Hello, everyone, & thanks for joining #ycsdchat. Tonight we'll explore graphic novels & how they can improve literacy & engage reluctant readers. I'm Heather Steinmiller, librarian at YHS. Please introduce yourselves to the group!
Roxana, YHS Social Studies. I actually mentioned a graphic novel to my WHI students today. We were discussing the Battle of Thermopylae and the film/graphic novel 300. #ycsdchat
In the '70s, the definition of literacy expanded to recognize that students learn to construct meaning from many text types, including visual images. Graphic novels are particularly useful in developing literary skills among youth. #ycsdchat
Including graphics with texts helps ss encode information more readily, improving their reading comprehension. SS can more easily decipher text meaning, as well as retain elements of the story. #ycsdchat
A1: Primary literacy sounds a lot like the New Literacies me, which is very relevant for Ss in today's world. So often students need to be able analyze and comprehend do much more than text. #ycsdchat
A1: My students frequently use political cartoons and maps as text. My work as a secondary instructional trainer really helped change my definition of text. #ycsdchat
A1: Primary literacy, to me, is the main way that someone accesses information and/or literature. I'm at the elementary level, so for me it's about exposing students to multiple formats and teaching them how to pull information from each format #ycsdchat
A1 To me, primary literacy is the ability to accurately interpret visual images - pictures, words, graphs, charts, etc. Our students must build the skills to understand the information that is presented all around them, in many different formats. #ycsdchat
A2- in this media heavy environment, visual literacy is just as important at text literacy. A lot of the analysis skills are very similar! Here is a great description with ideas- https://t.co/YUdcEcW72T#YCSDchat
A1: I don’t think I’ve ever heard the term “primary literacy” before, but the way it was used in the Q1 quote makes me think that it’s the text type that students are most likely to engage with. Any text type, be it visual, cinematic, or traditional ... (see thread) #ycsdchat
... requires explicit instruction for Ss to be able to learn how to properly read and analyze. Ss need to be taught good reading habits. I like to do this through read alouds, where I voice what I am thinking as I am reading to show Ss how an expert evaluates texts. #ycsdchat
One of the things that is important to our ss is knowing we value what's going on in their lives. Bringing youth culture, including graphic novels, into the classroom can motivate & engage youth. #ycsdchat
A1 #ycsdchat It always surprises me (as my PhD is in Rhetoric and Textual Studies) that some people are so resistant to recognizing visual rhetoric as an important medium. I highly recommend reading Wysocki for some brilliant work on visual rhetoric.
A2: I use @MrBettsClass music videos alll the time. This brings youth culture into my room because he uses popular music in his parodies that students know and love to sing along with. #ycsdchat
Q2 Acknowledging to our ss that we care about their interests & recognize the value of their contributions to the classroom community can be very powerful. #ycsdchat
A2: I build in time for them to do their Fortnite dances. Hahaha Just kidding. This is easy in the library because the books they choose often reflect what's important to them. I do try to honor their requests for books/genres when appropriate #ycsdchat
A2: I try to stay "hip" to new trends in music, movies, books, shows, games, and other trends. I let the students explain trends that I don't understand or know all about. This gives them a time to teach the teacher! #ycsdchat
In my Ed tech masters program I’ve taken 2 classes about digital media design and visual literacy. I hadn’t realized how important little details are until you do the design yourself and start critiquing your work! #YCSDchat
The beauty of graphic novels in HS classes is that they truly offer a multilevel reading experience for all readers. SS not only have to read words for the plot but the images for the plot, too. #ycsdchat
Q2 In my Spanish classes, I try to use things like current music, vlogs from teen native speakers, and other authentic resources that appeal to their age and incorporate youth culture. They especially love the “March Music Madness” tournament we do each year! #ycsdchat
A2: I’m interested to see how others respond. I still consider myself a youth, and I frequently call students out for using jargon that other teachers might not know. #ycsdchat
By having ss read on the two levels of text & image, they are not only improving their basic reading ability, but also their analytical skills-by evaulating how the images work with the text. (Brodsky, 2009) #ycsdchat
A3: I can't keep graphic novels on the shelves at YES! Last year, I did a whole lesson on how to read a graphic novel and used The Boxcar Children graphic novel version. Couldn't keep it in the library after that! #ycsdchat
Many of my girls are reading John Green. The other day I caught a girl reading Michelle Obama’s new book. My boys like different things, but my wimpy kid books are always a top hit when they have a few extra minutes and forgot their book. #YCSDchat
A3 I can tell you that graphic novels are the most checked out items at the library, & just as many girls are reading them as boys. They like all kinds, but Japanese manga seems to be a favorite. #ycsdchat
A3 6th grade is a transition year. Students are reading novels and some are still carrying cute elementary level readers. Accepting all interests supports a love for reading #ycsdchat
A3 We did a unit on graphic novels in RR and the students liked science fiction and superhero stories the best. They also enjoyed seeing new versions of traditional novels they had read, like A Wrinkle in Time. #ycsdchat
A3: Anything by @goraina Ghosts, Smile, Sisters, The Babysitter's Club! The Amulet series by @boltcity is on fire at YES again this year! Roller Girl by @JamiesonV is a Battle of the Books book this year and they are loving it! Too many to list, honestly! #ycsdchat
A3: My students at TMS LOVE to read...seriously more than any students I’ve ever taught. I see some graphic novels floating around but my best answer comes from home. My oldest son LOVES the big Nate series. #ycsdchat
A3: Diary of a Wimpy Kid is always popular. Dog Man has also been popping up more and more. Overall, y class this year has been reading a decent variety of books in different genres of fiction, with a little splattering of nonfiction with some students. #ycsdchat
A3: When I do catch students reading, they’re mostly reading science fiction, but I have seen one student reading a graphic novel and I have many more who have expressed interest in manga. I’ve overheard some of my students discussing Deathnote before. #ycsdchat
Q3: mine are more interested in YA Fiction, and the Sarah Maas Court series is a hot one (one of my favs, too). One of the best projects I did was for another teacher in 8th grade. She wanted informal book chats from people. Loved it. want mine to do that with @MsInsley#ycsdchat
A3: I love that they are coming out with graphic novel versions of favorites. It's actually a great way to get them into the old favs and traditional format. Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, The Boxcar Children, The Babysitter's Club. All the series we grew up with. #ycsdchat
Sidenote: graphic novels are also good for ELLs. Speaking from personal experience, I still have my Astérix & Obélix French graphic novels from studying the language in college. They really can be for everyone1 #ycsdchat
#ycsdchat I found this great resource. This is packed full of useful resources for teachers wanting to try graphic novels in the classroom. https://t.co/yH4XIGxJZr
Graphic novels make a bridge between words & ideas, pictures, & stories. Rather than being faced with a page filled w/unfamiliar words, the hesitant reader can make connections between the pictures& the abstract concepts that words can tell. #ycsdchat
Looking for a book recommendation? He’s a great one about incorporating graphic novels into secondary classrooms. This book not only discusses pedagogical strategies, but the benefits graphic novels have for students. #ycsdchathttps://t.co/6XIGJcdqZR
So many Ts have a misconception that it's not "real" reading if you're reading a graphic novel. I think it requires FAR MORE skill to read a graphic novel because there is so much left for you to decipher beyond the words. That's why I taught them how to read one! #ycsdchat
Graphic novels make a bridge between words & ideas, pictures, & stories. Rather than being faced with a page filled w/unfamiliar words, the hesitant reader can make connections between the pictures& the abstract concepts that words can tell. #ycsdchat
I wrote a journal article about Sustained Silent Reading & ss achievement a few years ago. I still believe that free reading can be a great force for good. https://t.co/RpubtPf4Se#ycsdchat
A4- I don’t have too much time for free reading, but if a kid is finished and doesn’t have anything to do I try and recommend a book from my library. Talking to them about what they like (even what TV shows) is a good help. #ycsdchat
A4 (1/2): By reading a #classroombookaday, I have seen several reluctant readers pick up picture books and read them over again. My main goal is to encourage a love of reading. To do that, I never discourage what a child wants to read during independent reading. #ycsdchat
We have free reading every day in RR, and many students choose graphic novels. Not only are they less intimidating to students who struggle with reading, but the Ss love that they can finish them quickly and feel the sense of accomplishment of having finished a book! #ycsdchat
A4: As a History teacher my Ss always ask “What are we learning next?” So at the end of the unit I offer “preview reading time” where students can read about our next topic of study from a choice of books I lay out. #ycsdchat
A4 (2/2): We talk about "just right" books, but I never discourage them if they find something that isn't their "level" if they're engaged in it. Even if they're "just" reading the pictures. To me, a child with their nose in a book shouldn't be told no. #ycsdchat
The excellent graphic novels available today are linguistically appropriate reading material demanding the same skills that are needed to understand traditional works of prose fiction. #ycsdchat
Reading graphic novels can help ss develop the critical skills necessary to read more challenging works, including the classics. (Of which I have more than a few in GN format in the library.) #ycsdchat
This time of year, I like to offer a "fireplace" for students to sit in front of and read. A yule log from YouTube makes everyone want to cozy up with a good book! #ycsdchat
Today's world of stories contains far more than just prose, & readers who are skilled at understanding & being critical of multiple formats will excel. #ycsdchat
#ycsdchat The Modernist Movement began over 100 years ago: I’m always shocked that some people are still reticent to accept that a “text” is more than an old novel written by a dead white man. Color symbolism, font choice, image design are all crucial parts of visual rhetoric!
A5: Beyond the plot, graphic novels offer a great resource for teaching reading skills. Making inferences for example. There is so much left unsaid in the text, but the reader is expected to get it from the graphics. #ycsdchat
A5: I like the resources that were posted. I think the right graphic novel can be used in class to teach a large scope of reading comprehension skills that could also be relevant to comprehending some of the new ways literacy is being viewed. #ycsdchat
A5 GN can be a springboard to creative writing projects. SS can write their own alternative endings, or accounts of what happened before/after the story. Or take a prose passage from a novel & rewrite it as dialogue in a GN, then create the pictures to go with it. #ycsdchat
I know @nbenothmane set ups a reading corner for her students. When I observed her class, they seemed very excited to read, even asking her if they could be the first to tear into the packaging of a french magazine. I think having a reading space definitely impacts motivation.
A5: Just today my WHI students looked out how the graphic novel 300 influenced the cinematography of the film and how both help us as historians understand the advantages/disadvantages the Greeks and Persians had against each other at the Battle of Thermopylae. #ycsdchat
Q5: #ycsdchat Last year ss rewrote superhero dialogue in old comics to highlight gender bias. It was fascinating. Ss also looked at white-masking of minorities in Marvel/DC comics,&read Women In Refrigerators, a great essay on how comics still lack gender equity
A5. Also, there are a ton of great GN out there, as well as a ton of not-so-great ones. Do your homework before choosing a GN for your class and go to the experts if you need advice - librarians are here to help! #ycsdchat
