Sequential Art Narrative in Education Journal: Call for Manuscripts

Hi everyone,

The deadline for the special call for manuscripts for SANE (sequential art narrative in education) journal is coming up.  So i just wanted to repost a reminder to all graphic novel artists, writers, and scholars that the deadline is coming up and Bucky and I are really looking forward to receiving your submissions.

Best wishes and happy writing, Katie

ps - below is the special call.  :)

Essays on Why Teachers Should Care About Graphic Novels:

Teaching IRA’s Emphasis on “Visualizing” and “Visually Representing”

Sometime between May and December of 2009, I contacted many of you about participating in a preconference institute at the 2010 IRA annual convention.  The purpose of the preconference institute was to address why teachers should care about and teach graphic novels in their classrooms.  Generated by an IRA policy statement that asks modern grade-level educators to teach students to “visualize” while reading and “visually represent” while writing, this preconference institute aimed to set new theoretical and practical precedents for using graphic novels in the classroom.

To my humbling-delight you replied positively and with enthusiasm.  You were going to join me in Chicago!  As our list of amazing speakers grew, I couldn’t help but feel as though we were quickly becoming one of the best and most talented groups of graphic novel experts ever to be assembled.  However, due to circumstances outside of our control, the preconference institute was cancelled.  It was easy to slip into a thought pattern that concluded that there might not be an audience that wanted to hear about teaching graphic novels in the ELA classroom.

I simply do not believe this to be true.  One of the only areas of the publication industry to experience growth during a national economic downfall was that of graphic novels.  Young adults were and are buying graphic novels.  For these young adults, and their teachers who may not understand the graphic novel format, we must carry on with our message.  Thus, the guiding questions for this special of the SANE journal are:

·      If you are a graphic novel creator you may want to closely consider these questions: “From a creators perspective, why should teachers care about graphic novels?  What about the creation of a graphic novel makes them a valid literary format (that can be both read and written)?”

·      If you are a scholar or educator you may want to consider these questions: From your area of expertise with graphic novels, why do you think teachers should care about graphic novels, and, once they do, how can they implement them into their language arts curriculum?  In other words, in what ways are you successfully using graphic novels to teach students to “visualize” while reading and “visually represent” while writing?”

Intended Audience (the top 3):

1.     Language Arts teachers

2.     Literacy scholars

3.     Language Arts curriculum decision-makers and stake-holders

Deadline for Manuscripts:

January 15, 2011

Submission Process:

When you submit your manuscript, please go online to http://www.sanejournal.net

and register as a reviewer and as an author.  This will help in the review process.   

Fantagraphics Books

Looking for some new comics and graphic novels that really make you think? Check out Fantagraphics Books. According to their website: "Fantagraphics Books has been a leading proponent of comics as a legitimate form of art and literature since it began publishing the critical trade magazine The Comics Journal in 1976. By the early 1980s, Fantagraphics found itself at the forefront of the burgeoning movement to establish comics as a medium as eloquent and expressive as the more established popular arts of film, literature, poetry, et al." Browse their online comics, blog, Facebook page, The Comics Journal, gift guide (to start your holiday shopping), and more.

NCTE: Orlando, FL November 19th

I am super-stoked and looking forward to seeing all of my NCTE friends tomorrow in Orlando, FL.

If you are at NCTE Friday morning, please join myself and the always magnificent Dr. James Bucky Carter (along with other cool graphic novel people) at 9:30 a.m. at the Coronado/Fiesta Ballroom Salon #5 for a discussion of graphic novel rationales in the English language arts classroom.

Best wishes and safe travels,

:) katie

Happy (belated) anniversary, Comic Book Project!

Just want to wish the Comic Book Project a happy (although slightly belated) tenth anniversary! In case you're not familiar with it, the project is part of the Center for Educational Pathways and promotes literacy and social awareness by publishing kids' creative comic endeavors. Visit www.edpath.org to learn more, and check out the center's Facebook page! Congrats, Comic Book Project, founder Dr. Michael Bitz, and all the kids and adults involved with this exceptional program.

New York City Comic Con

New York City Comic Con was great.  Here are some cool highlights...  :)

With the super-cool and brilliant storyteller Jane Yolen

With Jimmy Gownley of Amelia Rules! fame

With Peter Kuper, of contemporary Spy vs. Spy and retold Kafka graphic novel awesomeness

with Gus Fink (aka, Dr. Krinkles), one of my favorite new artist i met.  here's a link to his website.  :) 

Gus' significant other, Emi Boz, was also really impressive.  here's a link to her website.  

Thank you to everyone, with special outs to John Shableski of Diamond Comic Books, John Hogan of graphicnovelreporter.com, Maureen Bakis (awesome graphic novel teacher extraordinaire), and First Second Books, especially Gina Gagliano.

- Katie :)

New York City Comic Con

Just an update: I am super-excited to announce that I will be going to New York City Comic Con this October, the 8th through the 10th.  


Official presentation date is yet to be announced, but, most likely, it will be on Saturday October 9th.  Of course, the topic will be Teaching Graphic Novels.  


Hope to see all my comic-graphic-novel friends there!!!  :)  


Katie

Kids Love Comics!

This is not just a fact, it's the name of a non-profit organization "dedicated to the development and growth of children's comic books in North America."

KLC is comprised of comics educators, creators, publishers, fans, journalists, marketers, distributors, and retailers looking to share age-appropriate comics with parents, educators, creators, the media, and businesses. The organization takes both a grassroots and national approach to making quality comics available to kids through a national media campaign, creator tours, and an online clearinghouse.

For more information or to recommend a graphic novel, visit www.kidslovecomics.com or email klc@sky-dog.com.

Awesome new graphic novel: Belle Yang's Forget Sorrow

Ok, so once in awhile I read a graphic novel that I just can't put down, literally.  Usually, such a graphic novel has captured my heart, my mind and my soul.  Such is the case with Belle Yang's new graphic memoir Forget Sorrow.

Ashamed and embarrassed to return home after an abusive and dangerous relationship with a boyfriend Belle and her parents nickname "Rotten Egg," Belle longs to better understand her family history, especially on her father's side.  Thus, in listening to his stories and drawing them she not only learns about the generational complications and recursive patterns that not only link us together, but also teach us how to empower ourselves and our families into closer relationships.

Reminiscent of Spiegelman's Maus, Bechdel's Fun Home, and Satrapi's Persepolis, Belle's Forget Sorrow is sure to become a well-known and respected name in the graphic novel memoir elite.

Although the above link takes you to Belle Yang's home page, here is also a link to Forget Sorrow's amazon.com page.

Interviews with Booth's C.C. Colbert and Tracy White's How I Made it to Eighteen on graphicnovelreporter.com

The awesomely talented story-writing-historian C.C. Colbert discusses her new graphic novel, Booth.

Tracy White talks about her new and graphic novel, How I Made it to Eighteen, one of my favorite graphic novels of 2010 for its delicate, smart and sensitive handling of complicated teenage issues.

Katie Monnin

An Interview with Trickster's Matt Dembicki

Hi everyone,

Recently, I read Trickster: Native American Tales, a Graphic Collection (2010).  Trickster is not only one of my favorite graphic novels of this year, but also a much needed addition to the multicultural graphic novels currently on the market.  I strongly recommend this graphic collection to middle school and high school teachers.  :)

Matt was awesome enough to do an interview for TGN readers as well.  Here's what he had to say!

1.     If I were asked to pinpoint the most significant area of need in the graphic novel world, it would center on the need for more multicultural graphic novels.  Trickster: Native American Tales, A Graphic Collection (2010) is an amazing new graphic novel that certainly responds to that need.  What is the origin behind this collection of graphic tales?

I have always had an interest in fairy tales, folk tales and mythology. My parents are Polish immigrants, so growing up I was privileged to hear many Eastern European tales not often heard in the U.S., in addition to stories popularized by the Grimm Brothers and Hans Christian Anderson. But it was “Little Trickster the Squirrel Meets Big Double the Bear”—a children’s book by Ken Kesey—that put Native American trickster stories on my radar. Then one day when I was at my local library, I was in the Native American section and I saw a copy of “American Indian Trickster Tales (Myths and Legends)” by Richard Erdoes and Alfonso Ortiz. The wonderful stories and spot illustrations in that book inspired me to test whether the stories could work in a sequential comic format. As I started to do some thumbnail layouts, I could see that it would make a great comics project, especially if contemporary Native American storytellers would provide their own trickster stories.

2.     This collection of graphic novel tales highlights the talents of many artists and writers.  Each tale is extremely powerful, both verbally and visually.  How did you get this amazing group of contributors together? 

It took a long time to gather this group of storytellers and artists. To find storytellers, I contacted universities, storytelling groups, museums and events that featured Native American storytellers. I also wanted to make sure there was a balance of geographic area among the storytellers, as well as a variety of trickster animals/being. Most people are familiar with rabbit and coyote as trickster animals—probably from watching the Warner Brothers cartoons—but there are other less-known but just-as-intriguing trickster animals, such as raven and raccoon. I also looked for a variety of styles among the artists, so each story could have a distinct look but fit within the overall feel of the book. Most of the artists I already knew or at least I was familiar with their works. I did make an effort to reach out to Native American artists as well and a handful did participate. Since the project didn’t offer payment up front—I started on the project before finding a publisher—it was harder to get artists to participate because of the time commitment to illustrate the stories. I was fortunate to find a good group of creators who found the project exciting and had faith in the book.

3.     As the title indicates, this graphic collection focuses specifically on the role of the Trickster figure in Native American storytelling.   How do you think the Trickster figures compares and/or contrasts to the Trickster figure from other cultural stories?

The common element is that most trickster stories have a lesson to them or explain the origin of something. They differ in the manner that they are told and the settings of the stories. What I think is unique to Native American trickster stories is that they are conveyed orally and often in a nonlinear way.

4.     Do you have a particularly favorite Trickster tale? 

I really enjoyed reading all the stories in this anthology. I guess my favorite story was the one I had the privilege of illustrating because I grew in the Northeast and have had a fascination with raccoons—they have such a unique look and are so crafty. Growing up, there was a large raccoon in the woods abutting our home property that would wash its food in the birdbath in our backyard. That captivated me. I also liked that the story I drew had crayfish, which was great from an artistic perspective because I could draw land and underwater scenes. It was a lot of fun.

5.     From an English Language Arts teaching perspective, this graphic collection presents a wealth of literary opportunity.  If you were asked to speak to a teacher and his or her class about Trickster, what would you want to make sure you told them?

I would stress that Native Americans have a strong oral storytelling tradition. Comics are another way to present the stories, but I believe it’s a substitute for the wonderful experience of hearing someone tell a story that has likely been told largely the same way for generations. Also pay attention to how the story is told. Often, the stories have certain cues that are repeated, and sometimes they tend to be parts of a much larger story.

6.     Instead of being predictable and obvious with the moral at the end of each Trickster tale, this collection really does an amazing job of asking modern readers to think and reflect at the end of each story.  Was this an intentional decision?   

It wasn’t intentional on my part. The storytellers contributed stories that they wanted to present, so it was a personal decision on their part.

7.     What can GNR readers look forward to reading from you in the near future?

I’m finishing up an ecological tale told from the perspective of a great white shark. It has an edge to it. I’ve been publishing the story as 20-page mini-comics and hope to soon find a publisher to pull them into a collection for 2011. 

Introducing Cognito Comics

Daniel Burwen, Stephen Kinzer,
and Mike de Seve 

present Cognito Comics!!!

Press release: "Cognito Comics is creating a new genre of narrative nonfiction for the iPad with an immersive graphic entertainment experience. Cognito partners with world-renown authors, prestigious institutions and unique causes to tell their stories using emerging technology, top rate art, compelling narrative nonfiction writing and entertaining visual experiences. With the goal to educate on the pressing issues we face as a global community, the company is producing graphic novels that address a wide range of research-rich topics previously inaccessible in traditional print media."

I had the good fortune to speak with Daniel Burwen on Skype this week, and Cognito Comics is a tremendously exciting development in the graphic novel and literacy worlds, especially for teachers...

Responding to the need for modern literacy educators to use contemporary literacy technology in the classroom, Cognito Comics launches a new genre of narrative nonfiction.  Capable of being accessed via the iPad, Cognito Comics offers online graphic novels that educate readers about pressing, contemporary, and socially conscious nonfiction stories, like Operation Ajax (which is informed and advised by the well-known journalistic work of Stephen Kinzer). 

"So what's the big deal?", you may ask.  

For teachers, this means that students can not only read a Cognito Comic graphic novel both in and out of the classroom, but also conduct scholarly research.  Just by clicking on a character or an event, students will have access to all kinds of endless information about anything that interests them.

My recommendation to teachers - check out Cognito Comics, for sure!  

Katie 

ALA Update

The annual American Library Association Conference (Last week of June, 2010) ended up being one of the greatest trips of my life!  

Here's how I explained it to my significant other: "I am not sure if I was more excited the day I received my doctorate or the day I met amazing Art Spiegelman and Francoise Mouly."  

I was also fortunate enough to meet the talented and award-winning children's author Geoffrey Hayes.

Certainly something I will tell the grand-kids about.  :)  katie 

Check Out My Interview with Bill Ayers, Author of To Teach: The Journey in Comics

Professor and educator extraordinaire Dr. Bill Ayers offers insight on his new graphic novel/comic book: To Teach: The Journey in Comics.  As a professor of education myself, I would recommend this new comic book gem as required reading for any teacher who cares about social justice in the classroom, and teaching students to be lifelong learners.

Enjoy!  Katie

Encyclopedia of Comic Books & Graphic Novels

hey everyone!!!

greenwood publishers has just offered the comic book and graphic novel community one of the years most quality and most needed works: The Encyclopedia of Comic Books and Graphic Novels.  I cannot wait to get my hands on it!!!

And special nods to my good friend Dr. James Bucky Carter who wrote a few entries; with Bucky involved, you know its going to be good, quality stuff!!!  :)

Katie

ALA Conference, Washington DC, June 25 - 27: Graphic Novels Focus!!!

hi everyone!

hope summer is treating you well.  :)

if anyone is going to be near DC at the end of june, you can catch some amazing graphic novel people at the ALA annual conference, june 25 - 27.

hope to see you there!  :)  katie

SANE Journal Special Call!!! Manuscripts written by teachers and creators of comic books and graphic novels wanted!!!

The text for the call is found below.  All educators and graphic novel creators are encouraged to submit manuscripts!!!  :)  

Essays on Why Teachers Should Care About Graphic Novels:

Teaching IRA’s Emphasis on 

“Visualizing” and “Visually Representing”

Sometime between May and December of 2009, I contacted many of you about participating in a preconference institute at the 2010 IRA annual convention.  The purpose of the preconference institute was to address why teachers should care about and teach graphic novels in their classrooms.  Generated by an IRA policy statement that asks modern grade-level educators to teach students to “visualize” while reading and “visually represent” while writing, this preconference institute aimed to set new theoretical and practical precedents for using graphic novels in the classroom.

To my humbling-delight you replied positively and with enthusiasm.  You were going to join me in Chicago!  As our list of amazing speakers grew, I couldn’t help but feel as though we were quickly becoming one of the best and most talented groups of graphic novel experts ever to be assembled.  However, due to circumstances outside of our control, the preconference institute was cancelled.  It was easy to slip into a thought pattern that concluded that there might not be an audience that wanted to hear about teaching graphic novels in the ELA classroom.

I simply do not believe this to be true.  One of the only areas of the publication industry to experience growth during a national economic downfall was that of graphic novels.  Young adults were and are buying graphic novels.  For these young adults, and their teachers who may not understand the graphic novel format, we must carry on with our message.  Thus, the guiding questions for this special of the SANE journal are:

·   If you are a graphic novel creator you may want to closely consider these questions: “From a creators perspective, why should teachers care about graphic novels?  What about the creation of a graphic novel makes them a valid literary format (that can be both read and written)?”

·   If you are a scholar or educator you may want to consider these questions: From your area of expertise with graphic novels, why do you think teachers should care about graphic novels, and, once they do, how can they implement them into their language arts curriculum?  In other words, in what ways are you successfully using graphic novels to teach students to “visualize” while reading and “visually represent” while writing?”

Intended Audience (the top 3):

1.     Language Arts teachers

2.     Literacy scholars

3.     Language Arts curriculum decision-makers and stake-holders

Deadline for Manuscripts:

January 15, 2011

Submission Process:

When you submit your manuscript, please go online to http://www.sanejournal.net

and register as a reviewer and as an author.  This will help in the review process.   

Thank you so much!  Katie 

Teaching Graphic Novels Radio Interview

Hi everyone!

Just a quick note to let you know that tomorrow, April 29th, 2010 @ 2 pm I will do an interview on Jacksonville, FL Public Radio (channel 89.9 fm).

The topic: Teaching Graphic Novels.  :)

I will ask tomorrow if they will have a link to the interview.  If so, I will post it soon.

Take care everyone,
Katie

Josh Neufeld (graphic novelist behind the successful AD New Orleans) is the MAN!!! :)

If you do not know who Josh Neufeld is, you might want to do a quick Google search.  He is not only one of the most awesome and amazing contemporary graphic novelists, but also a beacon of light that shines beautifully on the comic and graphic novel world.  Check out his newest endeavor to spread the word about the value of reading comics and graphic novels during a new media age!!!  Mocking one of my favorite titles as a kid, "Go, Josh, Go!"

Katie 

PS - And if you don't know Josh's wife you might want to Google her as well (Sari Wilson), for she provides a much-needed voice that, like myself, seeks to link the world of education to the world of comics and graphic novels.  Can you say "POWER COUPLE?"  I can!  :)  

Barnes and Noble Signing!!! Jacksonville, FL

If anyone would like to join Dr. Stanley and myself at the San Jose Barnes & Noble, please feel free to stop by: April 14, 2010 from 5 -7 .

Introduction to Manga Article on GNR!!!

Hi everyone!

I hope you are all doing well.   Here are some updates on cool, awkward, and/or amazingly interesting stuff going on with comics and graphic novels in education!!! ... if that doesn't make you want to read on.......i don't know what else to write today!!! :)

1.  Recently, I wrote an introductory article for GraphicNovelReporter.com about manga.  

2.  I want to thank my good friend Dr. James Bucky Carter for summing up my exact feelings on the recent debacle with the International Reading Association.  The post I am referring to is dated March 31st.

3.  GraphicNovelReporter.com recently interviewed Francoise Mouly about Toon Books: some good insight for teachers who may just want to try early reader comics in the classroom.

Hope everyone is enjoying this first week of April!  Katie

Teaching Graphic Novels . . . . A Finalists for ForeWord's Educational Book of the Year!

THANK YOU SO MUCH to the people of ForeWord for recognizing Teaching Graphic Novels as a Finalist for Educational Book of the Year!!!

Katie

Diamond Comic Distributors & Graphic Novel Reviews for Your School!

For the past 3 months, the amazingly-awesome people at diamond comic distributors have allowed me to recommend and write graphic novels for your schools.  Written especially for educators, these reviews contain: alignment to the standards, suggested reading and writing strategies, and ideas for pairing with traditional literature.

This month's feature titles are a modernized, contemporary story from Archie and pals at Riverdale High, and, also, The Engineer: Konstrukt by Brian Churilla and Jeremy Shepherd.

AWESOME new graphic novel for High School Readers

The Engineer: Konstrukt is an entrancing and modern spin on the traditional superhero stories of the past.  Simply put, I read it from cover-to-cover.   And, while I immediately wanted to read it again, I decided to share its brilliance on here with you first!!!  :)  Now, back to reread this awesome new graphic novel!!! 

Katie's Korner: Graphic Novel Reviews for Your Schools and Libraries

If you haven't checked it out already, be sure and stop by Katie Monnin's Diamond Bookshelf column, "Katie's Korner: Graphic Novel Reviews for Your Schools and Libraries," for the latest monthly installment:

• Female Force and Pride and Prejudice (January 2010)
• Hatter M and Sherlock Holmes, Vol. 1 (February 2010)

Doodle 4 Google

From the latest Google Teacher Newsletter:

Do your students love to doodle? Give them a chance to showcase their art on Google.com's homepage by registering your school for Doodle 4 Google. Doodle 4 Google is a competition open to K-12 students in U.S. schools who are invited to create their own Google doodle inspired by the theme, "If I Could Do Anything, I Would . . . "  We are delighted to encourage and celebrate the creativity of young people, and we look forward to seeing the range of creative doodles that are submitted. The competition kicks off today, and you can find details on the Official Google Blog. 

Teachers should go to www.google.com/doodle4google to register their school by 11:59:59 P.M. Pacific Time (PT) on March 17, 2010. Parents and children interested in participating should pass this link on to their teachers to get them registered. Teachers must sign up on behalf of their students and submit their doodles and entry forms by March 31, 2010 11:59:59 P.M. Pacific Time (PT) after they register their school online. 

A competition wouldn't be complete without prizes. What prizes are awarded to Doodle 4 Google winners and finalists this year? 

• The National Winner will win a $15,000 college scholarship to be used at the school of their choice, a trip to New York City for an event on May 26, 2010, a laptop computer, a Wacom digital design tablet, and a t-shirt printed with their doodle on it.  We'll also award the winner's school a $25,000 grant towards the establishment/improvement of a computer lab.  The winning doodle will also be featured on the Google.com homepage on May 27, 2010.
• Each of the other 3 National Finalists will win a trip to New York City for an event on May 26, 2010, a laptop computer, a Wacom digital design tablet and a t-shirt printed with their doodle on it.
• Each of the other 40 Regional Finalists will win a trip to New York City for an event on May 26, 2010 and a t-shirt printed with their doodle on it.
• Each of the other 400 State Finalists will receive a "Doodle 4 Google" certificate and be featured on the Doodle 4 Google web site.

As an additional incentive this year, we are also giving out eight (8) Extra Credit: Technology Booster Awards that consist of netbook computers to schools who submit the maximum number of doodles by March 10, 2010 and have a student who is one of the 400 State Finalists.  For more information on eligibility, visit the Doodle 4 Google website here, http://www.google.com/doodle4google/. 

Students' doodles will be judged on artistic merit, creativity, representation of the theme, and other criteria.  This year we'll also have a panel of 10 "Expert Jurors"  who will help judge Doodle 4 Google. These are well known illustrators, cartoonists, and animators from organizations such as The Sesame Street Workshop, Dr. Seuss Enterprises, and Pixar Animation Studios who are the creators of Toy Story 3.  A public exhibit of the 39 regional finalists and the national winner will be open to the public at the Smithsonian's, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum from May 27 to July 8, 2010. To give your class a little inspiration, check out last year's winners at the Doodle 4 Google website.

Great review from Graphic Novel Reporter

John Hogan recently reviewed Teaching Graphic Novels for Graphic Novel Reporter. Here's a snippet:

"It’s a pretty thorough book that covers all the bases...the real star here is the content, which is exceptional. Dr. Monnin is a trusted authority who has put together an essential book on the use of comics in the classroom."

The Comic Book Project

The Comic Book Project is a program of the Center for Educational Pathways. According to their website, "The Comic Book Project engages children in a creative process leading to literacy reinforcement, social awareness, and character development, then publishes and distributes their work for other children in the community to use as learning and motivational tools."

 

Sounds great! Well, here's some more great news from the center's e-newsletter: 

The results are in! According to an independent study conducted for the US Department of Education, students across Imperial County, California participated in the Comic Book Project and, as a result, demonstrated significant gains in their English language arts performance. After extensive professional development, classroom teachers engaged students in creating and publishing comics in content area subjects ranging from the Civil War to the water cycle. See excerpts from the students' comics and watch a video about the Imperial County project (bottom right of page in videos section--scroll to USA Project-Comic Books). For more about the Comic Book Project, visit the project website.

ING Unsung Heroes

Are you an educator with a class project that is short on funding but long on potential? Do you know a teacher looking for grant dollars? ING Unsung Heroes® could help you turn great ideas into reality for students. Each year, 100 educators are selected to receive $2,000 to help fund their innovative class projects. Three of those are chosen to receive the top awards of an additional $5,000, $10,000 and $25,000. Deadline: April 30, 2010. Imagine being the writer a teacher needs to make a creative project come to life? You could even suggest the
project to a teacher, and offer to write the grant.

Apply for a literacy microgrant from WeAreTeachers

From the WeAreTeachers e-newsletter:

Literacy is the key that unlocks the gates to the kingdom of knowledge. Take 10 minutes to apply and tell us how you can make reading your students' favorite thing. You could win $200 and the choice between a Flip video camera or  iPod nano with video.

Apply by: January 28th

Click here to learn more and apply.

ALA (American Library Association) Awards!!!

Some of our very favorite Toon Books receive American Library Association (ALA) Awards!!!  Congrats Toon Books!!!

MAKE YOUR OWN COMIX!!!

HI EVERYONE!

If you are interested in making your own comix, or having your students make their own comics, please go to this awesome website!, created by Bill Zimmerman, art by Tom Bloom. 

Have fun!!! 

Teach English language learners about the Holocaust and reading strategies with Maus

ReadWriteThink.org has posted a fantastic, free, and complete unit on using Maus by Art Spiegelman to help secondary English language learners develop reading autonomy, comprehension, and an understanding of the Holocaust. The unit is intended to be broken down into fourteen 15-minute lessons for high school students and utilizes the film The Pianist and various Holocaust websites in addition to Maus I and Maus II. Students will make personal connections with the text as they research the Holocaust, World War II, and human rights issues. Much like the lessons in Teaching Graphic Novels, this unit includes all necessary handouts and lists applicable NCTE/IRA standards.

New documentary: Comic Book Literacy

Read this great interview from Diamond Bookshelf with filmmaker Todd Kent about his new documentary, Comic Book Literacy. Creators, fans, publishers, and other industry professionals are interviewed in the film, which discusses the benefits of using comics in education. The comics community is another focus of the film, which aims to showcase the genre in a new light. For more on the documentary, including a trailer, photos, blog, and resources, visit www.ComicBookLiteracy.com.