Connecting Comics to Curriculum: Strategies for Grades 6–12

ISBN-13: 9781598847680

164 pages • 8½ x 11
 2011

Here is the essential guide for librarians and teachers who want to develop a quality, curriculum-based graphic novel collection—and use its power to engage and inform middle and high school students.

Graphic novels make school subjects come alive. Their visuals make text less threatening and aid in comprehension. No wonder there is a growing, research-backed belief among educators that the use of graphic novels in the classroom can increase reading motivation and engagement. How is this visual literacy best utilized? The answers are at hand.

Connecting Comics to Curriculum: Strategies for Grades 6-12 provides an introduction to graphic novels and the research that supports their use in schools. The book examines best curriculum practices for using graphic novels with students in grades 6 to12, showing teachers and school librarians how they can work together to incorporate these materials across the secondary curriculum.

Designed to be an essential guide to harnessing the power of graphic novels in schools, the book covers every aspect of graphic novel use in libraries and classrooms. It illuminates the criteria for selecting titles, explores collection development strategies, and suggests graphic novel tie-ins for subjects taught in secondary schools. One of the first books to provide in-depth lesson plans for teaching a variety of middle and high school standards with graphic novels, the guide offers suggestions for differentiating instruction and includes resource lists of recommended titles and websites.