Overview

Although traditionally literacy has simply been thought of as the ability to read and write, the concept of literacy has come to mean much more than that. After scouring through various resources, the definition for literacy that I believe best reflects the interests of this course is as follows: "Literacy - the synthesis of language, thinking and contextual practices through which meaning is shaped. ‘Effective literacy is intrinsically purposeful, flexible and dynamic’ (Dawkins, J, 1991, Australia’s Language: The Australian Literacy and Language Policy, AGPS) and involves interactions in a range of modes and through a variety of mediums." I find this definition more appropriate because it recognizes the validity of mediums other than just the printed word as valid texts. The following the following mini-lecture illustrates how sequential art is capable of helping students to improve the skills related to literacy development.

Please read the following mini-lecture.

Mini-lecture

Skill Building - "The skills students use to interpret graphic novels include analysis, interpretation, and conjecture, all higher order thinking skills. To read and comprehend graphic novels, the student must use many of the same skills that are needed to understand traditional works of prose fiction. Graphic novels require that the reader be actively engaged in the process of comprehending a range of literary devices including narrative structures, metaphor and symbolism, point of view, the use of puns and alliteration, intertextuality, and inference (233)."

Cognitive - "Graphic novels may require more complex cognitive skills than the reading of text alone (Lavin, 1998). Graphic novel readers have learned to understand print but also can decode facial and body expressions, the symbolic meanings of certain images and postures, metaphors and similes, and other social and literacy nuances teenagers are mastering as they move from childhood to maturity (Simmons, 2003). Thus, readers must not only decode the words and the illustrations but also must identify events between the visual sequences. In informal discussions, teachers report that some reluctant readers will select a graphic novel over a typical novel as the illustrations support the text. As a result of student engagement and the development of skills, graphic novels encourage literacy...for all readers."

Interpretation - "Readers derive information from facial and bodily expressions and from the composition and viewpoint of the illustrations. They determine how color affects emotion, and how facial expressions and body language convey emotions and feelings not printed in the text. In addition, students examine how pictures can stereotype people, how angles of viewing affect perception, and how realism or the lack of it affects the message of the work."

Analysis - "Students analyze how the use of color, light, shadow, and lines influence the tone and mood of the story."

Inference - "In the same manner as students think when watching a movie, they deduce what happened yet was not explicitly stated in the interval between one image and the next. In many instances graphic novels provide opportunities for students to derive intangible feelings through allusion rather than direct description.'

Comprehension - "The illustrations provide contextual support and clues to the meaning of the written narrative, help demystify the text, and increase comprehension (Cary, 2004)."

Tasks for Unit Two, Part 3

Please go to the Sequential Art Discussion Area. Create a post that explains whether you agree or disagree with any of these literacy benefits of sequential art. Remember, there is not much research on the benefits of sequential art in the classroom so it is somewhat subjective. Support you answer with information from the mini lecture. Be sure to sign your name to your post and move one to unit three after!

Navigation

Forward to Unit Three: Methods of Integrating Sequential Art into NYS English Language Arts Curriculum

Back to Unit Two: Why is Sequential Art Beneficial in the English Language Arts Classroom?

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References

Smetana, L., Odelson, D., Burns, H., & Grisham, D. L. (2009, November). Using Graphic Novels in the High School Classroom: Engaging Deaf Students With a New Genre. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy , 228-240.