1. Using Comics and Graphic Novels for Reading, Writing & Visual Literacy Activities Katie Subra English Language Fellow subr0054@umn.eduelfbelarus.wordpress.com

2. How can comics and graphic novels improve language abilities? • Speaking • Reading • Writing • Listening • Vocabulary …but what about other • Grammar literacy skills?

3. Using comics and graphic novels can also increase: • Cultural literacy: Discovering personal stories and national perspectives through graphic novels and comics • Visual literacy: Reading colors, symbols, expressions, signs, icons… • Civic literacy: Facilitating community building & group work

4. Example 1: Blankets Literacy Skill Targeted: Cultural – Personal story with religion, family life, teenage-angst, growing pains, first love, self-reflection…

5. Example 1: Blankets by Craig Thompson Literacy Skill Targeted: Visual – Color, patterns, body language,facial expressions, setting, space, formatting (gutter, panel, dialogue & thought balloons, motion, sound effects… )

6. Example 1: Blankets by Craig Thompson Literacy Skill Targeted: Civic – Creating a common, authentic dialogue in the classroom through group work and language skill practice

7. Speaking Graphic Novels & comics provide excellent conversational material • Pick out themes to discuss and compare • Retell the story • Describe the relevance of the visuals • Predict the next panel/page • Role play the story (You already know what it is supposed to look like, so why not reproduce it any way you want?) • Try a dramatic reading of the text and assign roles

8. Reading Make graphic novels & comics required reading • Compare Cultural themes in multiple personal narratives: Persepolis, Maus, Blankets, La Perdida, American Born Chinese, … (this may inspire some writing tasks) • Start a graphic novel/comic book club • Ask students to fill out a plot diagram • Problemetize the plot diagram • Read reviews of the novel • Compare reviews to your students' own views • Conduct reading comprehension quizzes

9. Writing Use both academic and free writing exercises to tackle many themes • Do a character analysis • Compare/contrast multiple characters or choose one to compare/contract with yourself • Write a cause/effect essay describing the sequence of events in the novel or comic • Write a review of the graphic novel/comic • Fill in captions and dialogue based on visual cues

10. Grammar & Vocabulary Find a comic strip or graphic novel appropriate for the target grammar/vocabulary. You can also use pictures or ads! Remove the text. Provide students with a list of required grammatical structures or vocabulary to use. ↵Example: Question: Use a modal to fill in the speech bubble (should, can, would, must, ought, could…) Answer: "You shouldn't expect a note in a bottle to get you off a deserted island!"

11. Task-based instruction • Create personal narrative in the form of a graphic novel or comic combining cut-out pictures or illustration skills with text (captions, dialogue/thought balloons, sound effects) • Or, create a storyboard about any course theme which can be described sequentially (history, cooking, science projects, …) • As a group task, each member can create one part of the plot which they fit into a one-page storyboard Creating an authentic project-based assignment that demonstrates the comprehension of the subject.

12. Questions? Need more resources?subr0054@umn.edu – http://elfbelarus.wordpress.com Crawford, Philip. "Using Graphic Novels to Attract Reluctant Readers and Promote Literacy." Library Media Connection. February, 2004. Volume 22, Issue 5, p26-8. Eisner, Will. Comics and Sequential Art. W. W. Norton & Company, August 2008. Little, Drego. "In a Single Bound: A Short Primer on Comics for Educators." March 2005. New Horizons for Learning. www.newhorizons.org/strategies/literacy/little.htm. McCloud, Scott. Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. William Morrow Paperpacks, April 1994. Schwarz, Gretchen E. "Graphic Novels for Multiple Literacies." Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy. November 2002. Volume 46, Issue 3, p282-5. Weiner, Stephen. Faster Than a Speeding Bullet: The Rise of the Graphic Novel.NantierBeallMinoustchine Publishing, November 2003.