Pictures (and Words) Speak Louder: Graphic Novels in the ELL Classroom TESOL 2010 Tom Carrigan, Library/Media Specialist Adrienne Viscardi, Coordinator of ESL Bedford Central School District Bedford, New York
The graphic novel: Why and how Curricular value Classroom application
Bedford Central School District, grades 6-12 8% Identified English Language Learners 21% Hispanic 6% African-American
Collaborative Process ESL Coordinator and Library/Media Specialist Summer reading and research Conferences and workshops Classroom instruction Faculty book study
Comics Juvenile delinquency McCarthy hearings Comics code Ghettoization
Comics Adolescents who read comics are more likely to become serious readers (Krashen, 2004) Comics appeal to different cultures (Cary, 2004)
Key Factors in Literacy Development for Adolescents Identity Engagement Motivation (Short and Fitzsimmons, 2007)
Dilemma in Adolescent Literacy Prototypical human practices and conditions Varied, specialized text structures and complex literary elements Inter-textual links to prior knowledge (Lee and Spratley, 2010)
Elements of effective adolescent literacy programs Diverse texts Motivation and self-directed learning Text-based collaborative learning Effective instructional principles embedded in content Direct, explicit comprehension instruction (Biancarosa and Snow, 2006)
What we know about ELLs ELLs have limited and varied background knowledge Cognitive ability differs from linguistic proficiency Advanced ELLs understand 85-90% of the words in text (O Keefe et al., 2007)
What is a graphic novel? A book-length sequential art narrative featuring an anthology-style collection of comic art, a collection of reprinted comic book issues comprising a single story line, or an original, stand-alone narrative (Carter, 2007)
Art Spiegelman s Maus Published in 1986 Won Pulitzer Prize in 1992 Guggenheim Fellowship Nominated for National Book Critics Circle Award
Excerpts from Maus by Art Spiegelman
How do you read a graphic novel? Text features of a novel Storyline entirely illustrated in panels
Variety within the form Manga Classics: Adapted and unabridged Comics journalism Original narrative
Instructional benefits Appeals to multiple learning styles Encourages struggling readers Visual scaffold Sense of accomplishment Promotes wide reading (Krashen, 2004)
Instructional benefits Provides vehicle for discussion of other texts and issues Increases accessibility of unfamiliar settings and themes Promotes heterogeneous grouping Facilitates differentiated instruction
Promising applications English courses ESL courses Social Studies courses Building-wide text
Promising applications Pairing graphic novel and other genre Models for integration of art and writing
American Born Chinese National Book Award Finalist The Monkey King, Jin Wang and Chin-kee Universal themes that appeal to ELLs and adolescents
Themes Cultural conflict Enlightenment Identity Love and friendship Loyalty Reconciliation Transformation
Literary language Allusion Characterization Climax Conflict Dialogue Flashback Foreshadowing Motif Narrator Parable Plot Prologue Resolution Setting Symbol Theme
Turn and talk What instructional opportunities do you see in these pages from American Born Chinese? How would the graphic novel enhance instruction for ELLs?
(Yang, 2006)
(Yang, 2006)
(Yang, 2006)
(Yang, 2006)
Building background The All-American Slurp by Lensey Namioka The Monkey King: A Superhero s Tale of China by Aaron Shepard YouTube clip and newspaper article on Gene Yang
Iconic Images of Superheroes
Caricature and stereotypes Provocative images Sensitive discussions Background knowledge
Caricatures and Stereotypes
During- and after-reading activities Shared reading Small group reading Image grammar (Noden, 1999) Literary elements and devices Recursive vocabulary instruction (Allen, 2007)
During- and after-reading activities Journal writing PowerWriting (Fisher, Rothenberg, and Frey, 2007) Writing between the panels (Carter, 2007) Teachbacks (Kirshbaum, 2009)
Publishing Trends Decrease in trade book sales by 5.2% 5% increase in sales of graphic novels (Publishers Weekly, 2006)
The Fox Lane High School Library Website http://www.bcsdny.org/flhs.cfm?subpage=3881 Recommended titles and reviews Bibliography Links to instructional resources
Thank You tcarrigan0173@bcsdny.org aviscardi1133@bcsdny.org