ERIC Number: EJ1015349
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013-Mar
Pages: 5
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0013-1784
EISSN: N/A
More than Comic Books
Boerman-Cornell, Bill
Educational Leadership, v70 n6 p73-77 Mar 2013
Graphic novels (book-length fiction or nonfiction narratives told using the conventions of a comic book) bring together text and image in a way that seems to capture students' imaginations. Right now, there is little more than anecdotal research about how graphic novels can be used within specific middle school and high school disciplines. As people are waiting for the research to catch up, they can learn a great deal from looking closely at the graphic novels themselves to see how they might meet teachers' and students' needs. Because graphic novels use images and text closely integrated together, reading them builds within students the same skills they need for reading websites and magazines. At the same time, they may also help students learn traditional reading skills. Strong readers use their imaginations to turn words on the page into images in their minds. Graphic novels may offer students who are still developing imaging skills a way to build these skills by giving them some images but requiring them to imagine what happens between panels. Finally, graphic novels can be an effective way to engage students who do not yet know that they love the subject they are learning. This article describes the varying reading levels of graphic novels, the need for teachers to introduce students to the basic conventions of graphic novels before reading them, and the range of disciplines in which graphic novels can be found.
Descriptors: Cartoons, Novels, Reading Materials, Student Motivation, Reading Instruction, Reading Skills, Imagination, Teaching Methods, Nonfiction, Fiction, Content Area Reading, Social Studies, Science Instruction, Language Arts, Mathematics Instruction, Art Education
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Publication Type: Reports - Descriptive; Journal Articles
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A