Graphic Novels

I think the Gene Yang article is a really nice view on the art of graphic novels. I specifically love the image of the graphic novel as a link between the TV and the book -- pictures and words. I have thought for a long time that graphic novels are a great way to teach children to read because they are often very fun, and also to analyze art. Because there are fewer images in the comic book than in a movie, every image is precisely chosen, so it would be a good tactic to ask the students why the author and illustrator chose the images they chose. It gives the children a good perspective on the use of effective story telling images and how to use them in their own creations. Another example of this was used in the Yang's comic when he never directly addressed the old and new teachers, but he used the images to show another way of explaining what he meant. This shows children that words and images are important to story telling in a graphic novel.

I think that in my classroom I will DEFINITELY use graphic novels. I read them all the time for fun anyway, so this would be a GREAT opportunity for me to teach something I love. I actually, as nerdy as it may seem, have already looked up ways to use graphic novels in schools, and this is one of them: http://www.scholastic.com/Bone/. As a kid, I read these comics. They meant SO much to me and I didn't understand why. I read a litte bit of this webpage and now I know that there are story elements that Jeff Smith covers that is truly hard to find in other forms. I would love to use this book in my classes and eagerly await the opportunity!

Davis Haines
Syracuse University