Some tips, tricks, and warnings about using Cartoons, Comic Books and Graphic Novels in the secondary classroom, featuring "American Born Chinese" by Gene Luen Yang.

1. Using Cartoons, Comics, and
Graphic Novels in the
Classroom
Quinn Rollins
2013

2. About Me…

I was raised in
the 70’s and
80’s on a steady
diet of cartoons

3. Comic Strips

The only part of
the paper that
mattered was
the comics page

4. My Career


In my “previous life,”
I was a cartoonist
for the University of
Utah
I was also a toy
designer for
Palisades Toys

5. Impact on Teaching
In my social studies
teaching, I often
use political
cartoons, comic
strips, comic book
characters, and
graphic novels.

6. Political Cartoons



Published in
newspapers
or online
About
current
events
Useful for
class
discussions

7. Comic Strips



Serialized or
stand-alone
Published in
newspapers or
online
Useful for cause
& effect,
character analysis

8. Comic Books

Serialized or
stand-alone

Superheroes

Independent

Good for key
ideas, character
mapping

9. Graphic Novels

Self-contained
books

Developed
characters

Varied settings

Often address a
social issue

10. Why use Graphic Novels?


Can help promote
complex reading
skills
Can play a role
similar to children’s
literature

11. Why use Graphic Novels?



Point of reference
to bridge what
students already
know with what they
have yet to learn
Making inferences
from pictures + text
Transfer this skill to
lessen the challenge
of a new book

12. Why use Graphic Novels?

Use as another kind of pop
culture
• Can address curriculum
standards
• Motivate students to
learn
• Enhance learning
• Provide additional
opportunities for those
who struggle with
literacy tasks

13. What makes it a Graphic Novel?

Structure
• Beginning, middle, end
• Climax

Character
• Main character develops
through conflicts

Artwork
• Text is both written and
visual
• Each picture aids in
interpretation of the text

14. Graphic Novel as a Tool
“For students who lack the ability to visualize as
they read, it provides a graphic sense that
approximates what good readers do as they
read.”
“ …it provides an excellent way for reluctant
writers to communicate a story that has a
beginning, middle and end.”
“…easy for the students to look at a short comic
strip and identify story elements.”
-- Rachael Sawyer Perkins

15. Graphic Novels as a Tool
“The brain…is a meaning-maker, constantly
searching for patterns, connecting bits of
new information to old, fashioning wholes
from parts and parts from wholes. It’s also
shamelessly self-centered. The brain makes
sense of the world in terms of personal
learner needs.”
-- Stephen Cary

16. Other ways to use Graphic Novels
Use wordless
graphic novels to
teach dialogue,
characterization,
voice and other
literary functions

18. Other ways to use Graphic Novels

Emphasize critical
literacy – analyze,
read, and understand
the motive of the
author and accuracy
of the reading

19. Other ways to use Graphic Novels
Students are more capable
of understanding complex
issues than they’re capable
of accessing traditional
texts.
Graphic novels can reduce
cognitive load, while still
portraying sophisticated
concepts.

20. Using Graphic Novels
They give the teacher an opportunity to
bring youth culture into the classroom.
We care about their interests
- They contribute something of value
- Students see us as fellow learners
(their ability to read these texts usually
exceeds that of the teacher)
-

21. Things to watch out for…
Adaptations
They should be used as supplements, not
replacements for the original text.

22. Things to watch out for…

Superheroes
• Most superhero graphic novels assume the
reader has encyclopedic knowledge
• Are more implausible than “real world”
graphic novels
• Characters might be well-known through
movies or other media

23. Things to watch out for…
The same tools you use for analyzing
other literature can (and should) be
used for graphic novels
- Graphic Organizers
- Character Maps
- Sequencing
- Webs
- Compare/Contrast

24. Things to watch out for…

Content
•
•
•
•
Language
Violence
Sex
Alignment to curriculum

25. A Few More Recommendations:

26. American Born Chinese
Structure
Setting
Characters
Plot
Theme
Artwork

27. American Born Chinese
How does the structure of American Born
Chinese impact the reader?
How would the structure influence how
you might teach the novel?

28. American Born Chinese
Characters:
Monkey King
Jin Wang
Danny
Chin-Kee

29. American Born Chinese
Conflict:
Monkey King / Gods
Jin Wang / Wei-Chen
Danny / Chin-Kee

30. American Born Chinese
Themes:
Prejudice
Racism
Acceptance
Immigration
Self-Knowledge
Assimilation

31. American Born Chinese
How does the artwork underscore the
message of the text?
How would a different style of artwork
change the book?

32. Conclusions
Graphic Novels and Comics are seeing a
surge in popularity among young
readers, and can be a powerful tool with
students
Gaining academic acceptance is an uphill
battle with parents and some
administrators
Don’t sacrifice rigor because “it’s only a
comic book”

33. And yes, I still like
“SuperFriends.”