Building Literacy Connections with Graphic Novels: Page by Page, Panel by Panel

by James Bucky Carter (Editor)

Edited by James Bucky Carter, this collection of essays by classroom teachers demonstrates how to pair graphic novels with classic literature (including both canonical and YA lit) in ways that enrich students' understanding of both and that thoroughly engage them in literacy.

As teachers, we’re always looking for new ways to help our students engage with texts. James Bucky Carter and the contributors to this collection have found an effective use graphic novels! Carter and his contributors tap into the growing popularity of graphic novels in this one-of-a-kind guidebook. Each chapter presents practical suggestions for the classroom as it pairs a graphic novel with a more traditional text or examines connections between multiple sources. Some of the pairings The Scarlet Letter and Katherine Arnoldi’s The Amazing “True” Story of a Teenage Single Mom; Oliver Twist and Will Eisner’s Fagin the Jew; Young adult literature and Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis; Dante’s Inferno and an X-Men story; Classic fantasies (Peter Pan, The Wizard of Oz, and Alice in Wonderland) and Farel Dalrymple’s Pop Gun War; Traditional and graphic novel versions of Beowulf. These creative pairings open up a double world of possibilities―in words and images―to all kinds of learners, from reluctant readers and English language learners to gifted students and those who are critically exploring relevant social issues. A valuable appendix recommends additional graphic novels for use in middle and high school classrooms. Packed with great ideas for integrating graphic novels into the curriculum, this collection of creative and effective teaching strategies will help you and your students join the fun.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Education, Teaching

164 pages, Paperback

First published April 3, 2007

Reviews

[Chalise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was a text book for a class I took this summer. I found it interesting. I feel that Carter spends too much time trying show us that we need to replace novels with Graphic Novels. There are some interesting Graphic Novels out there but I think for now until they are more main stream they are excellent companions to the novels or topics you are already teaching. Does have some great lesson plans within the text.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book that I put on my list for the RI Educational Media conference presentation I made on Monday, April 28. It went really well and I always enjoy talking to and with the school librarians in my state. My friend Ed did a morning presentation on manga which was great and we got to hear the writer Richard Peck speak at lunch which was a great treat!

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I like the ideas here, I would feel nervous teaching some of the graphic novels proposed in even a progressive public high school...

[Sarah Walls · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful.