This is the final research project that I created for my Capstone English course in Spring 2014.
Because I am going to be a Secondary English teacher, I chose to focus my research on something I could use in my future classroom.
I researched the benefits of graphic novels in the classroom and the importance of visual literacy in education. I then gave examples of how graphic novels could be paired with Young Adult texts to help students build a more complex understanding of historical events.
This is the final research project that I created for my Capstone English course in Spring 2014.
Because I am going to be a Secondary English teacher, I chose to focus my research on something I could use in my future classroom.
I researched the benefits of graphic novels in the classroom and the importance of visual literacy in education. I then gave examples of how graphic novels could be paired with Young Adult texts to help students build a more complex understanding of historical events.
This is the final research project that I created for my Capstone English course in Spring 2014.
Because I am going to be a Secondary English teacher, I chose to focus my research on something I could use in my future classroom.
I researched the benefits of graphic novels in the classroom and the importance of visual literacy in education. I then gave examples of how graphic novels could be paired with Young Adult texts to help students build a more complex understanding of historical events.
Pairing Graphic Novels With Young Adult Texts to Increase Visual Literacy and Teach A More
Coplex !nderstanding o" #istorical $vents in a Multicultural World
North %a&ota 'tate !niversity Maddie McClellan McClellan 2 The conteporary vie( o" literacy is changing) today*s students are gro(ing up in an era o" vast literacy expansion that re+uires a ore coplex understanding o" (hat literacy really eans, The shi"t in the eaning o" literacy (ill no( re+uire students to understand ho( to interpret iages and other visuals in addition to traditional text -Monnin., Graphic novel specialist and educator/ 0aes 1uc&y Carter/ asserts that 2texts are no longer 3ust (ords on a page/ 4ut anything in the surrounding (orld o" the literate person5 -1uilding Literacy Connections 67., As a "uture educator/ I agree (ith Carter and (ant to prepare y students to 4e a4le to navigate and succeed in the (orld around the, In order to prepare ysel" to teach graphic novels in the 'econdary $nglish classroo/ I conducted research on the e""ectiveness o" teaching graphic novels/ using Young Adult texts to 4uild connections (ith students/ and pairing Young Adult literature (ith graphic novels to teach history in a (ay that engages students and allo(s the to 4uild eaning"ul and coplex connections (ith their learning, 1e"ore delving into the (orld o" graphic novels/ it is crucial to understand the iportance o" visual literacy, Visual literacy is the a4ility to read an iage as you (ould a traditional text, 'tudents should 4e a4le to analy8e/ interpret/ and evaluate iages in order to succeed in an increasingly iage9driven (orld, $xaple: 'tudents are 4o4arded (ith advertiseents every day, In order to 4e success"ul in navigating today*s (orld/ consuers ust 4e a4le to sort through the thousands o" iages thro(n at the every day, %eterining (hat iages ean/ including connotative and denotative essages/ the overall essage/ purpose o" the essage/ and e""ectiveness o" the ediu are all necessary "acets o" thought"ully and purpose"ully analy8ing a visual, Today*s counication is 4eing revolutioni8ed/ (hich leads teaching ethods o" literacy to change ore no( than they ever have, Literacy no longer re"ers to text alone99today*s students McClellan 3 ust 4e literate in 4oth text and graphic representations, The "ocus has shi"ted "ro traditional literacies to Ne( Literacies/ (hich include graphics/ "il/ and other ultiedia, In order to teach our students ne( literacies/ teachers ust include iage94ased literacies such as graphic novels -Monnin., While soe (onder ho( the graphic novel "its into the Coon Core/ ;atie Monnin points out that 3ust 4ecause (e have standards does not ean that teachers can not extend past the standards, The Coon Core is "ocused not 3ust on literacy/ 4ut text coplexity, 'tudents need to 4e reading texts that challenge the and are content9rich, Although graphic novels ay not have a high voca4ulary coplexity/ any historical graphic novels such as Maus/ Perspepolis/ and 1are"oot Gen/ contain coplex iages and ideas that challenge students to thin& a4out history/ (ar/ huan rights/ pre3udice/ and huan experiences in ne( (ays, The Coon Core 'tate 'tandards/ no( accepted 4y <= states/ attept to converge all state*s individual standards to are a set o" aligned standards, Creators o" the Coon Core explain that the goal o" these standards are to prepare students not only "or success in the classroo/ 4ut 4eyond the classroo, Critical thin&ing s&ills derived "ro engaging in coplex texts e""ectively prepare students "or 2college/ career/ and li"e5 -The Coon Core 'tate 'tandards., The Coon Core explains that the standards are laid out as a 2vision o" (hat it eans to 4e a literate person (ho is prepared "or success in the 76st century5 -The Coon Core 'tate 'tandards., The Coon Core is not restricting educators "ro using a variety o" texts99the vision o" Coon Core sees +uite accepting o" using ne( "ors o" text/ such as graphic novels/ to increase visual literacy/ a crucial trait o" a (holly literate person in the 76st century, There are several (ays that teachers can help their students develop their visual literacy/ including deep vie(ing techni+ues that ay 4e applied to a variety o" visuals/ including McClellan 4 coercials/ print advertiseents/ and graphic novels, %eep vie(ing is an activity in (hich students 4rea& do(n the visual into categories and analy8e each category, As students are analy8ing and using deep vie(ing techni+ues/ they are exercising the three levels o" deep vie(ing/ including o4servation/ interpretation/ and evaluation, These s&ills are siilar to techni+ues used in reading and analy8ing literature and in"orational texts/ 4oth o" (hich are part o" the Coon Core 'tate 'tandards that students are re+uired to eet, 'tudents do not necessarily have to read coics to reap the 4ene"its o" visual literacy, Including in"ographics in education is a siilar idea to utili8ing graphic novels/ as 4oth re+uire students to create or interpret visuals to convey a essage, #aving students create in"ographics is very siilar to having the create coics in that it has students use visuals to convey a essage, While reading graphic novels ay help students coprehend coplex ideas that they ay not have (ithout visuals/ having students create their o(n in"ographics ay help the coprehend a traditional text in a siilar (ay, $ducator Meryl 0a""e posted an interesting exaple on his educational 4log/ %eparting the Text/ o" ho( in"ographics can help students understand 'ha&espeare, McClellan 5 http:>>departingthetext,4logspot,co>7?6<>?=>sha&espeare9through9in"ographics,htl While in"ographics could 4e especially 4ene"icial in 'ha&espeare units due to the con"using character relationships and un"ailiar language/ tie period/ and setting/ the idea o" using in"ographics to trac& plot and character relationships could 4e trans"erred to any literature unit, The teacher could create an in"ographic as a class (hile they read a text/ and then have students create their o(n in"ographic that includes setting/ plot line/ character relationships/ iportant thees or sy4ols, This is 3ust one (ay that visuals could enhance an other(ise traditionally textual unit and help students 4uild their understanding o" the thees (hile also getting to 4e creative, #aving students develop the s&ill o" designing and interpreting in"ographics helps 4uild critical thin&ing s&ills that students (ill use outside o" the classroo as McClellan 6 they encounter these types o" visuals in their daily lives on television/ advertiseents/ and the ne(s, While In"ographics are a great (ay to enhance a literature unit/ using coics in the classroo can either enhance a traditional text or stand alone as its o(n unit o" study, 1ecause soe teachers/ adinistrators and parents are a little (ary o" teaching graphic novels in the classroo/ using sections o" a graphic novel to enhance another text could 4e a great (ay to introduce the genre and still 4ene"it students 4y providing opportunities to increase visual literacy, Teachers need not have the class read a (hole novel99they could use a section o" a graphic novel to enhance other texts or class topics -Carter., 1ecause soe teachers are nervous a4out ipleenting an entire graphic novel into their classroos/ using one as a suppleent ight 4e a good place to start, Another (ay to introduce coics into the classroo is to use 'cott McCloud*s !nderstanding Coics to learn a4out the genre/ and then have students practice those conventions 4y having the create their o(n coic strips, McCloud is an coics expert (ho (rites a4out the history/ 4ene"its/ and intricacies o" coics, McCloud*s approach o" de"ining and explaining coics (ill help students 4ecoe "ailiar (ith the genre as they read, 'tudents could "ocus in on (hatever they are reading to create coic strip suaries/ or teachers could have students tell their o(n stories in graphic novel "orat/ (hich (ould easily align (ith narrative (riting standards, $ither (ay/ coics let students express creativity and experient (ith ne( genres (hile also learning ho( e""ective visuals can 4e in conveying a essage, Although using coics as suppleentary aterial adds to a traditional unit/ graphic novels on their o(n should not 4e "eared/ as they certainly reach the sae curriculu standards that any traditional text ight reach, In "act/ Maureen 1a&is/ an experienced english educator/ McClellan 7 has expanded her graphic novel expertise to teach a (hole class on graphic novels -2Welcoe to the Graphic Novel Classroo5., 'he argues that 24ecause iages are open "or interpretation5 students 4ecoe involved in 2rich discussion5 and 2pro4le solving5 -1a&is =., This &ind o" deocratic classroo helps students reali8e that there is no one right ans(er -1a&is =., @yan 0, Nova&/ another graphic novel educator siilar to Carter and 1a&is/ has (ritten a 4oo&/ Teaching Graphic Novels in the Classroo/ detailing lesson exaples "or di""erent graphic novels in the classroo and deonstrates ho( each reaches a lengthy list o" Coon Core 'tate 'tandards, I" students are truly engaged in graphic novel reading/ they get to exercise creativity/ and the unit allo(s the to eet re+uired standards/ (hy (ould (e not include graphic novels in the curriculuA Not all educators have as uch "aith in graphic novels as Carter/ 1a&is/ and Nova&99 Marla #arris states that graphic novels serve as great suppleentary aterial/ 4ut should not 4e taught alone, While I disagree (ith #arris/ I do see the 4ene"its o" pairing t(o di""erent &inds o" texts, Including a variety o" genres and edius allo(s students to explore di""erent genre conventions and gain a variety o" vie(points, Young Adult Literature advocate 0oan ;ay(ell explains the 4ene"its o" pairing Young Adult literature (ith classic texts, I vote "or a siilar idea: pairing graphic novels (ith traditional -non9graphic. texts, While graphic novels can certainly 4e 4ene"icial on their o(n/ pairing the (ith another text to teach a certain thee or tie period allo(s "or deeper understanding and engageent, Although coics have 4een popular since the 6B<?s/ graphic novels have only gro(n as an educational tool in ore recent years, Cor a long tie/ coics (ere not considered a "or o" art or (orthy o" serious reading994ecause soe underground coics included graphic content such as sex and drugs/ 2alternative coics (ere un"airly associated (ith su4versive or ta4oo McClellan 8 topics5 "or any years -Nova& 76., Novels such as Maus 4y Art 'piegelan/ (hich (on the Pulit8er Pri8e in 6BB7/ helped readers reali8e that coics could 4e an e""ective (ay to convey history and iportant essages, 'piegelan (ent on to stretch readers* ideas o" coics 4y (riting @a(/ a coic 4oo& anthology "ocused on art/ (ith his (i"e/ Crancoise Mouly, Maus is not the only historical graphic novel hit99the 1are"oot Gen series 4y ;ei3i Na&a8a(a/ (hich detailed the 0apanese experience o" WWII/ (as pu4lished (ith great success in 6BD?s/ and Persepolis 4y Mar3ane 'atrapi shared a girl*s experience in revolutionary Iran in 7???, 'ince 'piegelan*s Pulit8er pri8e/ graphic novels have gro(n in popularity and are availa4le "or all ages o" readers, In a poll o" sixth9grade classroo/ Carter discovered/ not surprisingly/ that seventy9"ive percent o" his students had recently read a graphic novel -2Carving a Niche5., While graphic novels and coics are considered 4y any to ean the sae thing/ there is an iportant di""erence, Critics thin& that the only di""erence is 2in the 4inding/5 4ut Nova& explains that graphic novels di""er "ro coics in the 2intended scope o" the story5 and have a 2de"inite 4eginning/ iddle/ and end5 -77., Although any o" these graphic novels are easy enough "or a "i"th9grader to read/ they are still coplex and engaging "or even graduate9level students, Coics specialist/ 'cott McCloud/ de"ines coics as/ 20uxtaposed pictorial and other iages in deli4erate se+uence/ intended to convey in"oration and>or to produce an aesthetic response in the vie(er5 -B., 'oe assue that graphic novels are easy 4ecause the graphics reiterate (hat the text already says/ 4ut McCloud explains that this is not the case, Graphics and text are separate entities that allo( "or coplex interpretations, At ties/ a graphic (ith little to no text says ore than (ords ever could, These &ind o" "raes allo( "or students to practice their analytical s&ills and critical thin&ing as they try to interpret coplex graphics, McClellan 9 In this "rae "ro Persepolis/ students could (rite a4out the 3uxtaposition o" Mar3ane*s 2pun& party5 (ith the iage o" the dying young soldiers in the ine"ield, McClellan 10 http:>>(((,d,un,edu>Ecstroupe>ideas>assets>satrapiFsuicideF4o4ersFpun&Fdance,3pg McClellan 11 This iage "ro 1are"oot Gen sho(s the a"terath o" the atoic 4o4 in #iroshia, http:>>aniei8,"iles,(ordpress,co>7?66>?7>ig?GD,3pg $ducators ay (onder (hy they should 4other ipleenting graphic novels into their classroos, Why should today*s teachers/ (ho are o"ten "eel pressured to con"or to standards and prepare students "or high9sta&es testing/ 4other ipleenting a ne( "or o" literature into their classroosA 'iply put994ecause they (or&H Maureen 1a&is explains that in her graphic novel classroo/ students are actively engaged and they care, 1a&is explains that 4ecause graphic novels are o"ten +uic&er reads/ students get to experience ore novels than in a traditional english classroo -2Welcoe5., $ven though these novels ay not 4e as tie9 consuing/ they still challenge all reading levels/ cater to teaching t(enty9"irst century s&ills/ McClellan 12 and eet Coon Core 'tandards, $ven 4ig9nae pu4lishers are e4racing the e""ectiveness o" the graphic novel, Cor exaple/ 1ed"ord>'t, Martin*s have recently pu4lished !nderstanding @hetoric/ a college text4oo& (ritten entirely in graphic novel "orat -Losh/ Alexander/ Cannon and Cannon., In order to +uell any nervousness and address parental or adinistrative concern/ Carter suggests (riting strong rationales a4out (hy the novel (ould 4e 4ene"icial "or the students and discuss any controversial aterial up"ront -2Going Graphic5., Teachers have no need to "ear graphic novels/ and should e4race this ediu to help students develop as (ell9 rounded critical thin&ers, Clearly/ graphic novels are an e""ective (ay to reach standards and allo( "or textual diversity/ 4ut (hy are coics so e""ective in conveying in"orationA 'cott McCloud o" !nderstanding Coics explains that (hile realistic dra(ings "it only a select "e( people in our (orld/ doodles could 4e any nu4er o" illions o" readers, McCloud argues that coic 4oo& characters are a4le to connect (ith readers eotionally 4ecause ore readers are apt to see theselves in the characters, http:>>digitalantipodes,"iles,(ordpress,co>7?6?>?B>(e4logFusa4ility,gi" McClellan 13 #istory teacher 0, 'pencer Clar& asserts that non"iction graphic novels can proote historical thin&ing 4y providing di""erent vie(points and coplex narratives through the co4ination o" text and iages, While text4oo&s can oversipli"y and dehuani8e historical events/ including non9"iction narratives such as Maus/ Persepolis/ and 1are"oot Gen/ helps students understand historical agency and engage (ith history -Clar&., 0ust li&e Young Adult literature/ this &ind o" text gives readers opportunities to see theselves in the text and create eaning"ul connections as they read, Aside "ro the connections that graphic novels provide all readers/ graphic novels help provide sca""olding "or struggling readers and $LL students (ho ight other(ise not 4e a4le to engage in a traditional classroo text, Ine exaple o" sca""olding and di""erentiation is provided 4y Classical Coics: 1ringing Coics to Li"e, This site gives exaples o" graphic novels (ith the traditional text/ +uic&9text/ and no9text versions, This (ould allo( "or students to all read the sae novels/ 4ut read at their level, $ducational researchers/ Ching and Coo&/ studied students (ho (ere given opportunities to read no9text novels/ no9text novels (ith audio narration provided/ or graphics/ text/ and narration, 'urprisingly/ they discovered that students per"ored 4est (hen they (ere a4le to "ocus on the graphics and listen to the narration, This deonstrates the po(er o" iages and (ould 4e a great opportunity "or $LL learners to increase their literacy, McClellan 14 http:>>(((,classicalcoics,co>titles>roeo9and93uliet,htl Graphic novels clearly have their place in historical story9telling and education/ 4ut they can 4e even ore e""ective in 4uilding a unit plan (hen paired (ith Young Adult texts, While traditional $nglish education taught students to read and interpret texts "ro 2the canon5 or 2the classics/5 students today o"ten "ind these texts disengaging and inaccessi4le, While the classics still have a place in today*s education/ teachers ust strive to choose texts that allo( students to a&e connections (ith characters that inhi4it positive reading experiences, Young Adult texts do 3ust that, $ducator Linda @ice explains ho( historically94ased Young Adult literature helps students connect (ith characters on a personal level to actually experience the eotions o" (ar/ discriination/ or persecution as the characters experience the, @ice argues that learning a4out these historical events through Young Adult literature (ill encourage students to change the (orld "or the 4etter, Young Adult texts allo( "or students to a&e connections (ith characters 4y either seeing theselves in the characters li&e a re"lection in a irror or experiencing ne( cultures/ ideas/ and "eeling 4y loo&ing through a (indo( into another young adult*s li"e, 0oan C, ;ay(ell McClellan 15 argues that Young Adult texts can 4e used as a great (ay to pair (ith classic texts in order to have students study the sae thee through t(o di""erent eans, 'tudents "irst read the Young Adult literature to get the used to the coplex ideas and thees 4e"ore they read the classic text, This sho(s ho( Young Adult text can prepare students "or a ore coplex text and increase understanding and engageent, While I agree that Young Adult texts are a great introduction to a classic text/ I also thin& that Young Adult texts a&e a great pairing (ith graphic novels "or siilar reasons99students are a4le to experience siilar thees through di""erent eans and are presented (ith ultiple points o" vie( that allo( "or a ore coprehensive understanding o" the culture or tie period they are studying, Graphic novels can certainly 4e taught solo in the english classroo/ 4ut pairing the (ith Young Adult texts allo(s "or a ore diverse learning experience, %ouglas Cisher and Nancy Crey de"ine the english teacher*s priary role in the classroo as developing students* 2thin&ing s&ills5 4y "ocusing not so uch on a certain text/ 4ut on the purpose o" the text -7J., !sing ultiple "ors o" text allo(s "or students to explore the sae topic through di""erent genres and experience ultiple points9o"9vie(, Teachers could certainly have students all read the sae pairing/ 4ut allo(ing students to choose 4et(een pairings that all have the sae thee (ould create an even ore diverse classroo in (hich students could teach and learn "ro each other, 1y "ocusing on an idea rather than insisting on one text "or all students/ educators ay choose any di""erent texts "or students to read in order to reach the sae goals, In order to address a variety o" reading/ (riting/ and thin&ing strategies/ Cisher and Crey assert that teachers should avoid using a (hole class text and allo( "or di""erentiation, In order to accoplish this type o" classroo/ Cisher and Crey explain ho( to structure the classroo through "ocus lessons/ guided instruction/ colla4orative learning/ and independent learning, McClellan 16 Another (ay to assign pairings (ould 4e to have all students read the sae graphic novel/ and then have students choose "ro a variety o" traditional texts that have siilar thees, I personally li&e the idea o" having students select a pair so they could (or& in sall groups and 4oo& circles throughout the unit, %i""erentiation specialist Laura @o44 provides "rae(or& "or having sall group instruction as a (ay to di""erentiate in her 4oo&/ %i""erentiating @eading Instruction, Many students do not "eel co"orta4le spea&ing up in a (hole9class setting/ so structuring the class into ostly sall9group instruction (ill encourage all students to participate, #aving ixed9level grouping also helps 4oth lo(er9level learners and advanced learners, Lo(er9level learners receive sca""olding 4y (or&ing (ith advanced learners/ and advanced learners gain understanding 4y getting the opportunity to teach, Although having one class reading three or ore di""erent pairings sounds coplicated/ it is not as scary as it sounds, The &ey is to split class tie into individual/ sall9group/ and (hole9 class instruction and designate assessents "or each, #aving a variety o" groupings and activities caters to a (ider variety o" learners and eets students* diverse needs, You could assign students to a pair 4ased on their reading levels/ 4ut I (ould let the choose their o(n/ (hich (ould li&ely create ixed9level groupings, #aving ixed9level groups allo(s students to 4ridge the gap 4et(een the, I" advanced students are al(ays separate "ro the under9grade9level students/ they (ill actually 4e held 4ac&, #aving ixed groups lets advanced students teach/ (hich (ill in turn enhance their learning experiences/ (hile struggling students (ill 4e provided sca""olding 4y having higher9level learners push the in their group activities, As students (or&/ the teacher could sit in on group discussions to ensure groups are staying on tas&/ have ini9con"erences to see ho( groups are progressing on their pro3ects/ or conduct ini9lessons (ith sall9groups or individuals (ho need extra support, McClellan 17 In order to "ully understand ho( pairing t(o texts (ould (or& in a unit/ I read three di""erent Young Adult text and graphic novel pairings, To 4egin the unit/ I pic&ed a coon thee that I (anted all students to learn, This thee (ould then 4e taught in (hole class instruction and (ould 4e explored in class discussions and lectures, As a (hole class/ I also recoend using 'cott McCloud*s !nderstanding Coics at the 4eginning o" the unit in order to 4uild &no(ledge a4out graphic novel conventions, 1a&is has used McCloud*s 4oo& to help students understand the the coplexity o" graphic novels and give the practice ipleenting each s&ill as McCloud introduces it -2Loo&ing at the Coics Mediu5., This (ould 4e relevant "or all students regardless o" (hat 4oo& they chose a"ter(ards/ and (ould set students up "or success in "uture graphic novel assignents, 'tudents (ould 4e split into groups depending on (hat pair they chose/ (hich (ould lend itsel" (ell to sall9group instruction in (hich students (or& together in groups to coplete We4+uests to gain 4ac&ground in"oration a4out the culture they are studying/ do 4oo& circles together/ panel9shares/ in (hich students pic& a panel that they thought (as iportant and (orth sharing (ith the group/ and snapshot (riting/ in (hich students pair up to (rite a4out the sae "rae or iage/ copare their interpretations/ and discuss (hy it is iportant to the plot line or thee in the novel, In an individual level/ students should coplete an assessent in (hich the previously learned s&ills converge, 0ac+ueline N, Glasgo(/ an educator (ho created a "rae(or& "or pairing $lie Wiesel*s Night and Lois Lo(ry*s Nu4er the 'tars to teach the #olocaust/ suggests having students create a eorial scrap4oo& and (rite creative responses to usic/ "il/ or photos related to the novels, 'iilarly/ I (ould have students coplete their "inal pro3ects through creating their o(n graphic novel using McCloud*s coic 4oo& conventions to tell a historical story that they got "ro either an older "aily e4er or respected adult, This tas& increases McClellan 18 students* creativity (hile also re+uiring the to use their understanding o" eoir and graphic novel conventions, Ither tas&s that students ight coplete during this unit could 4e panel suaries/ in (hich students suari8e (hat they have read in a chapter into a three9"rae panel suary, This has the practicing the s&ills o" suari8ing and also re+uires the to &no( ho( coics "unction, Another option ight 4e a copare>contrast essay (here students dra( connections 4et(een the t(o texts that they read or they could copare the sae text in t(o di""erent edius/ (hether it 4e graphic text to traditional text or graphic text to ovie, As exaples/ I suggest several di""erent pairings that could 4e used to teach historical events, The "irst is Maus 4y Art 'piegelan and Night 4y $lie Wiesel or A %iary o" a Young Girl 4y Anne Cran&/ either o" (hich (ould 4e a eaning"ul (ay to teach the #olocaust, The next is auto4iographical graphic novel 1are"oot Gen 4y ;ei3i Na&a8a(a or Callout 4y 0i Ittaviani and the non9"iction text 1o4 4y 'teve 'hein&in/ ideal "or a diverse learning experience a4out the 4o4ing o" #iroshia, The last is Persepolis 4y Mar3ane 'atrapi and 0ourney Cro the Land o" No: A Girlhood Caught in @evolutionary Iran 4y @uya #a&&a&iyan/ 4oth great educational tools to learn a4out Iran in a tie o" revolution, The strongest tie 4et(een these pairings is (ar/ the ain characters* persistence through iense ties o" struggle/ and huan rights issues, All novels also deal (ith racis and pre3udice during ties o" con"lict, Although each pairing deals (ith a di""erent cultural con"lict/ the connections (ill lead to "ruit"ul discussion during (hole9 class instruction a4out the coon thees, As a sall group 4ased on the students* 4oo& circles "or the seester/ students could create a cultural presentation 4ased on the the culture o" their 4oo& pairing, 'ince each 4oo& circle is reading a pairing "ro a di""erent culture/ students could 4ene"it 4y learning a4out the sae thees in other cultures, Many students learn 4est 4y teaching/ and teaching the class a4out McClellan 19 the culture they experienced (ill help solidi"y (hat they*ve learned, Groups could 4e assessed through options o" (riting/ per"oring/ or creating, The &ey is to assess the sae thees/ so the product does not really atter, This allo(s "or di""erentiation 4ased on students strengths and interests, Although group (or& (ould 4e crucial in this unit/ students (ould also get the opportunity to (or& on their o(n, Nova& suggests reading Maus to have students "irst learn a4out 4iography and eoir and then (rite their o(n through an intervie( and essay, 1a&is suggested a siilar assessent in her Persepolis unit/ in (hich students (ould dra( "ro techni+ues they learned a4out in 'atrapi*s novel to (rite their o(n eoir, 'tudents (ould use the thee o" eoir in the pairings to have students conduct intervie(s (ith an older "aily e4er or respected adult to (rite a story a4out "aily history, Carter suggests that having students create helps the express creativity and practice graphic novel conventions/ and Nova& supports this &ind o" unit in chapter nine o" Teaching Graphic Novels in the Classroo, #e sho(s ho( students ust use plot devices and organi8ation/ 3ust as they (ould in narrative (riting, I suggest the idea o" Nova&*s and 1a&is* "ocus on 4iography and eoir and Carter*s "ocus on creating coics to have students create a graphic novel eoir, 'tudents (ould use their graphic novel as a re"erence to create their o(n graphic novels using iagery/ sy4olis or allegory, 'tudents (ould use their understanding o" coics "ro McCloud*s text to either illustrate or create their coics online using tools such as Mo8illa We4a&er/ (hich allo(s users to create coics using text 4oxes and photos, Allo(ing students to choose 4et(een dra(ing or creating online gives the opportunity to exercise artistic or technological s&ills, Including coics in the curriculu allo(s students to explore ne( genres/ en3oy their reading/ supports lo(er level and $LL learners/ and encourages creativity and critical thin&ing McClellan 20 s&ills, Although introducing graphic novels into the classroo ight 4e deanding/ it (ill help provide today*s students (ith an education that eets standards and is exciting/ creative/ and relevant, #elping students gro( ore than they ever have soeties re+uires teachers to do (hat they have never done, Ta&ing ris&s in teaching is part o" staying relevant, I" teachers (ant to help students connect (ith their learning/ 4uild literacy and coprehension/ &eep up (ith today*s expanding literate (orld/ and get excited a4out reading/ graphic novels in the classroo are a "antastic start to that solution, 1ecause today*s idea o" literacy has changed to incorporate 76st9century s&ills and visual literacy/ students (ho experience coplex visual texts in secondary education (ill 4e ore prepared "or success in their "uture outside the classroo, Incorporating in"ographics/ coics/ and graphic novels (ill help students 4ecoe ore "ailiar (ith interpreting visuals/ (hich 4uilds critical thin&ing s&ills that they (ill use in everyday li"e as they encounter di""erent "ors o" coplex visuals/ such as advertiseents/ graphs/ charts/ and in"ographics on television or in the ne(spaper, Avoiding introducing visual texts and graphic novels into the classroo is a disservice to our students99helping students 4uild visual literacy alongside their critical thin&ing s&ills is crucial to helping students 4ecoe (ell9rounded/ prepared/ educated individuals, Teachers (ho are apprehensive a4out introducing graphic novels to their classroos need only 4e prepared 4y (riting detailed rationales that explain the 4ene"its o" the text, $ven college text4oo& copanies have started using the graphic novel "orat99proo" that our (orld is 4ecoing increasingly visual, Pairing graphic novels (ith traditional text allo(s "or di""erentiation/ colla4oration/ and sall9group instruction that propts all students to participate, The ipleentation o" graphic novels paired (ith relata4le Young Adult texts help students McClellan 21 create eaning"ul connections (ith their learning as they 4uild deeper understandings o" history and the (orld around the/ as (ell as 4uild s&ills that they (ill use "or the rest o" their lives, Wor&s Cited McClellan 22 1a&is/ Maureen, 2Welcoe to the Graphic Novel Classroo,5 The Graphic Novel Classroo, Thousand Ia&s: Cor(in/ 7?67, 6966, Print, 1a&is/ Maureen, 2Loo&ing at the Coics Mediu,5 The Graphic Novel Classroo, Thousand Ia&s: Cor(in/ 7?67, 6<9=?, Print, 1a&is/ Maureen, 2Loo&ing at Meoir in the Graphic Novel Classroo,5 The Graphic Novel Classroo, Thousand Ia&s: Cor(in/ 7?67, K796?7, Print, Carter/ 0aes 1, 2Carving a Niche,5 1uilding Literacy Connections (ith Graphic Novels, $d, 0aes 1uc&y Carter, !r4ana: National Council o" Teachers o" $nglish/ 7??K, 697G, Print, Carter/ 0aes 1uc&y, LGoing Graphic,L $ducational Leadership JJ,J -7??B.: JD9K7, $ducation 'ource, We4, < Apr, 7?6<, Ching/ #ii 'ii/ and Cong 'oon Coo&, 2$""ects o" Multiedia94ased Graphic Novel Presentation on Critical Thin&ing Aong 'tudents o" %i""erent Learning Approaches,5 The Tur&ish Inline 0ournal o" $ducation Technology 67,< -7?6=.: GJ9JK, We4, =6 Mar, 7?6<, Clar&/ 0, 'pencer, 2$ncounters (ith #istorical Agency: The Value o" Non"iction Graphic Novels in the Classroo, The #istory Teacher <J,< -7?6=.: <DB9G?B, We4, < Apr, 7?6<, Cisher/ %ouglas/ and Nancy Crey, 2Altering $nglish: @e9exaining the Whole Class Novel and Ma&ing @oo "or Graphic Novels and More,5 1uilding Literacy Connections (ith Graphic Novels, $d, 0aes 1uc&y Carter, !r4ana: National Council o" Teachers o" $nglish/ 7??K, 7J9=K, Print, Glasgo(/ 0ac+ueline N, 21earing Witness to the #orror o" the #olocaust -6B=B96B<G.: Children Who 'u""ered and 'urvived,5 What Was it Li&eA $d, Linda 0, @ice, Ne( Yor&: Teachers College Press/ 7??J, KK9BD, Print, McClellan 23 Harris, Marla. Showing and Telling History through Family Stories in Persepolis and Young Adult Literature. 1uilding Literacy Connections (ith Graphic Novels, $d, 0aes 1uc&y Carter, !r4ana: National Council o" Teachers o" $nglish/ 7??K, =D9G=, Print, ;ay(ell/ 0oan C, Adolescent Literature as a Copleent to the Classics, Nor(ood: Christopher9Gordon Pu4lishers/ 6BB=, Print, Losh/ $li8a4eth/ 0onathan Alexander/ ;evin Cannon/ and Mander Cannon, !nderstanding @hetoric, Ne( Yor&: 1ed"ord>'t, Martin*s/ 7?6=, Print, McCloud/ 'cott, !nderstanding Coics, Ne( Yor&: #arperCollins Pu4lishers/ 6BB=, Print, Monnin/ ;atie, 2Aligning Graphic Novels to the Coon Core 'tandards,5 ;no(ledge Nuest <6,= -7?6=.: G?9GK, We4, 6 Apr, 7?6<, Nova&/ @yan 0, Teaching Graphic Novels in the Classroo: 1uilding Literacy and Coprehension, Austin: Pru"roc& Press/ 7?6=, Print, @ice/ Linda 0, 2Active Learning in Theory and Practice5 What Was it Li&eA $d, Linda 0, @ice, Ne( Yor&: Teachers College Press/ 7??J, G97=, Print, @o44/ Laura, %i""erentiating @eading Instruction, Ne( Yor&: 'cholastic Teaching @esources/ 7??D, Print, Iages Cited Aniei8, 2MMC: 1are"oot Gen/ Grisly read o" Atoic 1o4 survival,5 Wordpress, 6< Ce4, 7?66, We4, 7J 0un, 7?6<, Classical Coics, Classical Coics Ltd,/ 7?6=, We4, 7J 0un, 7?6<, McClellan 24 %igital Antipodes, 2I Loved My Ipod,,, #er Nae Was Clea,5 Wordpress/ 7?6?, We4, 7J 0un, 7?6<, 0a""e/ Meryl, 2'ha&espeare Through In"ographics,5 %eparting the Text, 1logger/ 7?6<, We4, 7J 0un, 7?6<, 'troupe/ Craig, 2Ideas,5 Craig 'troupe, !niversity o" Minnesota/ n,d, We4, 7J 0un, 7?6<,