Week 3, January 22nd 2020
What's your familiarity with graphic novels? Why/how might graphic novels be useful for the secondary English language arts classroom?
I am not very familiar with graphic novels. The first time I was required to read one was this quarter in Green’s World Literature class. I had friends in elementary and middle school who strictly read graphic novels, but I personally never was interested in them. Graphic novels, in my experience, are looked down upon, and dismissed as not scholarly or not real reading. They are also pushed on kids who have a hard time reading so the appearance of reading a graphic novel I thought would make me look like I was stupid or a nerd. When I was younger, I only read one graphic novel, as most people my age, Diary of a Wimpy Kid. This was one of the first books I read with my younger brother, because it was easier for him to follow because of the pictures. When I think of graphic novels, I often think of comic books. This is an issue that I originally had with reading graphic novels, some comic books are not appropriate for some age groups. Some have scantily-clad women, some have intense violence. Since I was at the age to really be into graphic novels, they have become more popular and more kid friendly. At the place where I work, I do a lot of reading with kids. Every day, after we play outside or do recreation time in the gym, we do homework time which for a lot of the students means reading. Some also do it for fun. There is one student in particular who has an obsession with the Dog Man graphic novels. He is a kindergartener and can only read a few words very slowly, so the graphic novels are helpful for him to work on his skills but still be entertained by the graphics. We read almost a whole book together every day.
The graphic novel would be good for secondary education not only for students who have trouble reading or staying focused on the words themselves in a novel, but also for students who are more visual learners. While some students can imagine the words from a novel becoming their own story like a movie, some students have trouble connecting the on-page story to make it real. The graphics could help them visualize the story and connect with it on a more personal level. Graphic novels would also be beneficial to have as an option on book projects. Even if students are able to visualize the parts of a story, allowing some students to focus on a more creative aspect would be beneficial.
I am not very familiar with graphic novels. The first time I was required to read one was this quarter in Green’s World Literature class. I had friends in elementary and middle school who strictly read graphic novels, but I personally never was interested in them. Graphic novels, in my experience, are looked down upon, and dismissed as not scholarly or not real reading. They are also pushed on kids who have a hard time reading so the appearance of reading a graphic novel I thought would make me look like I was stupid or a nerd. When I was younger, I only read one graphic novel, as most people my age, Diary of a Wimpy Kid. This was one of the first books I read with my younger brother, because it was easier for him to follow because of the pictures. When I think of graphic novels, I often think of comic books. This is an issue that I originally had with reading graphic novels, some comic books are not appropriate for some age groups. Some have scantily-clad women, some have intense violence. Since I was at the age to really be into graphic novels, they have become more popular and more kid friendly. At the place where I work, I do a lot of reading with kids. Every day, after we play outside or do recreation time in the gym, we do homework time which for a lot of the students means reading. Some also do it for fun. There is one student in particular who has an obsession with the Dog Man graphic novels. He is a kindergartener and can only read a few words very slowly, so the graphic novels are helpful for him to work on his skills but still be entertained by the graphics. We read almost a whole book together every day.
The graphic novel would be good for secondary education not only for students who have trouble reading or staying focused on the words themselves in a novel, but also for students who are more visual learners. While some students can imagine the words from a novel becoming their own story like a movie, some students have trouble connecting the on-page story to make it real. The graphics could help them visualize the story and connect with it on a more personal level. Graphic novels would also be beneficial to have as an option on book projects. Even if students are able to visualize the parts of a story, allowing some students to focus on a more creative aspect would be beneficial.
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