SCCTE Conference 2010

Adventures in Genre!: Challenging Texts with Graphic Novels

P. L. Thomas, EdD, Associate Professor of Education, Furman University

Friday, January 29, 2010: Session 1 (9:30-10:30)

Multi-genre units can be inviting literacy experiences for our students. Asking our students to challenge their assumptions about texts while exploring a wide range of texts is an ideal avenue to empowering our students as life-long readers. This session will explore anchoring multi-genre literature units with graphic novels—such as a unit on justice incorporating Batman: Year One, The Reader, nonfiction essays, and poetry.

Paul Auster, City of Glass

Paul Auster, City of Glass graphic novel adaptation by Paul Karasik and David Mazzucchelli

See Great Graphic Novels for Teens (ALA)

Resources

Campbell, J. (1949). The hero with a thousand faces. New York: MJF Books.
Cope, B., & Kalantzis, M. (2000). Multiliteracies: Literacy learning and the design of social forces
. New York: Routledge.
Eisner, W. (1985). Comics and sequential art. Tamarac, FL: Poorhouse Press.
Eisner, W. (1996). Graphic storytelling. Tamarac, FL: Poorhouse Press.
Gravett, P. (2005). Graphic novels: Everything you need to know. New York: Collins Design.
Kannenberg, Jr., G. (2008). 500 essential graphic novels: The ultimate guide. New York: Collins Design. Miller, F., & Mazzucchelli, D. (2007). Batman: Year one. New York: DC Comics.
McCloud, S. (2006). Making comics: Storytelling secrets of comics, manga and graphic novels. New York: Harper Paperback.
McCloud, S. (2000). Reinventing comics: How imagination and technology are revolutionizing an art form. New York: Harper Paperback.
McCloud, S. (1994). Understanding comics: The invisible art. New York: Harper Paperback.
Moore, A., & Lloyd, D. (1989). V for vendetta. New York: Vertigo.
Moore, A., & Gibbons, D. (1986, 1987). Watchmen. New York: DC Comics.
Rhoades, S. (2008). Comic books: How the industry works. New York: Peter Lang USA.
———. (2008). A complete history of American comic books. New York: Peter Lang USA.
Thomas, P. L. (2009). Comics. In Boy culture: An encyclopedia. Eds. S. Steinberg & M. Kehler. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
White, M. D. (2009). Watchmen and philosophy: A Rorschach test. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
White, M. D., & Arp, R. (2008). Batman and philosophy: Dark knight of the soul. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Yang, G. (2008, January). Graphic novels in the classroom. Language Arts, 85(3), 185-192.

See Also:

Confronting the Text, Confronting the World (Peter Lang USA series)

• Barbara Kingsolver
• Kurt Vonnegut
• Margaret Atwood
• Ralph Ellison