic novels successfully.
What are graphic novels?
An often debated definition, graphic novels are basically full-length books written in the style of a comic book. Many people use the two terms synonymously, and that's okay too. Comic books can be used in many of the same ways that graphic novels can be, they just tend to be shorter stories, series, and/or paperback bound. Examples of comic books include the Spiderman, Wolverine, and The Adventures of Tintin. Examples of graphic novels include American Born Chinese, Maus, and The Adventures of Ook and Gluk.
Why should I use graphic novels in my classroom?
“Teachers use graphic novels because they enable the struggling reader, motivate the reluctant one, and challenge the high-level learner” (Frey & Fisher, 2008, p. 32).
The graphic novel presents a unique multiliteracy experience interfacing multiple sites of literate practices (Carter, 2007). Because they combine print literacy and visual literacy, graphic novels are multimodal texts and reading them is a form of multimodal literacy (Jacobs, 2007). By teaching students to become conscious and critical readers of graphic novels, students can also become more literate in a wide range of multimodal texts used in the twenty-first century such as webpages, videos, and performances.
Graphic novels can also be the bridge that links avid television-watchers and video-gamers to reading. “Young adults look for print media that contain the same visual impact and pared-down writing style…” (Ruppel, 2006, p. 2). In this increasingly media-rich, fast-paced world, graphic novels can be the balance between traditional literature formats and playing a video game.
There are a growing number of graphic novels that provide students with opportunities for critical analysis. According to Schwarz (2006), “graphic novels offer more diverse voices than traditional textbooks and can open up discussion about issues such as social justice” (p. 62). Just like other literature, graphic novels are socially constructed and students can use graphic novels to help them reconstruct texts and guide their critical analysis (Botehlo & Rudman, 2009, p. 270).
English Language Learners can also benefit greatly from graphic novels. But why? Aside from motivation alone, graphic novels “provide contextual support and clues to the meaning of written narrative, help demystify the text, and increase comprehension” (Smetana et al., 2009).
Still not convinced? Check out this video!
About this website:
This website was created by Jenovia Chunyk during her Master's program at Western Washington University. While working in the Pacific Northwest Children's Literature Clearinghouse, she couldn't help but notice the growing number of graphic novels that were getting sent her way every day. After doing a little research, okay a lot of research, she realized that graphic novels had ENORMOUS potential in the classroom and so she arrived at her Master's project topic.
Jenovia hopes that this website will help teachers become confident with graphic novels, without having to spend endless hours searching the web, sorting through blogs, and coming up empty-handed and still unsure. Please check back to this website periodically as Jenovia will continue to add more resources and update her blog regularly with new graphic novels coming your way!
Do you have some of your own resources you'd like to share? Do you have a favorite graphic novel that you don't see on the recommendation list? Please share them with Jenovia and she'll be happy to add them to the site!
Jenovia hopes that this website will help teachers become confident with graphic novels, without having to spend endless hours searching the web, sorting through blogs, and coming up empty-handed and still unsure. Please check back to this website periodically as Jenovia will continue to add more resources and update her blog regularly with new graphic novels coming your way!
Do you have some of your own resources you'd like to share? Do you have a favorite graphic novel that you don't see on the recommendation list? Please share them with Jenovia and she'll be happy to add them to the site!
References:
Frey, N. & Fisher, D. (2008). Teaching visual literacy: Using comic books, graphic novels, cartoons, and more to develop comprehension and thinking skills. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Jacobs, D. (2007). More than words: Comics as a means of teaching multiple literacies. English Journal, 96(3), 19-25.
Ruppel, K.K. (2006). Getting graphic: Connecting with students using graphic novels. Retrieved from http://www.mcelmeel.com/curriculum/yalit/ruppel_graphicnovels.pdf
Smetana, L., Odelson, D., Burns, H., & Grisham, D.L. (2009). Using graphic novels in the high school classroom: Engaging deaf students with a new genre. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 53, 228-240.