Comics in the Classroom...

[tsnipes]

I'm developing a workshop on using a child's interest in comics and
anime to help them in school. Here's a few tips we came up wth, I wanted to see if anyone could think of a couple more:

1)The Goal: Increased Vocabulary & Spelling Skills-

Comics are full of fascinating words that can stimulate the
intelligence of young readers. For example, these words were found in
a recent issue of a popular comic book read by middle school aged
readers:
incessant
antiquated
vestige
cliched
ineptitude

Take a glance at your young comic fan's comic and make a brief list of
words from the comic that you think they may not know the definition
of. Give them the list, have them find the word in the comic, then
define from the dictionary.


2)The Goal: Decreased TV/Increased Reading-

Watch a little less anime on TV and read more graphic novels (anime
and comics in a comic/novel format) from the Library. The new graphic
novel section at area libraries will intellectually entertain a young
person and steer them toward reading more.


3)The Goal: Reading Comprehension-

Encourage your student to illustrate a picture from any long term
reading assignment, especially one they may not be too motivated
about. This can help them take a seemingly "boring" homework
assignment and give it more life, as they will have to read more to
get ideas for how the picture will look. Remind them that this is
similiar to how their favorite anime or comic artists get their
illustration ideas for their work when they work with writers.

Scenes from my recent "Intro To Drawing Comics" workshop... (http://geocities.com/tonysnipes/workshop.htm)

[Inkthinker]

My mother did a similar thing with her art students recently. I gave her a couple of copies of Bone, Usagi Yojimbo and What's Michael to use as examples of sequential storytelling art.

I highly endorse any program which encourages reading and espescially readership in comics, but I might add that there are good books created domestically (like the first two of the three mentioned above) that are appropriate for children and help increase the variety of the material they're reading.

I agree that manga is a natural bridge for anime fans to get into reading comics. The trick is to bridge them from manga to other comics styles and books created in the USA, to help support our own struggling industry.

This is a great idea, good job!

[Ian Miller]

I agree that comic books are in important step into reading. They're short, can be read in one sitting, and are filled with excellent vocabulary words and imaginative storylines. I know from experience that if I never read comics, I probably would never read anything nowadays. Good luck on the workshop!

[Mike]

Not only does the textual vocabulary of comics help entertain the mind and expand it, but the word/picture association helps build reading comprehension to new levels. When I took my state aptitude tests several years ago, I scored perfect on the language and reading comprehension portion due mostly to reading comic books (but also from having teachers who chose stimulating material for class) while some of my more A-level friends actually took a powder on it. I should mention that I sucked at the math part while they aced it.

[IuseErasers]

Jesus Castillo was trying to use a childs interest in anime to educate young readers too, but it didn't quite workout like he had planned...

[Mike]

Now that's just cold.

[sacredbob]

Aw yeah! Squeezing comics into the curriculum is what I do! (I'm an art teacher).
Here are some things I've done with my kids-

1. Have them translate a comic page into text. They should describe each panel (ie, "Batman burst through the window to find three armed robbers..."). They can also get practice using quotation marks as they add the dialogue into the text.

2. Onomatopoeia! Bang! Zap! Pow! Comics are the best way to teach this English term.

3. Comics are a form of narrative art; the very first form of written language used by humans (cave drawings, hieroglyphics). You can have the students compose a story both in text and in a comic-narrative art form. It's also a great way to allow them relate to Social Studies material.

Hope these help!

[CS]

I remember being really confused because adamantium wasn't anywhere in the dictionary.

Invulnerable was the first word longer than 4 syllables I ever knew how to read and spell...

[astrocity20]

Less TV is good for anyone. We should be giving adults this teaching too lol. Good idea though.