Week 3 - Comics and Graphic Novels

Does the use of comics and graphic novels (hard copy/electronic versions) within the primary literacy curriculum undermine the values of the classroom or do they offer opportunities for learning?

Carolyn Swain (2010) details that as part of the literacy curriculum, teachers need to ensure that children are introduced to and are aware of an extensive range of texts (websites, magazines and televisual) as well as traditional texts. Swain (2010) explains that it is important to do this, as children are provided with an opportunity to critically respond to a variety of texts and are able to recognise the type of a given text by identifying its numerous features. In support of this idea, Lambirth (2003) argues that children’s reading, writing and comprehension skills largely improve when they are familiar and comfortable with a diverse range of suitable literature. This indicates that having access to comics and graphic novels in the primary school setting helps to enhance children’s literacy skills (Learning and Teaching Scotland).

It is outlined by Stafford (2009) that, as a result of the illustrations, colour and capturing layout, graphic novels and comics are visually stimulating and provide children with an opportunity to understand the story through the images on the page. This would support less able and less confident readers to comprehend, make predictions, evaluate the text and explore a wider range of genres. Comics and graphic novels also allow children to witness and appreciate the relationship between images and narrative, encouraging them to identify the ways in which these two elements support each other to tell a story (Stafford, 2009). 

Comics and graphic novels can be used across the curriculum to support children’s learning and academic progress (Learning and Teaching Scotland). Activities can include designing a comic to tell a story, debating issues that arise in comics and reviewing comics – all of which support children’s interpretation of the world by allowing them to develop their views based on what they have read and taken from the readings (Swain, 2010). 

As well as this, Stafford (2009) highlights the importance of comics and graphic novels being thoroughly checked through for their appropriateness, for a targeted age group of children, before making them accessible in the classroom. This is vital, as the content of some comics and graphic novels may be not be of an acceptable genre and could attract unwanted behaviour in the classroom (Millard and Marsh, 2001). 

In a seminar, I worked in a small group to create a short comic using the ‘ComicLife’ app on an iPad. This would be an effective app to use with children as it is relatively easy to use and would further inform children of the different features of a comic, such as speech bubbles, narrative boxes and picture panels. Children would be engaged in their learning when using the app as it is very interactive and hands-on, thus improving the outcome and success of the children’s learning experience.

Below is an image of the comic that we created:

Bibliography

- Lambirth, A. (2003) ‘They get enough of that at home: Understanding aversion to popular cultures in schools’. pp 9 – 13

- Learning and Teaching Scotland: Graphic Novels in the Curriculum [online] (Accessed 8.10.14) http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/resources/g/graphicnovels/intro.asp

- Millard and Marsh (2001) 'Sending Minnie the Minx Home: comics and reading choices' Cambridge Journal of Education, 31:1, 25 – 38

- Stafford, T (2009) ‘Teaching Comics’ in Duncan, D. (2009) Teaching Children’s Literature: Making stories work in the classroom  Abingdon:Routledge