In summer 2025, Carnegie Corporation of New York commissioned NCTE to lead the creation of resources that would bring the philanthropic foundation’s Great Immigrants, Great Americans comic series into classrooms nationwide. Two cohorts of middle and secondary educators created and peer reviewed 16 lesson plans using the philanthropic foundation’s 2025 comic book.
These resources have broad application to teaching comics within ELA and in cross-disciplinary ways, can be used alone or in conjunction with other resources, and can be applied to the teaching of these comics specifically or comics generally. They include state standards connections, supplementary materials, and strategies for meeting student needs.
The Value that Immigrants Bring to Our Community: A Socratic Seminar
Comics as a Gateway to Stronger Writing
This lesson uses Great Immigrants, Great Americans: The Comic Book featuring Jean Claude Brizard to explore how personal choices shape the future.
Character Traits: Character Analysis through Comics: Digging Into Body Biography
Teachers can front load vocabulary from the comic and explore homonyms—like “settle,” “condition,” “service,” and “challenge”—to reinforce language skills.
Understanding Immigrants Through Comics: Great Immigrants, Great Americans Unit
- Week 1: Learn the theories and techniques that underpin the comics medium.
- Week 2: Read, annotate, and c
Write an Illustrated “I Am” Poem in Comic-Book Style
Thousands of students across the United States write “I Am” poems about themselves.
Dear Great Immigrant, Dear Great American Comic Letter
This lesson invites students to explore themes of identity, immigration, and belonging by analyzing Mo Amer’s two-page comic in Great Immigrants, Great Americans.
From Verse to Visual: Translating Poetry into Comics
In this lesson, students engage with two creative transformations: Poetry → Comic and Comic → Poetry.
Picture an American
This lesson is designed for classrooms and teachers with very limited resources and time in under-resourced areas, or districts with strict pacing guides.
Show, Don’t Tell: Implied Meaning and Subtext with Evidence
This lesson is designed for classrooms and teachers with very limited resources and time in under-resourced areas or districts with strict pacing guides.
The Major Impact of Minor Characters in the Lives of Immigrant Heroes
Students will read Great Immigrants, Great Americans with a focus on analyzing the influence that one of the minor/background characters had on the main main character of each co
WRITE AN ILLUSTRATED “I Am” POEM IN COMIC BOOK STYLE
Thousands of students across the United States write “I Am” poems about themselves.
A Different Point of View for a Comic
Students will demonstrate proficiency in making inferences, constructing character analysis, and determining point of view.
Connecting to the Past through Interviews: A Comics Project
After reading the Great Immigrants, Great Am