RWP Network
YOUTH LIBRARIAN JOINS WRITING STAFF
By Chris Wilson While at a conference on comics in education, I ran into Tegan Conner, a youth librarian, who was an avid fan of comic literature who attended one of my sessions. Lucky for us, she joined The Graphic Classroom team of writers and lovers of reading. Conner has been in public libraries since she can remember. She started out as a library patron until her first library job at age 16 as a circulation clerk. Since then, she picked up her Bachelors in Library Science (K-12) and then a Masters in Library and Information Science, where she studied […] Read More
Creative Power to the People
Guest Blogger: Clive Goodinson, Pixton Comics
A few years ago I was browsing Wikipedia and admiring its wonderfully collaborative nature. Anyone could create content and build upon or refine the contributions of others. However, as someone who loves stories and creativity, I lamented that it deals only with objective fact. Poetic license is necessarily sifted out through peer-review and consensus. What if, I thought, there were a Wikipedia for stories and other expressions of the imagination?
Hamlet from Ham Sandwich
Guest Blogger: Conor McCreery When Anthony Del Col and I started Kill Shakespeare we hoped that our comic series would prove popular not just with people who were well-versed in Shakespeare but to those who were less familiar with the Bard. A big part of choosing the comic medium was our feeling that the ability to “see” the lust, love, magic, betrayal, jealousy, and battle that circle through Shakespeare’s works would help the reader realize the Bard was not the “old dead white guy” school told us about.
Graphic Novels and State Standards
By: Maureen Bakis Despite the increasing prevalence of the use of the comics medium in literacy classrooms, I continue to receive questions at workshops and presentations from teachers about how I managed approval to teach a graphic novel course in a public school held accountable to state standards. My usual response is about how graphic novels serve as effective tools for developing students’ English language arts skills, including those found on standardized tests, but due to time constraints, I am unable to demonstrate exactly how specific texts meet specific standards.
Building Interact Between the Graphic Novel and Students in College Composition
By Guest Blogger: Ellen Ma “Why are we reading a comic book?” would probably have been something I would have dreaded to hear if one of my students asked me this question, or even from someone who found out I was using graphic novels in my composition course. Perhaps what would be even worse is not being able to provide a reasonable answer and this fear didn’t set in until after my first experience from introducing the graphic novel to my college composition freshman. Due to taking a strong interest in reading comics since grade school, my “comic book self” […] Read More
Why Get Comics into Schools and Schools into Comics?
By Guest Blogger: Dr. Katie Monnin The first time someone told me about the nonprofit organization Reading with Pictures (RWP), I said: “Brilliant!” I would like to take this opportunity to explain why I said “Brilliant!” Perhaps surprisingly to those of you who know me, I did not say “Brilliant!” because I am extremely passionate about using comics and graphic novels in the classroom. I said “Brilliant!” because RWP grounds itself in the fundamental theories behind WHY we must shift our literacy pedagogy to value comic books and graphic novels in the classroom.
Biff! Pow! Boom! Zap!
By Guest Blogger: Shane Berryhill Biff! Pow! Boom! Zap! That’s the sound of the sneak attack that typically begins one’s love affair with the art form inaptly known as comics. I’m no exception. That’s right. I’m a proud, card-carrying member of the graphic literature fan club. Membership has served me well over the years. Not only has graphic literature brought me endless hours of entertainment, but it helped me in the classroom during my younger days as well.
Redrawing the Textbook
By Guest Bloggers: Marie Adachi, Susan Han, Erica MacKenzie, Bailey Miles, Neha Sathe, MS2s Clare Rosean, MFA candidate One would think that a group of University of Chicago medical students, would, at this stage of their academic careers, already know how to study. But faced with more information than we had ever previously encountered, we realized our tired methods of reading (and re-reading) Powerpoint slides, classroom notes, and 1000-page textbooks fell short. We just couldn’t keep it all in our heads. Needing a more engaging way to absorb the material, we told stories and drew pictures that resembled less and less the […] Read More
Where do ideas come from?
By Guest Bloggers: Dan Almoney & Edward Fox Seems like a simple question, but for some it’s a tough one to answer. It’s even harder to explain it to a kid looking to make their mark on the world. Now, try to answer that question in the middle of a school day that’s jam packed with lesson requirements, standardized tests and a home life filled with Playstation and the internet.
The Great Power (and Responsibility) of Perception
By Guest Blogger: Todd Kent “Comics have always been looked down upon as a ghetto medium.” That is a quote from James O’Barr (“The Crow”) from the documentary “Comic Book Literacy” which I recently completed. It is one of the biggest lessons I learned from my experience producing the film. Well, not necessarily from the producing process, but rather the promotional process.