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.

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.

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.

Comic Artist Jerry Craft Participates in 1st Annual Charm City Literacy Challenge!!!

My friend Jerry Craft just sent me this link to an awesome literacy event sponsored by BMoreFree Programs, whose mission is to:

"The mission of BMoreFree Programs is to educate and empower under-privileged children and families and to provide resources for them to be successful in life." Jerry's AWESOME book Mama's Boyz - Home Schoolin was a featured text!!!

Study shows comics promote early literacy

A University of Illinois study is helping to promote the idea that reading comics is just as beneficial to young children as reading any other type of book. Carol Tilley, a professor at University of Illinois' Department of Library and Information Science, explains that comics instill a love of reading, increase vocabulary, prompt kids to put pictures and words together, and are "just as complex as any other kind of literature." Tilley goes on to say, "If reading is to lead to any meaningful knowledge or comprehension, readers must approach a text with an understanding of the relevant social, linguistic and cultural conventions."

For more on the study, check out the latest issue of School Library Monthly and this Science Daily article.

NCTE's tips for teaching with graphic novels

From the NCTE Inbox (May 27, 2009):

Graphic novels are an increasingly popular format for stories told in a range of genres. While learning to read graphic novels takes practice, their artistic and literary merit makes the effort more than worthwhile. In this month's episode of ReadWriteThink.org's Text Message podcast, host Jennifer Buehler offers An Introduction to Graphic Novels (M-S). Tune in to hear an introduction to the graphic novel form, including discussion of key works such as Maus and American Born Chinese. Then listen for specific recommendations of nine graphic novels, including fantasy epics, memoirs, biographies, and adventure thriller stories.

Interested in finding out more about graphic novels and their potential for enriching your students' literacy learning? These resources from NCTE and ReadWriteThink.org provide a place to start.

Using Comics and Graphic Novels in the Classroom (G)
This article from the NCTE Council Chronicle offers an overview of the comic and graphic novel forms and suggests a wide range of applications in the classroom.

Graphic Novels in the Classroom (E-M)
In this Language Arts article, in what is one of the first-ever journal articles in graphic novel format, educator and author of American Born Chinese Gene Yang makes a case for using graphic novels in classrooms.

Comics in the Classroom as an Introduction to Genre Study (E)
The combination of the image and text (and relative brevity) of comic strips and comic books make them an excellent source of teaching material, as they explore language and meaning in a creative way. In this ReadWriteThink.org lesson, students will be examining the genre and subgenres of comics, their uses, and purposes.

Book Report Alternative: Comic Strips and Cartoon Squares (M)
This ReadWriteThink.org lesson offers a new way to think about and respond to a work of literature. By creating comic strips or cartoon squares featuring characters in books, students are encouraged to think analytically about a work they've explored in ways that expand their critical thinking by focusing on the significant points of the book in a few short scenes.

Expanding Literacies through Graphic Novels (S)
This article from English Journal offers a rationale, based on the need for current students to learn multiple literacies, for the use of graphic novels in the high school English class. The author highlights several titles, suggests possible classroom strategies, and discusses some of the obstacles teachers may face in adding graphic novels to their curriculum.

Gaining Background for the Graphic Novel Persepolis: A WebQuest on Iran (S)
To prepare students for reading the graphic novel Persepolis, this ReadWriteThink.org lesson uses a WebQuest to focus students' research efforts on finding reliable information about Iran before and during the Islamic Revolution. In groups, students research and then present information on aspects of Iran such as politics, religion, and culture.

Building Literacy Connections with Graphic Novels: Page by Page, Panel by Panel (M-S)
Each chapter of this book presents practical suggestions for the classroom as it pairs a graphic novel with a more traditional text or examines connections between multiple sources. The sample chapter includes teaching suggestions for pairing Spider-Man comics with Freak the Mighty and comments on teaching Maus I and Maus II.

Mapping Words and Images: Writing Graphic Novels with Adolescents (M-S)
Presenters in this on-demand archived Web seminar describe how they use the graphic novel to get their students writing authentic, personal, and creative texts. Participants learn about excellent practical and classroom-tested ideas for using the graphic novel format to get students writing in new and exciting ways.

Taking (and Teaching) the Shoah Personally (C)
Including discussion of Art Speigelman's Maus, this College English article describes the issues raised in a course on the Shoah that aimed to incorporate familial, historical, and rhetorical perspectives. The author is led to wonder whether the stories of those who underwent such experiences stand utterly outside critique and appropriation and may demand of us instead only that we never forget.