http://www.readwritethink.org/professional-development/professional-library/comic-books-change-students-30458.html
Contribute to ReadWriteThink / RSS / FAQs / Site Demonstrations / Contact Us
- About IRA
- About NCTE
- About Verizon Thinkfinity
- Standards
- Our Advisors
- Our Authors
- Community Stories
- Promotional Materials
- News
Find the latest in professional publications, learn new techniques and strategies, and find out how you can connect with other literacy professionals.
Check out our collection of strategy guides to find effective literacy teaching and learning strategies to use in your classroom.
Home › Professional Development › Professional Library
Journal
How Comic Books Can Change the Way Our Students See Literature: One Teacher's Perspective
by Rocco Versaci
E-mail
/
Share
/
Print This Page
/
Print All Materials (Note: Handouts must be printed separately)
| Grade | |
| Type | Journal |
| Published | March 2001 |
| Publisher |  |
 |
Description |
A delicate balance exists between passing on our literary judgments and encouraging students to develop theirs, says Versaci, and the challenge begins in the middle and high school classroom, where teachers must present literature at once in a way that interests students and teaches them to evaluate literature. One way to do this, he suggests, is to use comic books. In this article he details the many merits of using comics and graphic novels in the classroom, suggests how they can be integrated into historical and social issues units, and recommends several titles.
Versaci, Rocco. "How Comic Books Can Change the Way Our Students See Literature: One Teacher's Perspective." English Journal 91.2 (November 2001): 61-67.
Grades 6 – 12 | Lesson Plan | Unit
Twenty-First Century Informational Literacy: Integrating Research Techniques and Technology
Students develop their reading, writing, research, and technology skills using graphic novels. As a final activity, students create their own graphic novels using comic software.
Grades 6 – 8 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Fantastic Characters: Analyzing and Creating Superheroes and Villains
Students analyze characterization by creating their own superheroes or super-villains,
complete with related gadgets and settings.
Grades 3 – 5 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Comics in the Classroom as an Introduction to Genre Study
Multidimensional, challenging, and popular with students, comics provide an excellent way to introduce the concept of genres.
Grades 9 – 12 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Book Report Alternative: Characters for Hire! Studying Character in Drama
In this alternative to the traditional book report, students respond to a play they have read by creating a resume for one of its characters.
Grades 9 – 12 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Comic Makeovers: Examining Race, Class, Ethnicity, and Gender in the Media
Students explore stereotypes in the media and representations of race, class, ethnicity, and gender by analyzing comics over a two-week period and then re-envisioning them with a "comic character makeover."
Grades 3 – 5 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Book Report Alternative: The Elements of Fiction
Students identify the elements of fiction in a book they have read and share summaries of them by writing and illustrating their own mini-book.
Grades 6 – 8 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Book Report Alternative: Character and Author Business Cards
Students respond to a book they have read by thinking symbolically to create a business card for one of the characters.
Grades 6 – 8 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Book Report Alternative: Summary, Symbol, and Analysis in Bookmarks
Students make bookmarks on computers and share their ideas with other readers at their school, while practicing summarizing, recognizing symbols, and writing reviews—all for an authentic audience.
Grades 6 – 8 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Book Report Alternative: Hooking a Reader with a Book Cover
Students select a book to read based only on its cover art. After reading the book, they use an interactive tool to create a new cover for it.
Grades 3 – 5 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Book Report Alternative: Creating a New Book Cover
Students explore book covers of a variety of books then create a new cover for a book they have read.
Grades 3 – 5 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Book Report Alternative: Writing Resumes for Characters in Historical Fiction
Students write resumes for historical fiction characters. They first explore help wanted ads to see what employers want, and then draft resumes for the characters they’ve chosen.
Grades 6 – 8 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Book Report Alternative: Comic Strips and Cartoon Squares
Students must think critically to create comic strips highlighting six important scenes from a book they have read.
Grades 6 – 8 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Book Report Alternative: Creating a Childhood for a Character
Students explore familiar literary characters, usually first encountered as adults, but whose childhood stories are only told later. Students then create childhoods for adult characters from books of their choice.
Grades 6 – 8 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Book Report Alternative: A Character’s Letter to the Editor
Students write a persuasive letter to the editor of a newspaper from a selected fictional character’s perspective, focusing on a specific issue or situation explored in the novel.
Grades 6 – 8 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Book Report Alternative: Creating Careers for Characters
Students select a job listing for a character in a book they have read, then create a resume and application letter for that character.
Grades 3 – 5 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Book Report Alternative: Examining Story Elements Using Story Map Comic Strips
Comic frames are traditionally used to illustrate a story in a short, concise format. In this lesson, students use a six-paneled comic strip frame to create a story map, summarizing a book or story that they've read. Each panel retells a particular detail or explains a literary element (such as setting or character) from the story.
