Getting Graphic in Schools: Graphic novels, comics, and manga in education

Presenter: Robin Brenner, Brookline Public Library
Reference and teen librarian in Brookline Public, website No Flying no tights URL at bottom of post, graphics review site. Published in any important publications and 2008 chair of great graphic novels for teens committee for ALA and YALSA.

Basic definitions:
format = comics
academic terms is sequential art (= panels, text + image)

Defending comics in collections
Definitions of literacy changing and evolving to include parsing diverse media. Literacy as a skill set for interpreting information. Comics require "reading between the panels". Learning to read these takes time. Beginners should start with a genre that you already like.

Comics include sound effects as well as image, so feel very cinematic. Panels used like a camera. US Comic symbols easily recognized. Speech bubble, thoughts, swearing, dead. Why do we know these? We have seen them. They are culturally unique to the US. For contrast, Japanese symbols death, sweat, joke (looks like a death symbols, but isn't). Sweat drops show state of mind.

Figuring out panel sequence and reading the panels very sophisticated skill. Establishing shot is starting point. Japanese use aspect-to-aspect transitions. Japanese fight scenes are particularly challenging.

Title research:

• read a few - find titles in a genre you already enjoy

• talk to fellow librarians

• journal reviews (ICv2 Guide - new and great source of statistics. They also have a website)
  

• check with local comic stores, library holdings

• check with your readers (Graphic novel Survivor - kids voted books off table)
  

Age range ratings (content based):

• Marvel not useful

• Manga companies conservative ratings

• Tokyo Pop - strict list/criteria to their ratings
• Rating systems not universal

Good comics for kids - new SLJ blog, Bridget Alvorson (based in Melrose)
has reviews, recommendations, news, soon to be released titles

Links:
http://www.icvs.com
http://www.angelfire.com/comics/gnlib
http://www.comiccon.com/pulse/
http://www.mangablog.net/

Lesson Plans:
http://www.teaching comics.org/
Comics in the Classroom -
http://comicsintheclassroom.net/
Teaching with Comics -
http://www.flummery.com/teaching/
Secret Origins of Good Readers -
http://www.night-flight.com/secretorigin/

Ideas for Comics Exercises:
symbolism, point of view, sound effects, vocabulary, character analysis, layout/measurement, comic story starters (give first and last panel and have kids fill in middle), chemical elements using superhero in comic to show chemical properties (flummery.com), compare/contrast different comics
Comic Life - use original digital photos, upload, and add text bubbles and actions. $250 per school site license. Includes teacher home license. Good for kids to generate their own.

Title recommendations:
(MS/HS) Magical Life of Long Tack Sam (biography); Fleming
Town of evening calm, County of Cherry Blossom; Kouno (history of Hiroshima, family)

WWII - genre
Maus
We are on our own; (memoir) Kattin
Barefoot Gen; (memoir) Nakazawa
The Wall; (memoir) Sis

Nonfiction titles (MS/HS):
The United States Constitution; Hennessey
Isadora Duncan; (bio) Jones - bio series
911 Report - approved by commission

Shakespeare adaptations (many):
Merchant of Venice; Gareth Hinds
British firm doing every play in 3 different versions

Fiction (K-5):
Jellaby; Soo
Amulet (older elementary)
Flight Explorer - anthologies on flight
Glister; Watson, Andi
Rapunzel's Revenge; Hale, Shannon* good presenter on this - does reader's theater
Coraline; Gaiman, Neil (graphic version, nice adaptation)
Salt Water Taffy; Loux, Matthew (set in Maine, strong boy appeal, older elementary, MS)
Minister Jade; (Chinese Imperial Court, super-hero, magical belt of jade, MS)
Atomic Robo; (robot design by Tesla in the 20s, physics jokes, action adventure)
Monster Zoo; TenNaple, Doug (a little creepy, older elementary MS)
Stuck in the Middle; Schrag, Ariel (MS, collection of short comics about what MS is really like)
War at Ellesmere; Hicks, Faith Erin (scholarship student at elite academy, older elementary, MS)

MS Manga - (Manga makes up 60% of the publishing market in Japan, started in '50s)
Shojo manga - girl manga
Shonen manga - boy manga
Sugar Sugar Rune; Anno, Moyoco (pair of witches who collect hearts, mystical)
Palette of 12 Secret Colors; Kusakawa
Shirley; Mori, Kaoru (Victorian England, 13 year old girl learning to be a servant)

HS Manga
Fever; Park, Hee Jung (HS)
High School Debut; Kawahara, Kazune (HS)
Fairy Tale; Mashima, Hiro (favorite with boys, magic, protagonist gets seasick)
Hikkatsu! Strike a blow to vivify!; Yagami, Yu (changing the world with appliance repair to readjust Earth's magnetic core)

Handouts:
http://www.noflyingnotights.com/confrences/msla2008
robin@noflyingnotights.com

Maximizing your Impact

Sunday, @ 10:00am


Co-teaching Information Literacy and Reading Comprehension Strategies by Judy Moreillan, Ph.D.


Judy began with an excellent analogy of the tortoise and the leopard, relating the struggle of survival to literacy instruction. She went on to deliver a clear message: Library Teachers can impact reading comprehension by collaborating with Reading Specialists. Co-Teach. She has identified 7 Reading Strategies to "help your kids read it and get it". By identifying these 7 strategies and linking them to Information Literacy, your students will become more successful readers & will increase their comprehension. The strategies do not work in isolation, but must be taught in tandem for maximum effectiveness.


Using another analogy, the elephant in the "Seven Blind Mice" story, each part of the elephant seen individually does not provide an accurate, overall image to the blind mice. As in reading for comprehension, all portions must be linked to the whole for complete understanding.


So where to start? Kindergarten! Teach reading for meaning, not just reading for words.


In her book, Judy outlines research-based instructional strategies, and offers the following statistics...for students who have mastered the following skills, there is a corresponding increase in test scores:


Identification of similarities and differences 45%


Summarizing and note taking 34%


Setting Objectives and providing feedback 23%


Questions, cues, and advanced organizers 22%


She urges Library Teachers to post student friendly objectives, develop rubrics to achieve those objectives, use essential questions to frame the lesson, and cue the learners as to what is really important.



"Teaching is too difficult to do alone...collaborate with your Teacher-Librarian"
Dewitt Wallace, Readers Digest, Library Power 1994

Co-teaching techniques include one teaching and one supporting, the increased availability for one-on-one conferencing, parallel, alternative and team teaching all provide faster and more effective brainstorming...ultimately resulting in the students becoming more engaged!
Check out her website for speakers notes and more at http://storytrail.com/
By next week, the power point presentation should be available on her website. Check it out now for others!

Collaborative Strategies for teaching Reading and Comprehension

Sunday, 11/2

Maximizing your Impact: 

Classroom-Library Co-Teaching Information Literacy and Reading Comprehension with Judi Moreillon 

"Two heads are better than one!"

As library teachers should be chanting this after seeing the presentation by Judi Moreillon. Library Teachers can impact reading comprehension by collaborating with classroom teachers and reading specialists.

Using her gift for storytelling, Judi demonstrated the 7 Reading Strategies: 

1. Using or Building Background Knowledge
2. Using Sensory Images
3. Questioning, Making Predictions and Inferences
4. Determining Main Ideas
5. Using Fix-up Options
6. Synthesizing.  

Then she showed us how these strategies have a direct correlation with the AASL standards.

"Teaching is too difficult to do alone: collaborate with our teacher-librarian."  Judi then when on to describe different types of collaboration:

1. One Teaching, one supporting
2. Station or Center Teaching
3. Parallel teaching
4. Alternative teaching
5. Team Teaching

These co-teaching approaches are outlined in her book Collaborative Strategies for Teaching Reading Comprehension which I purchased directly after the workshop. I look forward to reading and sharing it's contents with the teachers and other librarians in my district!

Judi's handouts and more are available on her web site storytrail.com