1. A Super-Villain Ate My Homework Using COMICS IN THE CLASSROOM

2. Nick Kremer Columbia Public Schools University of Missouri nkremer@columbia.k12.mo.us

3. Comics - Overview

4. THE LINGO: Sequential Art Narrative: a series of pictures (with or w/o text) that tell a cohesive story Comic Strip: ~6 or less frames, on-going series Comic Book: ~24 pages, on-going series Graphic Novel: Full stand-alone book/album

5. THE PEOPLE: Writer – writes the script (story + dialogue) Artist – draws/lays out the script Letterer – adds text to the drawings Inker – darkens the pencil drawings Colorist – adds color to the drawings Editor – the proofreader and business manager

6. THE HISTORY: History: Cave Painting, Heiroglyphics, Stain-Glass Windows, Wood Carvings, Illustrations, Political Cartoons, etc. 1896: Richard Outcalt: Voice Bubbles + the Funny Pages (The Yellow Kid, Krazy Kat, Pop-Eye) 1929: Picture Adventures (Dick Tracy, Tarzan) 1932-45: Golden Age of Superheroes (Superman, Batman, Shazam, Wonder Woman, Captain America) 1945: Rise of the Rest: Horror, Romance, Western, Crime, “Adult Themes” 1950s: Seduction of the Innocent + Comics Code 1956-69: Silver Age of Superheroes (DC Revivals: Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Marvel Origins: Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Hulk, Spider-Man, X- Men, Daredevil) 1970s: Underground Comics + Weakening of the Code, Civil Rights 1980s: The Graphic Novel (A Contract with God, Maus, Watchmen) 1990s: The Gimmick Age, Image Comics (Spawn), Vertigo (Sandman) 21 st Century: Corporatization and the Comic Book Renaissance

7. Comics: Troubleshooting

8. Comics aren't intellectual!!

9. BUT REMEMBER… Stereotypical comic books are only one genre within the large medium of Sequential Art Narratives Texts rich in popular culture and varying formalist choices are misleadingly complex

10. Looking at Comics isn’t reading!!

11. BUT REMEMBER… Images have to be “read” using critical literacy skills in the same manner that words do Research shows that comics can help improve literacy with struggling readers

12. Comics are misogynistic!!

13. BUT REMEMBER… Comics are products of their culture and reflect the social values found therein While some comics misrepresent various demographics, others empower them

14. Comics are too expensive!!

15. BUT REMEMBER… Class sets, grant money, “sampling,” and scanning are cheap solutions Comics can also be studied in single images or excerpts

16. Comics Don’t Fit into My CURRICULUM! !

17. BUT REMEMBER… Contemporary curricula stress skills, not specific texts, in an era of abundant global multimedia Comics are rich sources for literary and writing lessons

18. Comics: Literature Lessons

19. #1) Literary Elements Comics offer short, accessible stories with lots of concrete examples of abstract literary concepts [Ex: Symbols, Point of View, Character Types, Plot Structure,…]

20. #2) Denotation vs. Connotation Use comic images to practice visual literacy skills: what literally do you see, what does the image suggest, how/why does it make you feel?

22. #3) Deconstruction Comics provide a visual context for discussion on how artists elicit intentional responses from readers using conventions

23. #4) American Mythology American comic books reflect our own cultural values + hero myths and should be studied alongside ancient mythology

26. #5) Dystopian Literature Graphic Novels are a popular medium for contemporary dystopian literature.

27. #6) Classic Adaptations Comics provide visual references for classic texts (Ex: Shakespeare), aiding in student comprehension and engagement

29. Comics: Writing Lessons

30. #1) Descriptive Writing Students can practice attempting to capture all the details of a picture in words, or having pictures drawn from their writing

31. #2) Storyboarding a Paper Students can create storyboards to help organize their writing and visually chart the flow of their papers

33. #3) Dialogue Students can use comic scripting as practice for incorporating dialogue into their prose writing.

34. #4) Hero Narratives Comic Books provide models for students to design their own hero myths: origins, powers, battles, personal lives, etc.

35. #5) Sequential Art Narratives Incorporate interdisciplinary learning into your Language Arts classroom by having students create their own comics or adapt existing literature.

36. Comics: Resources

37. Instructional Texts Understanding Comics – Scott McCloud Comics and Sequential Art – Will Eisner Graphic Novels: Everything You Need to Know – Paul Gravett Drawing Words and Writing Pictures – Jessica Abel/Matt Madden The Comic Book in America: An Illustrated History – Mike Benton Building Literacy Connections with Graphic Novels – Dr. James “Bucky” Carter

38. The Comic Book Project www.comicbookproject.org

39. The Graphic Classroom http://graphicclassroom.blogspot.com

40. National Association for Comic Book Educators http://www.teachingcomics.org

41. EN/SANE World http://ensaneworld.blogspot.com

42. Comics: Reading Lists

43. NONFICTION

44. Maus Art Spiegelman

45. Persepolis Marjane Satrapi

46. Safe Area Goražde Joe Sacco

47. The 9/11 Report Sid Jacobson

48. FICTION: FANTASY

49. Watchmen Alan Moore

50. Sandman Neil Gaiman

51. Marvel Firsts Stan Lee et. al.

52. Marvels Kurt Busiek, Alex Ross

53. Kingdom Come Mark Waid, Alex Ross

54. FICTION: REALITY

55. A Contract With God Will Eisner

56. Jimmy Corrigan Chris Ware

57. Kings in Disguise James Vance

58. ALL AGES

59. Bone Jeff Smith

60. Mouse Guard David Petersen

61. Robot Dreams Sarah Varon

62. NEW STUFF!

63. American Born Chinese Gene Yang

64. Satchel Paige - Striking Out Jim Crow James Sturm

65. Pride of Baghdad Brian K. Vaughan

66. The Arrival Shaun Tan