We had to consider first why fiction is crucial to
libraries. (I believe those who advocate turning libraries into media centres devoid of
books and filled with soulless machines are totally ignorant of the value of stories!)
So I thought I would reflect on the assignment and include some of the information I learnt (taken from my research) which I felt was really interesting and some comments:
Fiction:
- Stories have been used for a variety of purposes for generations.
- Besides entertainment, stories have been used to caution children, help children shape their identity and give children role models to aspire to (Paul Jennings as cited in La Marca & Macintyre, 2006, p. 14).
- Through fiction children develop empathy for characters in situations unlike, or like their own. Reading helps develop the imagination ( Peterson & Swartz, 2008, p. 10).
- Stories have the ability to transport the reader into new, previously unexplored worlds, sometimes even rescuing the reader from a life otherwise filled with disappointment.
- In brief, children, through stories, come to have a deeper understanding of the world in which they live, humanity and themselves ( Peterson & Swartz, 2008, p. 13).
- Paul Jennings (as cited in La Marca & Macintyre, 2006, p. 14) says ‘A story tells us we are not alone. Stories make us honourable members of the human family and tell us that dreams can come true.’ Don't you just love this quote? Jennings has made what I consider to be the most important argument for fiction.
- Besides bringing the reader lifelong pleasure, fiction can also be a conduit to support or initiate learning across the curriculum (Eberle & Williamson, 2009, p.1).
- Many educators and parents ignore or refute the worth of the graphic novel through ignorance or a misguided notion of what constitutes ‘good’ literature.
What Is The difference Between GNs and Comics?
- GNs are all comics, but not all comics are GNs (Frey & Fisher, 2008, p.31).
- According to Education Scotland (n.d.), graphic novels use the comic strip format but differ from comics in that the narrative of graphic novels is longer and of greater complexity.
- Lee (2004) states that GNs, usually unlike comics, are a complete story and are published in the same way a book is published using high quality paper which again differentiates it from comics.
- Generally graphic novels consist of both text and illustrations ‘read’ in the same way a book would be read.
- As McCloud (1994, p.156) describes it, the ‘words and pictures are like partners in a dance and each one takes turns leading.’ Isn't this a wonderful use of imagery? I will forever think of the words and images of GNs dancing across the pages.
What Is Manga?
- Manga is the Japanese word for comics and is not a genre (Volin, 2011, p. 4). I always thought manga was a genre!
- Manga is a Japanese-derived magazine-type of GN which is written as a series - for example the Pokemon series (Sullivan, 2009, p.63 & Laycock, 2011, p.1)
What Is Anime?
- Anime is closely related to manga and has a huge following in Japan (Frey & Fisher, 2008, p. 63).
- Anime, unlike manga, includes multimodal elements such as gesture, movement and audio and is influenced by the posed acting of the Japanese kubuki theatre (Frey & Fisher, 2008, p. 63). I learnt about the kubuki theatre in Japan years ago but didn't realise anime was influenced by it until doing the research for this assignment.
GNs To Support
Teaching and Learning
- GNs, including manga, can be used to support the curriculum in an entertaining way (Laycock, 2011,p.11). It had never occurred to me before that GNs could be used to support the curriculum - I thought they were for entertainment value only!
- Research has shown that although some GNs may support learning in some curriculum areas not all graphic novels are worthy of inclusion to support the curriculum (Cooper, Nesmith & Schwarz (2011, p.9) and so must be evaluated by the TL carefully. Now, this I learnt is absolutely critical. As I evaluated GNs for the assignment, the variations in quality were astonishing! One GN Classic in terms of the story was suitable for my Junior students, but the sexually provocative way in which some of the female characters were dressed made me realise that this book would be best used with Senior students when it could be used as an illustration of the sexual objectification of women in literature.
The Classics
- Classics have been published as GNs since 1941 (Cornog, &Perper, 2009, p. 89) but have experienced a recent surge in popularity (Price, 2009).
- Many classic books are now available as GNs however, even a rudimentary evaluation by the TL of a variety of classic GNs will show a disparity in quality.
- Classical Comics Ltd publish Macbeth by William Shakespeare in three formats, original text, plain text and quick text to meet the needs of students. This book exemplifies all that is best in GNs and is an excellent resource to support teaching and learning. This book made me recognise the outstanding features of some GNs which could be used to support the curriculum. Not only is the text/illustration sequencing easy to follow but the graphics are vibrant and detailed which engage the reader. The images clearly illustrate the emotions of the characters leading to a better comprehension of the narrative. It introduces all characters by name, role and illustration then sets the scene in the Prologue by describing the setting of Scotland in 1040. After the play finishes the book continues to inform the reader for example, with the inclusion of a biography of William Shakespeare, a family tree and timeline of Macbeth and the Kings of Scotland and much more of the historical background of the play. For students wanting to learn about the creation of the novel there is a section which explains how the three text versions and illustrations were created. To conclude there is information regarding the Globe Theatre and how Shakespeare’s influence continues today.Truly an outstanding GN to support teaching and learning!
Popular Literature as GNs:
- A recent trend is the publishing of popular series, like Alex Rider, Artemis Fowl and The Baby Sitters Club, as GNs (Volin, 2011, p.4).
- Some purists, however, believe that only stories written and first published as GNs are real GNs (Volin, 2011, p.4).
GNs To Support PSHCE
- GNs are gradually being considered a valuable tool for curriculum support, being both informative and entertaining (Karp, 2011, p.1).
- One curriculum area in which they are being used more commonly is Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education (PSHCE).
- Azzi In Between (Sarah Garland, 2012) is a GN well suited to supporting aspects of the PSHCE curriculum. Azzi’s family are representative of refugees world-wide seeing a better life.
- This graphic novel helps students develop empathy for see the refugees’ issue (topical world-wide), through the eyes of a child faced with a new life in a new country where she doesn’t speak the language and has no friends.
- Immigration is an important curricular focus (Karp, 2011, p.3). Using a GN like The Arrival (Shaun Tan, 2006) or Azzi In Between By Sarah Garland, where the story is enriched by the added dimension of images helps the reader better connect with the story and gives the reader greater empathy for the characters – a dimension textbook’s lack (Karp, 2011, p.p. 3-4). The topic of refugees is a highly emotive one in many countries today. I believe books like Azzi In Between are essential to ensure our students consider why refugees flee their countries and why we, who are so privileged by comparison, should be sympathetic to their plight and understand the hardships they face in seeking a better life.
Highly Illustrated Novels As
GNs
- GNs are ideally suited to the genres of adventure or fantasy.
- Novels which have a high proportion of illustrations can also fall into the GN classification (Peterson & Swartz, 2008, p.121) and one of the most popular of these for Junior students is the Geronimo Stilton series.
- This series has visual appeal to those young students transitioning from Infants to the Junior School. The different coloured, different sized fonts break up the text of the novel-format that many students at this age struggle to read. Not only does the text vary in size, in general it is larger than the print found in most novels and this makes for easier reading for this age group.
- The popularity of this series alone is also an encouragement to reluctant readers and many get ‘hooked’ on their stories long after the appeal of the different visual aspects of the series has diminished leading many of them to go on to become lifelong readers.
- This series has particular appeal to boys and fiction books which appeal to boys are essential to a library’s fiction collection to encourage them to read. Boys like plot driven books more than character driven books (I had never thought about this before so now I try to introduce 2 stories in the same session, one of which is plot driven)– so the GN collection must include books with lots of action (Sullivan (2009, p.65).
- The Geronimo Stilton series, despite featuring a strong main character, has the excitement of adventure fiction boys are keen to read delivered in an easy-to-read format. My Year 3 students absolutely love Geronimo Stilton - especially the boys. I have bought at least 100 new books over the past two years and I never have more than about 15 titles on the shelf at any one time! I never thought of them being related to GNs - Geronimo Stilton is highly illustrated and the illustrations are comic in form, but I would not have thought of them as GNs - but rather novels with a high proportion of illustrations. I guess people could argue this one either way!
Graphic Novel Autobiographies and Biographies
-
Raina Telgemeir’s Smile (2010), solely published as a GN, is a good example of a GN autobiography which resonates with students. (Note: this is a non-fiction GN so wasn't included in my assignment, but it is such an outstanding GN I thought it worthy of inclusion in my blog).
- It is based on the true story of how Raina fell, knocked out her two front teeth and then spent the next few years having dental work to correct the problem. Smile is an excellent GN to include in the PSHCE curriculum to support pre and early-teen girls who, like Raina, are going through the conflicting emotions of adolescence as they grapple with issues like self image, friendships and romantic involvement.
References
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