TV Can Be Good for Kids!

By Carey Bryson, About.com Guide

Where kids are concerned, TV and movies get a bad rap, but with healthy viewing habits and
parental supervision, limited screen time! can be a positive e"perience #or children. $ere some
ways children can bene#it #rom watching TV and movies%
1. TV can help kids learn about a variety of subjects.
&# there's a sub(ect your child en(oys, more likely than not, there is a TV show, movie, or
educational )V) that e"plores the sub(ect in detail. *ou might be even be surprised to
#ind out how many kids watch and love educational shows aimed at adults. +achael +ay,
#or e"ample has a huge #ollowing among kids and tweens, and her primetime show o#ten
#eatures kids in the kitchen.
Children's shows, whether they bill themselves as educational! or not, may o##er
opportunities to spark learning. ,or instance, was your child wowed by the +ed -yed
Tree ,rog on Go, )iego, Go./ Go online to look at pictures and read about the #rog. &n
this way, kids are able to see how #un learning can be and establish a habit o# #inding out
more when things interest them.
)ocumentary and nature shows are also entertaining and educational #or kids. A great
e"ample% Meerkat Manor, on the Animal 0lanet, makes a soap opera out o# meerkat li#e
and has kids hooked on the drama.
2. Throuh !edia" kids can e#plore places" ani!als" or thins that they couldn$t see
other%ise.
1ost kids are not able to visit the rain #orest or see a gira##e in the wild, but many have
seen these things on TV. Thank#ully, educationally minded producers have given us many
shows and movies that allow viewers to see ama2ing #ootage o# nature, animals, society,
and other peoples. 3ids and adults alike can learn #rom this type o# media and gain a
greater appreciation #or our world and the animals and other people who inhabit it.
&. TV sho%s can inspire kids to try ne% activities and enae in 'unplued' learnin.
When kids see their #avorite characters engaged in #un learning games, they want to play
too. 3ids also like learning activities more i# they involve beloved characters.
0reschoolers' shows are especially e##ective #or generating ideas #or learning activities
and using characters to motivate kids.
&# you have a child who loves Blue's Clues, #or e"ample, you can create clues and a
riddle #or them to solve at home, or challenge your child to create the riddle and clues.
4r, turn a regular activity into a challenge and encourage your child to solve it like the
5uper 5leuths do.
(. TV and !ovies can !otivate kids to read books.
4# the new movies that are released each year, you can bet that several o# them are based
on books. 0arents can challenge kids to read a book with the promise o# going to the
theater or renting the movie when they #inish it. 4r, kids may see a movie and like it so
much that they decide to read the book. )iscuss the di##erences between the book and the
movie to help kids develop thinking skills.
). Kids can build analytical skills by discussin !edia.
What do you think will happen ne"t/ Who did it/ What will the result be/ What could
that character have done instead/ Asking these types o# 6uestions as you co7view with
your children will help them learn to think, problem solve, and predict, making TV
viewing a more active e"perience. 1ore important than (ust memori2ing #acts,
developing thinking skills will bene#it them #or the rest o# their lives.
Also, remember those compare8contrast tests in school/ *ou can help prepare kids #or
this type o# literary thinking by discussing programs with them. Compare and contrast
characters or shows. Who is the main character/ )escribe the plot. What was the setting
and main idea/ What was the con#lict and how was it resolved/ 9se TV time to help kids
practice #or all those essay tests, and they might #ind that talking about this stu## can be
interesting and #un.
*. +arents can use TV to help kids learn the truth about advertisin.
Advertising may be annoying, but it does present yet another opportunity to develop kids'
thinking skills. According to the American Academy o# 0ediatrics, young children may
not even know the di##erence between programs and commercials. They are (ust soaking
it all in and applying it to their reality. As a parent, you can e"plain the purpose o#
advertising to your kids and alert them to any deceptive tactics. Allow them to analy2e
the methods used by advertisers to sell a product.
,. Good role !odels and e#a!ples on TV can positively influence kids.
Children are in#luenced by people they see on television, especially other kids.
4bviously, this can have a negative result, but it can be positive too. :ately, kids; TV
shows have begun promoting some positive agendas such as healthy living and
environmental awareness. As kids see their #avorite characters making positive choices,
they will be in#luenced in a good way. 0arents can also point out positive traits that
characters display and thereby spark valuable #amily discussions.
)aniel Anderson, a prominent researcher on the sub(ect, sums up the situation with children and
media per#ectly stating, & hope the broader impact o# my research will increase awareness at
many levels so that we can be cogni2ant o# both the promise and the peril o# what we are doing.!
1edia truly can have a positive e##ect on children, but it is up to the parents, caregivers and
educators in their lives to ensure that kids' viewing e"periences are enriching and not damaging.
http://kidstvmovies.about.com/od/healthytvhanits/a/tvgoodforkids.htm
Jackson Creek Middle School
What are comic books?
Comic !ook is de"ned as a booklet of #ords and pictures integrated into a $e%ible
and po#erful printed format &Witek '()(:*+. ccording to the de"nition of
comics at the DC's web page, -.ariously referred to as comics, comic strips
and comic books, the comics format as #e kno# it today is a uni/ue art form
and literary medium that originated in the 0.S. in the late ')11s.... t its
simplest, a comic is a series of #ords and pictures that is presented in a
se/uential manner to form a narrative.-
Comic books are mass2produced ine%pensively and /uickly &!ender '(33:4*1+.
Comic books are considered a visual piece of art in se/uence &McCloud
'((*:3)+. Comics combines art and #riting. ccording to some &McCloud
'((*:516 7eury+, there is a comic literacy that is needed to interpret #hat
goes on bet#een the panels.
Comic books uses everyday language in dialogue balloons to communicate a point
/uickly and directly &7rank '(33:44'+. !y using a series or se/uence of
pictures, a cast of characters that the audience can relate to, and lots of
dialogue and te%t #ithin the picture, the creators of comic books dra# their
readers to their creation &8ee '(9':4'+. Writers and :llustrators tend to use
stereotypes of basic characters and clich;s to e%press their meaning
&<erberg '()*:*)+.
=ven though the comic book picture emphasi>es the #ords and dialogues of the
characters, it?s the relationship bet#een the #ords and the pictures that says
so much more &McCloud '((*:396 7aust '(9':'(5+. Writers #ill use idioms,
puns and slang to relate to the everyday individual. Comic !ooks are a form
of narrative "ction and so they have a plot, characters, setting, dialogue, and
symbolism.
@he pictures in the comic book control the readerAs interpretation of the #ords. @he
picture forces the reader to see #hat the #riter #ants him/her to see. ction
lines and dialogue balloons allo# the reader to hear the messages in their
heads, thus inviting the reader into the make believe #orld of comic books.
Bescription
Comic !ooks are basically *4 page periodicals about 9- C '1- in si>e. =ach of the *4
pages are divided into appro%imately D panels. Eanels are appro%imately 4 C
3 or * C *. :n a *4 page book, the number of panels can add up to any#here
from (1 to 411 &Eello#ski '((5:33, 7eury+. -=ach story is made up of a
certain number of pages, each page is made up of a certain number of
panels, and each panel holds one illustration- &!usiek+. @he si>e of the panel
re$ects the conception of time. Small panels illustrates time as going by
/uickly and large panels makes time look like it is taking a longer amount of
time &!usiek+.
@he splash page is the "rst full page panel that also has the title of the story and
credits the author, artist, penciller, and inkier. @raditionally, this #as the "rst
page of the comic book and so it is designed to hook the reader to the story.
@he "rst panel is also generally used to set up the scene &!usiek6 Eello#ski
'((5:3'+. @he rest of the comic book can consist of one long story, several
shorter stories, or one long story broken into parts. @he format must re$ect
the story.
http://###.mccsc.edu/Fkmcglaun/comicbk/#hat.htm
-tudy .ndicates Co!ic Books /re Good for Kids
Tom Goldman < == >ov ?@@A B%@C am
The co!ic book" once thouht of as a devil %orshipin tool" !ay not be so terrible for the
nation0s youth after all.
0ro#essor Carol :. Tilley #rom the 9niversity o# &llinois has determined through research that
comic books are D(ust as sophisticated as other #orms o# reading ... EandF that children bene#it
#rom reading them at least as much as they do #rom reading other kinds o# books.D 5core one #or
the good guys. Time to trot out the nation;s youth to their local comic shops, assuming that
they;re actually lucky enough to have any nearby that are still in business.
Though details o# Tilley;s study were not given, she apparently had children read comic books
and discovered that their vocabularies increased along with their love o# reading. Though some
critici2e comic books as being a simpli#ied #orm o# actual books, Tilley believes% D&# you really
consider how the pictures and words work together in consonance to tell a story, you can make
the case that comics are (ust as comple" as any other kind o# literature.D
The word DcomicD itsel# could be part o# the reason comic books are critici2ed, giving the
medium a child7like connotation. Comic books are anything but, especially these days with the
average comic book marketed more towards adults than children. 1anga could be an e"ception,
though many series have mature content not meant #or kids.
1any ?=st century comic books are immensely more sophisticated than what the general public
probably thinks o# when they hear the word Dcomic.D -ven high pro#ile writers such as 5tephen
3ing G with The Dark Tower and The Stand G and 0hillip 3. )ick G with Do Androids Dream
of Electric Sheep? G have had their works adapted into comic book #orm. 0lease, (ust don;t ever
show Tilley a copy o# The Boys.
Back to the main point o# this article% comic books are actually good #or children. & mysel# could
be living proo# o# this, having read tons o# comic books as a youth, #rom Superman to Punisher
20 to Alf to The !u""a Bunch. & even still own a pri2ed copy o# the 3ool7Aid man comic. &
was always an above average reader, and had an above average vocabulary as testedH could this
have been due to all the comic books & read/ The answer is yes, so i# you have kids & recommend
that you go get them hooked on The #alkin" Dead, Blackest $i"ht, or Dark %ei"n right away.
4r, #ind something more appropriate #or their age group, i# you really need to.
http://###.escapistmaga>ine.com/ne#s/vie#/(D14*2Study2:ndicates2Comic2
!ooks2re2<ood2for2Gids
Television
,rom Wikipedia, the #ree encyclopedia
Iump to% navigation, search
DTVD redirects here. ,or other uses, see TV JdisambiguationK.
Television JTVK is a telecommunication medium #or transmitting and receiving moving images
that can be monochromatic Jshades o# greyK or multicolored. &mages are usually accompanied by
sound. DTelevisionD may also re#er speci#ically to a television set, television programming,
television transmission.
The etymology o# the word is derived #rom mi"ed :atin and Greek origin, meaning D#ar sightD%
Greek tele JL MNK, #ar, and :atin &isio, sight J#rom &ideo' &is( to see, or to view in the #irst person.
Commercially available since the late =A?@s, the television set has become commonplace in
homes, businesses and institutions, particularly as a source o# entertainment and news. 5ince the
=AB@s the availability o# video cassettes, laserdiscs, )V)s and now Blu7ray )iscs, have resulted
in the television set #re6uently being used #or viewing recorded as well as broadcast material. &n
recent years &nternet television has seen the rise o# television available via the &nternet, e.g.
i0layer and $ulu.
Although other #orms such as closed7circuit television JCCTVK are in use, the most common
usage o# the medium is #or broadcast television, which was modeled on the e"isting radio
broadcasting systems developed in the =A?@s, and uses high7powered radio7#re6uency
transmitters to broadcast the television signal to individual TV receivers.
Broadcast TV is typically disseminated via radio transmissions on designated channels in the OPQ
CA@ 1$2 #re6uency band.
E=F
5ignals are now o#ten transmitted with stereo and8or surround sound
in many countries. 9ntil the ?@@@s broadcast TV programs were generally transmitted as an
analogue television signal, but in recent years public and commercial broadcasters have been
progressively introducing digital television broadcasting technology.
A standard television set comprises multiple internal electronic circuits, including those #or
receiving and decoding broadcast signals. A visual display device which lacks a tuner is properly
called a monitor, rather than a television. A television system may use di##erent technical
standards such as digital television J)TVK and high7de#inition television J$)TVK. Television
systems are also used #or surveillance, industrial process control, and guiding o# weapons, in
places where direct observation is di##icult or dangerous.
Amateur television Jham T) or AT)K is also used #or e"perimentation, pleasure and public
service events by amateur radio operators. $am TV stations were on the air in many cities be#ore
commercial TV stations came on the air.
E?F
5cholars disagree on the de#inition o# comicsH some claim its printed #ormat is crucial, some
emphasi2e the interdependence o# image and te"t, and others its se6uential nature. The term as a
re#erence to the medium has also been disputed.
)e#ining Comic
Will -isner, who established the term se6uential art and is considered to have populari2ed the
graphic novel.
&n =AAR, Will -isner published *raphic Storytellin", in which he de#ined comics as Dthe printed
arrangement o# art and balloons in se6uence, particularly in comic books.D
EP?F
-isner;s earlier,
more in#luential de#inition #rom +omics and Se,uential Art J=ACOK described the techni6ue and
structure o# comics as se,uential art, Dthe arrangement o# pictures or images and words to
narrate a story or dramati2e an idea.D
EPSF
&n -nderstandin" +omics J=AASK 5cott 1cCloud de#ined se6uential art and comics as
D(u"taposed pictorial and other images in deliberate se6uence, intended to convey in#ormation
and8or to produce an aesthetic response in the viewer.D
EPPF
this de#inition e"cludes single7panel
illustrations such as The .ar Side, The .amily +ircus and most political cartoons #rom the
category, classi#ying those as cartoons. By contrast, The Comics Iournal;s /000 Best +omics of
the 20th +entury/,
EPOF
included the works o# several single7panel cartoonists and a caricaturist,
and academic study o# comics has included political cartoons.
EPRF
+. C. $arvey, in his essay +omedy at the 1uncture of #ord and 2ma"e, o##ered a competing
de#inition in re#erence to 1cCloud;s% D... comics consist o# pictorial narratives or e"positions in
which words Jo#ten lettered into the picture area within speech balloonsK usually contribute to the
meaning o# the pictures and vice versa.D
EPBF
This, however, ignores the e"istence o# pantomime
comics, such as Carl Anderson;s !enry.
EPCF
1ost agree that animation, which creates the optical illusion o# movement within a static
physical #rame, is a separate #orm, though 2ma"eTe3T, a peer7reviewed academic (ournal
#ocusing on comics, accepts submissions relating to animation as well,
EPAF
and the third annual
Con#erence on Comics at the 9niversity o# ,lorida #ocused on comics and animation.
EO@F
http://en.#ikipedia.org/#iki/Comics
http://en.#ikipedia.org/#iki/@elevision
1hy -hould Kids 2ead Co!ics3
by Tracy 4d!unds
When & was in school, kids would slip comics inside their te"tbooks to read on the sly. Comics
were considered recreational reading! at best, but usually adults saw them as mind7numbing
tripe Q you certainly would never have seen one used in reading instruction. Times have changed,
and as comics and graphic novels become more accepted as a legitimate #orm o# art and
literature, they are making their way into classrooms. 1any parents and teachers, however, still
remember the stigma that comics had when they were young and are asking, Why should kids
read comics/!
The biggest reason that kids should read comics and graphic novels is because they want to.
1any young readers, when con#ronted with solid pages o# te"t, become intimidated and
overwhelmed and (ust give up. Give the same reluctant reader a thick, (uicy graphic novel like
Bone or Castle 1aitin and they dive in eagerly, devouring every page. With many struggling
readers motivation is the key, and comics are motivating.
There is emerging research that shows that comics and graphic novels are not only motivating,
but support struggling readers, enrich the skills o# accomplished readers, and are highly e##ective
at teaching sometimes boring! material in sub(ect areas such as science and social studies. The
#ollowing e"cerpts #rom the e"cellent 5cholastic Graphi" Teachin %ith Graphi# Javailable as a
0), here K sum things up well.
T Graphic novels canUhelp improve reading development #or students struggling with language
ac6uisition, as the illustrations provide conte"tual clues to the meaning o# the written narrative.!
T They re6uire readers to be actively engaged in the process o# decoding and comprehending a
range o# literary devices, including narrative structures, metaphor and symbolism, point o# view,
and the use o# puns and alliteration, interte"tuality, and in#erence.!
T +eading graphic novels can help students develop the critical skills necessary to read more
challenging works, including the classics.!
4!erent and Beinnin 2eaders
*oung children are (ust beginning to learn that concrete ob(ects can be represented in di##erent
ways. ,or e"ample, a dog is a #urry animal that wags its tail and barks. &t can be represented by a
photograph o# a dog, a styli2ed or cartoon! illustration o# a dog, or letters #orming the word
dog!. 1ost children begin to make this transition #rom concrete to abstract through picture
books, with a single illustration on each page. 5e6uential art Jwordless comicsK can take learning
to the ne"t level, asking kids to #ollow a se6uence o# illustrations that #orm a story. A book like
5%ly provides an opportunity #or young children to read! the pictures in order and #ollow the
story. They love to verbali2e the story, which rein#orces the concept that ink on a page can be
translated into ideas and words. &n addition, the characters speak! in symbols, providing another
opportunity #or children to make the connection between abstract images and language.
Be#ore a child is ready to read te"t, se6uential art can give them practice in making meaning
#rom material printed on a page, tracking le#t to right and top to bottom, interpreting symbols,
and #ollowing the se6uence o# events in a story. 5e6uential art provides plenty o# opportunity #or
connecting the story to children;s own e"periences, predicting what will happen, in#erring what
happens between panels, and summari2ing, (ust as you would do with a te"t story. The advantage
to se6uential art is that children don;t need to be able to decode te"t to learn and practice
comprehension skills.
4nce a child begins to decode te"t, the comic #ormat enables them to read much more comple"
stories than is possible with traditional te"t and illustration. &magine what either o# these pages
would look like as te"t%
&t would take many pages o# te"t to covey all the in#ormation in the last panel alone. With
comics and graphic novels, beginning readers can en(oy more emotion, action, and detail than in
a typical 5ee Iane run! story. When kids read en(oyable, comple", compelling stories they are
motivated to read more, so graphic novels can be a great stepping stone to longer te"t works.
This is also an advantage when encouraging struggling or reluctant readers or -nglish learners Q
they can en(oy great stories and practice high7level reading comprehension skills even at a lower
te"t reading level.
+roficient 2eaders
5ince my teaching background and area o# e"pertise is early childhood and primary education,
&;ll point you in the direction o# e"perts in using comics and graphic novels with pro#icient
readers%
A great place to start is this article at -ducation World that e"plains some o# the basics and
provides many resources.
The Association o# College and +esearch :ibraries has an e"cellent collection o# links to the best
internet sites #or comics and graphic novels.
:ibrarian Allyson A. W. :yga;s comprehensive article on graphic novels includes speci#ic ideas
#or using them with students and an e"cellent list o# titles.
Gretchen -. 5chwar2;s e"cellent article on Graphic >ovels Across the Curriculum touches on
using graphic novels in sub(ect areas such as history, civics, math, and multicultural studies.
The >ational Council o# Teachers o# -nglish article on using comics and graphic novels in the
classroom includes speci#ic e"amples o# how to use graphic novels e##ectively in -nglish
classrooms.
+ead, Write, Think o##ers a collection o# lesson plans #or using comics in the classroom.
August ?P, ?@@R
http://comicsintheclassroom.net/ooedmunds411DH1)H43.htm