Library Research Guides: Comics and Graphic Novels: Northwest Library: Graphic Novels in Education

Gene Luen Yang: Comics belong in the classroom

The Case for Graphic Novels in the Classroom Use students’ visual vocabulary as a learning tool: Perhaps we’re past the point of having to explain that graphic novels, with their knack for attracting reluctant readers and hitting developmental sweet spots, have a legitimate place on library shelves. Perhaps. But what about the idea that graphic novels encompass such a wide range of themes and create such layered experiences through word and art that they actually belong in classrooms? Because contemporary students have a much wider visual vocabulary than we did growing up, I contend that the format offers great opportunities to teach as well as to entertain. My own experiences as a teacher and a librarian bear out the medium’s potential. It will come as little surprise to anyone who works with children and young adults that graphic novels disappear from library shelves faster than anything else (except, maybe, vampire novels) and are the topic of eager discussion whenever they find their way into classrooms. This interest isn’t solely among kids looking for a fun, colorful story. Equally interested are the graduate students in my class at Pratt Institute, as well as many educators at LREI, the independent school in Manhattan where I work. Fascination with the history and language of the form as a vehicle for education is clear.
The Research behind Graphic Novels and Young Readers Over the last decade, graphic novels have become a popular format in classrooms, partly due to their appeal to reluctant readers. More recently, a growing body of research, focused on how the brain processes the combination of images and text, indicates that graphic novels are also excellent resources for advanced learners.

Austic Children -- Education

Raising an Autistic Child by Keiko Tobe; Satsuki Yamashita (Translator); Akita Shoten (Illustrator)
Call Number: PN6790.J33 T6343 2007 v. 1, 2, 3, 4.
ISBN: 9780759523562
Publication Date: 2007-09-24
Born during the sunrise - an auspicious beginning - the Azumas' newborn son is named Hikaru, which means "light". But during one play date, his mother notices that her son is slightly different from the other children. In the alternately heartwarming and bittersweet tale, a young mother tries to cope with both the overwhelming discovery of her child's autism and the trials of raising him while keeping her family together. This is a story that resonates not only for those whose families have been affected by autism, but also for all past, present, and future parents.

Censorship of Graphic Novels in the Classroom?

School Library Journal: Teaching with Graphc Novels On March 14, 2013, teachers in the Chicago Public Schools were told, without explanation, to remove all copies of Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel Persepolis (Pantheon, 2003) from their classrooms.
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A day later, facing protests from students and anti-censorship organizations, Chicago Public Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett explained the move. The “powerful images of torture” on a single page of the book made it unsuitable for seventh graders and required the district to give teachers in grades eight through 10 special professional development classes before they could teach it. The book was pulled from classrooms for those grades, but remained in school libraries.

Illustration by Gareth Hinds

News program: Student interviews 2008

Linda Liukas: A delightful way to teach kids about computers

Using Graphic Novels in Education Using Graphic Novels in Education is an ongoing feature from CBLDF that is designed to allay confusion around the content of graphic novels and to help parents and teachers raise readers. In this column, we examine graphic novels, including those that have been targeted by censors, and provide teaching and discussion suggestions for the use of such books in classrooms. The list below includes all of the titles we’ve covered so far, but we add two to three titles per month throughout the year, so come back to discover more amazing graphic novels to use in your classroom! Some teaching suggestions follow, but the sky’s the limit when it comes to graphic novels! Many of the books listed under one heading below would suit another, so visit your local library or comic book shop to explore these amazing classroom tools!
Stanford Libraries: Graphic Novels in Education
Features ten books in the library collection.

Fredric Wertham

Comics in Education
The use of comics in education is based on the concept of creating engagement and motivation for students.
The effectiveness of comics as medium for effective learning and development has been the subject of debate since the origin modern comic book in the 1930s

Comics and Graphic Novels: Northwest Library: Graphic Novels in Education

The Art Behind Graphic Novels

Gene Luen Yang: Comics belong in the classroom

Austic Children -- Education

Censorship of Graphic Novels in the Classroom?

News program: Student interviews 2008

Linda Liukas: A delightful way to teach kids about computers

Fredric Wertham

Dav Pilkey: The Importance of Graphic Novels in the Classroom

Serious Comics: Graphic Novels in the Classroom