Deimosa Webber-Bey (she/her), Queens NYC, MSEd MSLIS
- Teacher, Librarian, Quilter
- Batman, Star Trek, Team Jacob
- Native Comic Book Society (Facebook)
- Graphic Novel & Comics Roundtable (ALA)
- 7000 BC (NM)
- Decloaking Wakanda, BLM Comics Reading List (BCALA)
Have you heard of the decline at 9?
- KFRR shows that same time there is decline in frequent reading the main type of book kids like to read are comics and graphic novels
- Remember a moment when my niece declared, “I only read graphic novels” – but she didn’t limit genre, was open to friends/family, fantasy, scifi, history, sports, bios – so that is what I gave her, now she reads everything
- Not a problem, they are a solution, and a bridge to every genre
How to use comics and graphic novels in the classroom:
- Hang a poster, include in library, start a comic book club, make them
- Poster endorses them as ‘real’ literature
- They circulate more, more effective use of collection $$$
- Debate who would beat who, march madness, dbq’s
- Another tool for textual analysis, creative writing, SEL
- Emphasize reading comprehension skills in lessons beyond decoding, takes away the intimidation of pure text for striving readers
- Reading them: Action is in the gutter: making inferences, predicting, activating prior knowledge
- Making them: Retelling, visualizing, main idea/summary, sequencing, plotline for imaginative lit
- Activity:
- Fold mini book: cover / beginning, middle, end / blurb, summarize a book
- Stick figures, encourage simplicity, use of eyebrows/emojis for emotions
- Dialogue vs thought bubbles vs narrator
- Fold mini book: cover / beginning, middle, end / blurb, summarize a book
Resources:
- A Guide to Using Graphic Novels with Children and Teens (Graphix)
- Graphic Novels in Your School Library (Jesse Karp)
- Best Graphic Novels Reading Lists (GNCRT)