Worth A Thousand Words: Using Graphic Novels to Teach Visual and Verbal Literacy

178 Pages·2019·9.29 MB·English

by  Meryl Jaffe

Worth a
Thousand Words

USING GRAPHIC NOVELS TO
TEACH VISUAL AND VERBAL LITERACY
Meryl J. Jaffe, PhD and Talia Hurwich
Copyright © 2019 by Meryl Jaffe and Talia Hurwich. All rights reserved.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Jaffe, Meryl, author. | Hurwich, Talia, author.
Title: Worth a thousand words : using graphic novels to teach visual and
verbal literacy / Meryl J. Jaffe, Talia Hurwich.
Description: San Francisco, CA : Jossey-Bass, 2018. | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018031311 (print) | LCCN 2018047611 (ebook) | ISBN
9781119394617 (Adobe PDF) | ISBN 9781119394631 (ePub) | ISBN 9781119394327
(pbk.)
Subjects: LCSH: Graphic novels in education. | Visual literacy—Study
and teaching.
Classification: LCC LB1044.9.C59 (ebook) | LCC LB1044.9.C59 J35 2018 (print)
| DDC 371.33—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018031311
Cover design: Wiley
Cover images: © ivector/Shutterstock;© Fernandodiass/Shutterstock
Printed in the United States of America
first edition
PB Printing 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
CONTENTS
Notes of Thanks vii
Preface ix
About the Authors xi
1 Graphic Novels: Fears and Facts 1
Fears 1
Facts 4
How and Where to Find Graphic Novels 8
Moving Forward: Using this Book to Help You Read and Integrate Graphic Novels
into Your Curricula 9
2 Why Use Graphic Novels? Why Now? 11
Graphic Novels Improve and Enhance Teaching Methods 11
Graphic Novels Motivate All Kinds of Readers and Learners 17
Responding to the Naysayers: The Complex History of Graphic Novels
and Why Now Is the Time to Use Them 19
References 21
3 Foundational Skills in Graphic Novels, Part 1: Reading Pictures 25
Visual Literacy: Teaching How to Critically Read an Image 26
This Assessment: Understanding What to Expect Developmentally 31
Teaching Visual Literacy Skills to Your Students 33
Moving On 37
4 Foundational Skills in Graphic Novels, Part 2: How to Teach
Graphic Novels 39
The Anatomy of a Graphic Novel: Panels 41
The Anatomy of a Graphic Novel: Narrative, Text, and Thought Balloons 45
Gutters 49
Putting This All Together and Taking a Page for a Spin 51
Taking These Basics Further 56
5 Motivation 59
Getting to Know Your Students 59
Are Your Students Comfortable Taking Risks? 60
Are Your Students Artistic? 65
Leveraging Collaboration and Group Work 70
v
vi Contents
Leveraging Student Affinities 71
6 Using Graphic Novels to Teach Reading 75
Addressing the Challenges of Integrating Graphic Novels into Your
Reading Curriculum 75
Using Graphic Novels for Reading Instruction 82
Graphic Novels and Literary Devices 96
Graphic Novels and Character Development 102
7 Graphic Novels and the Writing Process 107
Using Graphic Novels to Teach Writing Prose Fiction 108
Using Graphic Novels to Teach Writing Prose Nonfiction 114
Writing Graphic Novels 124
8 Graphic Novels and Content-Area Curriculum 131
Reasons for Using Graphic Novels in Your Math Classroom 131
Reasons for Using Graphic Novels in Your Social Studies Classroom 138
Reasons for Using Graphic Novels in Your Science Classroom 144
9 Final Words 151
Where We’ve Come From 151
Where We’re Heading 151
Where We May Continue Together 152
Appendix A: Guidelines and Resources to Support Your Reading and Graphic
Novel Choices 153
Appendix B: Resources for Creating and Using Graphic Novels in Your Classroom 155
For Making Comics and Graphic Novels 155
For Creating Storyboards 156
Additional Links and Resources 156
Index 157
NOTES OF THANKS
First and foremost, thank you to my incredible family who have so enriched my life: to Adam,
who has always supported and enabled us all; to Talia, whose strong insightful voice continues to
grow and who took this work to places I never dreamed of; to Leah and to Zev, for your honesty
and love; and to my mom, Solange, who read aloud to me whenever I asked (especially when she
didn’t really want or have time to), and to my dad, Lloyd whom I miss terribly and who introduced
me to the world of storytelling. I am grateful for all you have given and continue to give me.
To my agent and dear friend, Judy Hansen, for your insights, your letters of introduction,
your encouragement, but most of all for your friendship; to our editor Kate Bradford, whose edits
and insights have been spot-on and this book is the better for them; to Annette Dorfman, whose
friendship I deeply value and who continues to teach me to calm and open my mind – thank you.
To my dear friends, the authors who’ve joined me on my journey both professionally and
socially and who make graphic novels so easy to write about and teach with – Jennifer Holm and
Matthew Holm, Janet Lee, Royden Lepp, Cecile Castellucci, Raina Telgemeier, Nathan Hale, Jon-
athan Hennessey, Jimmy Gownley, Jeff Smith, Scott McCloud, Gene Luen Yang, Kazu Kibuishi,
and Joe Kelly (whose book began my journey), and also those whom I’ve neglected to mention
(due to addled brains and deadlines) and those who are yet to come – thank you.
Finally, but most of all, to all the dedicated teachers, librarians and comic book aficionados
who helped pave the way for comics in classrooms and to all of you who have picked up this book
in hope of expanding your own classroom tools and techniques – thank you.
I consider myself privileged where the people who inspire me (including my family and stu-
dents) have become peers and friends.
—With my deepest appreciation, Meryl
My path has been slightly different from my mother’s, but many of the sentiments are the
same. Many thanks to my family: to Lee for his emotional support, delicious meals, and readiness
to pick up some of my household chores as I worked on this project; to my parents, who have
pushed me to proudly pursue my interests no matter how unconventional they are (in fact, the
stranger, the better); to Zev for being my first partner in crime when it came to graphic novels; and
to Leah for her skepticism and ability to keep me honest with myself. Thank you to the teachers
and administrators who have taught me how to teach: Maxine Borenstein, Jessica Alyesh, and
Elisheva Gould. A special thank you to Christie Pearsall, whose creative integration of acting
and literature first convinced me that I can bring my hobbies into the classroom (and the source
of our tableau vivant activity). Thank you to all my role models at New York University for your
interest and your support of a doctoral candidate intensely fascinated by “the funny books”; to
vii
viii Notes of Thanks
the late Harold Wechsler for his infectious, heartwarming enthusiasm and keen ability to guide
me – he is deeply missed; and to Bethamie Horowitz, Camillia Matuk, and Miriam Eisenstein
Ebsworth for their continued support as I cobble together a research program to better understand
the way this medium can be used. Thank you to all the amazing creators of the graphic novels I’ve
encountered: your insights, creativity, and sheer genius regularly reaffirm why I tried to convince
my mother all those years ago. Thank you to my students for being guinea pigs for so many of the
lessons teachers will find in this book. Finally, thank you to Kate Bradford: your input and insights
have been such a boon. You have made this book possible, you have made it what it is today, and
for that I cannot thank you enough.
—Talia