The Graphic Novel Classroom

A secret weapon for engaging adolescentsCould you use a superhero to teach reading, writing, critical thinking, and problem-solving? While seeking the answer, secondary language arts teacher Maureen Bakis discovered a powerful pedagogy that teaches those skills and more. The amazingly successful results prompted her to write this practical guide that shows how to use graphic novels to: Teach 21st-century skills, including interpretation of content and form Promote authentic literacy learning Grow learners' competency in writing and visual comprehension Motivate students to create in multiple formats, including images Engage struggling as well as proficient students in reading

Maureen Bakis is a mother of four children and has been teaching English at Masconomet Regional High School in Topsfield, Massachusetts for seven years. Maureen presents her experiences teaching graphic novels to high school students at local, regional, and national conferences and events, most recently New York Comic Con, Harvard University's Center for Middle Eastern Studies, and New England Comics in the Classroom. She also blogs about her experiences as webmaster at www.graphicnovelsandhighschoolenglish.com.

Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Welcome to the Graphic Novel Classroom
Part I. Looking at Literacy in the Graphic Novel Classroom
1. Looking at the Comics Medium
Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics
2. Interpreting Images
Shaun Tan's The Arrival
Rachel Masilimani's Two Kinds of People
Gene Leun Yang's American Born Chinese
3. Looking at the Big Picture
Will Eisner's A Contract with God and A Life Force
Part II. Looking at Memoir in the Graphic Novel Classroom
4. Pictures, Perception, and the Past: Teaching Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis
5. Legacies & Images: Teaching Art Spiegelman's Maus, Elie Weisel's Night, and Scott Russell Sanders' "Under the Influence"
Part III: Looking at Superheroes in the Graphic Novel Classroom
6. A Glimpse at the Superhero Genre: Teaching Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
7. Making the Invisible Visible: Teaching Alan Moore's V for Vendetta
Afterword: The Value of Teaching Graphic Novels in School
Resources
References
Index