How can graphic novel stories be used to enhance student learning?
By; Stephanie Bosworth
A P.D. that I attended during the 2019-2020 school
year at Stamford Public Schools was about using graphic novels to help students
understand important concepts. While I have never been a fan of graphic novels the
P.D. day changed my perspective about these types of books. I also walked away
from that P.D. with a new understanding of how using these can make a big impact
on learners.
I figured the best class to do this with was my College Prep Civics. I was comfortable enough with moving away from the curriculum a bit. They also tended to have more trouble dissecting documents. The book that I decided to use was The United States Constitution , A Graphic Adaptation by, Jonathan Hennessey. (Some images from this book are included with this post). The book was about the creation of the Constitution and the creation of the first 10 Amendments that followed. My plan was to read a couple of pages each day while we were learning about the Constitution.
Another book I was planning to possibly use with my U.S. History class is a booked called "March". It was a series of books written by the late Congressman John Lewis. The series is about the Civil Rights Movement. What I think makes the book really good is that Lewis tells the story from his own perspective. I really think it hits all the marks of the TED talk and what makes a good story. If you click on the link below and scroll down there is a video about John Lewis talking about his book. I think it is very interesting that he got his inspiration from a "comic book."
Results?
However,
COVID shut down my school, and I lost my job over the summer, so I was not able to implement this. I have no results of how this little supplement
would have worked out. Yet, I have a fairly good idea that this would have
worked to the advantage of the students for several reasons. Although there are
so many more benefits of using this as a
supplement, I have decided to explain just a few.
- Connecting
student’s previous knowledge:
This in my opinion is a no brainer. Many schools are trying to incorporate a Humanities approach when it comes to English and social studies. It would be super easy for an English and a social studies teacher to work together on a unit based on the Dust Bowl
2. 2. Improves reading and writing skills:
Katie Cunningham in “Story Still the Heart of Literacy Learning”, mentions how stories can be used to teach the “Bricks and Mortar” about writing in a non-conventional way. She also says that she teaches her students to notice the little ways that authors convey meaning through text. I.E. “how language helped us to more vividly picture scenes in our mind.” This could help students to improve their argumentative writing as they craft more specific and relatable thesis’.
3. Improving social skills:
Although this is more for the younger students, story telling can help students develop their social skills. Rainville and Gordh in their article entitled “Toward a Narrative Classroom” state, that storytelling “provides the context for building social and literacy skills….that will….serve them throughout their lives.” I could see how this could be built upon at both the elementary, middle, and or high school setting. These skills can help students to become better citizens and better writers.
4. 4. Can be used with any subject:
In addition, the best part about using graphic novels in a classroom is that it is not limited to just history. Any subject can do it. Please see below for some examples of graphic novels that are non-social studies based.
Examples of graphic novels that relate to real world
issues:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bMh63Tc3KzKhPO47asHJyFjgvSZoo8-J4lIUonivPKY/edit
A graphic novel that advocates for arts education in
school:
Science graphic novels:
https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/top-15-graphic-novels-for-the-science-classroom/2012/11
Math graphic novels:
https://libguides.ius.edu/c.php?g=363053&p=2452326
References:
Gordh, Bill and Rainville Kristin. Toward a Narrative Classroom; Storytelling, Media, and Literacy.
G
I agree that graphic novels are a great teaching tool for any age! I was introduced to using graphic novels with students in one of my undergraduate courses on children's literature. We read a graphic novel aimed at elementary school students called El Deafo. I remember reading some graphic novels myself when I was younger, but I never wanted to bring them to school with me. I felt embarrassed by them, and I can't remember why! Graphic novels are great ways to get students of all ages more excited about and engaged in reading and learning. They are just as valid for reading as a chapter book or novel. I would love to use them in my classroom, and I hope you get a chance to try them again!
ReplyDeleteI loved reading this post because so many of my 2nd graders are into graphic novels. They are always asking for them and checking them out of the library. I've been so unsure of how I felt about them, whether they were good content and or appropriate for their reading levels. I open a graphic novel and it always looks so complex to me. A ton of words, comic like pictures, speech bubbles, all over the place and I never know where to look. It was so interesting to read how it can improve social skills, I didn't think of this before but I agree, it's conversation like. The comic book you share is proof that they can be educational, used at different levels, and beneficial for literacy skills. I don't think I know enough about this genre of books to state an opinion. I am eager to explore more after reading your approach and the studies that go along with it. Great topic and nice post.
ReplyDeleteHi Stephanie,
ReplyDeleteI actually have considered this year incorporating a graphic novel into one of my units. I am an English teacher and have never taught a graphic novel before so I definitely can admit that I was intimated by the thought of trying this. However, after reading your post I have revisited this topic and may possibly try to implement a graphic novel during the last quarter of this school year. I agree that I think this may beneficial my college prep. level students and can add a different element to a traditional English class. I do remember in my high school junior English class we did read a graphic novel and at first I was hesitant thinking that I would never like it, but I actually really enjoyed it. I can see how it can improve social skills as well as literacy skills. I also feel that many of my student's these days are visual learners and I feel that a graphic novel would really help to support struggling readers as well as visual learners. I am now more motivated to implement a graphic novel into my instruction and to reflect on the process. Thanks for sharing about this topic and great post! :)
Hi Stephanie!
ReplyDeleteI loved your blog post. With the rapid growth of graphic novels being incorporated into classrooms I was skeptical at first, however now believe that these books are AMAZING for students! It provides them to use the skills they know, for example using the pictures to help them discover the meaning of tricky words. During my student teaching, I got to observe my students in a library class where they partner read a graphic novel and it was great to see them socialize and thrive when they truly were excited about the book they were reading. This connects to where you talked about graphic novels strengthening social skills on top of providing them with the opportunity of having students become better citizens and writers. I love how you mentioned that they are great for any subject, not just one specific! Great post, I really enjoyed it! :)
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi Stephanie,
Delete*Sorry I posted the first before I finished somehow!*
Graphic novels have always been kind of a question mark in my mind, so I appreciated your blog post outlining how they could be used in the classroom. I didn't think before about the benefits to social skills, but that makes sense now. I am connecting this back to the idea of play - in a way, a graphic novel can be a more "playful" form of learning, but that doesn't make it any less valid! In fact, there are so many supports offered in the graphic novel form, as you and other commenters noted. The conversational and narrative structure is engaging, and the support for visual learners is awesome. As a Spanish teacher, I have used brief comic strip stories to support various units. Students really glean a lot of information from scanning the pictures and speech bubbles, and it furthers their understanding of the topic. Visuals are so important in a language classroom, and I could see how this would be beneficial across all subjects. I loved the link to the graphic novel "What's So Great About Art, Anyway?". I agree whole-heartedly on the importance of keeping the arts in schools, but that is a topic for another time! Thank you for all the different links to explore graphic novels for various subjects, as well as your reflection on how you would have used them in class.
Hi Stephanie,
ReplyDeleteI liked that you focused on using graphic novels in the classroom and how they can be used in multiple subjects. I don't remember seeing or using graphic novels when I was going through school, so I think it would be something different to bring into the classroom. I also think that it would spark something in students to see an informational text, just in a different light, and would possibly turn students who aren't readers into readers. Graphic novels can also be used as examples for a writing exercise and the information can be pulled from the lesson. Lastly, graphic novels also help students be creative and see an event or learning material in the perspective of not only the author, but the illustrator. This can help students create their own views and share it with their peers.
Hi Stephanie!
ReplyDeleteI really like how you incorporated your honest thoughts about graphic novels and how your feelings have changed over the course of learning just how helpful they can be for some students. I know the idea of graphic novels is a controversial topic, like when the author of "The Outsiders" started a huge debate online by responding to the idea of a graphic novel version with this tweet: "No The Outsiders is the first book many people read in their life & it shows them they CAN read a book. Not that they can turn the pages on a graphic novel." However, like you, through discussion on twitter and people sharing their stories her opinion changed. For me, any way to make text more accessible for people is a win. I also don't really like to read and I feel like if graphic novels were as popular as they are now back then, I might have grown a greater love for reading that lasted into my adult hood. I see so many students that I've taught gravitate towards graphic novels and its really nice to see. Thank you for providing such great insight on the topic!
-Grace
Hi Stephanie! As an elementary school teacher, I have noticed that more and more of my students are being drawn to graphic novels. However, it wasn’t until I read your post until I started thinking about how graphic novels can be used as a tool to engage students and teach them content. I love that you had the idea to use the book The United States Constitution, A Graphic Adaptation by, Jonathan Hennessey, to help students better understand what they were learning about the constitution. This seems like a fantastic way to make the content more interesting and engaging to students, and it encourages them to make connections between different types of texts.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I agree that graphic novels can, and should, be used with any subject. THANK YOU for including the graphic novel examples at the bottom of your post!
-Colleen K.
Hi Stephanie! This was a great post about the important benefits from reading a graphic novel and the positive skills it allows students to practice. I think graphic novels have a great impact on a child practicing this social skills because the layout of a graphic novel in a conversation like style which helps the students make the connections between what each character in the story is saying. This gives them a visual idea as well off how a conversation conducts. Tying in graphic novels to history can be very beneficial to the students because it helps break down important conversations between important historical figures. Great post!
ReplyDeleteMark
As a long time fan of graphic novels and comic books I absolutely loved this article. I read a lot as a child but almost always comic books. I had teachers try to convince my parents that it was good for my reading development. My parents never took that advice and I am grateful because I found joy in what I was reading and pushed myself to read more because of it. A lot of notable graphic novels have come out over the years often tackling serious subjects with all of the literary qualities, creativity, and intrigued found in traditional novels. I am happy to see graphic novels popping up in our school libraries as they appeal to an audience that other forms of literature may not.
ReplyDeleteHi Stephanie,
ReplyDeleteI loved your post on graphic novels, as I feel it was one that I really needed. I never got into graphic novels as a kid, and couldn't really see myself using them in my future classroom. It wasn't really until I met one of my good friends, a 6th grade English teacher, and saw the way he incorporates graphic novels into his class that I considered how beneficial they actually can be (his students LOVE it). Your blog post further deepened my appreciation for comic books, and how they can be catalysts for important literacy skills. Since they are very popular among kids, I hope to use this blog post to inspire future classroom readings! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Stephanie,
ReplyDeleteGraphic novels are such an effective way to entice students to want to read books. I agree with you that even when I was younger and even to this day, I am not very interested in reading long books because I then become very disinterested. I am also a history teacher and I think this is an excellent idea to engage students and relate information to real life scenarios and issues that are going on in the world in a very fun and exciting way. These graphic novels also provide students with good practice on this literacy skills as well so it definitely has a good and positive effect on the students. I will definitely try to implement this into my 8th grade history class more now.
Thank you for an excellent article!
Mark
Hi Stephanie,
ReplyDeleteI really appreciated this post and I love how you planned to take a step outside the curriculum. I wish you were able to go through with this idea. I love the idea of graphic novels because this will cater to visual learners as well and sometimes looking at pictures is a great accompaniment to text. I also appreciate how you write out how you write out how you thought the graphic novels would help the students, its like a behind the scenes of a lesson plan. I found this very helpful.
~Chaisen