The Case to
Include
Comics
in the
Curriculum
Comics
and the
Common Core:
NYCC 2013
Amie
Wright
NYPL
Emily
Weisenstein
Madison
Public Library
Stephanie
Gabelmann
Boonton Holmes
Public Library

What is the Common Core?
45 states - New standards for Math & English Language Arts + Literacy in
History/Social Studies, Science & Technical Subjects

● Students graduating Grade 12 without critical skills
including: the ability to read complex text, conduct
evidence-based research, or analytically deconstruct
complex images
● Students moving between states – disparity of
educational standards between states
● Global Economy
Why the Common Core?
Better readers = more successful adults

1. No more fiction
2. 100% Leveled
Reading
3. Unified Curriculum
4. Specified ‘common
core’ materials
4 Myths about the Common
Core
what the Common Core is - 3 instructional shifts

What does this have to do with
comics?

Comics & the Common Core
Common Core wants kids reading 'on level' with
increasing ‘text complexity’...how do graphic
novels fit with this?
Levelled Reading:
● Lexile & Comics – issues and concerns
Other goals:
● focus on primary source content
● firsthand accounts
● compare/contrast evidence
● multiple perspectives
● multiple formats
Did you know that
Leveled Reading -
like Lexile - is only
a part of text
complexity?

Comics & the Common Core
Common Core is about creating better readers
Students who are more critical, engaged,
analytical, inquisitive, better, more confident
readers.
Best way to do that…?

Comics make better readers
The evidence is in…..
1. Reading for pleasure puts
kids ahead in the
classroom
2. Comics may help people
retain information better
than traditional books
3. ALA Declaration for the
Right to Libraries – more
librarians = better test
scores

...so why the resistance?
Comics are Common Core aligned
• Comics do make better readers
• More involved teachers & librarians does =
better students
Not to mention so many great graphic
novels…..

…so why the resistance?
AMAZING new comics

The
Bad
Reputation
Why are comics
and graphic
novels often
viewed as
inappropriate
or non-quality
literature?

The Senate Subcommittee Hearings
on Juvenile Delinquency (1954)
● Young people + comics = juvenile delinquents
● Only horror and crime comics
were investigated
● Members of the comic book
industry, politicians, educators
and doctors were present at trial
● Trials were televised
Comics on Trial

Comics on Trial
●
● Biased representation
● Comics were represented in
an unfavorable way
● The new Comics Code Authority
toned comics down
● Comics remained linked with
crime, horror and delinquency
in the mind of the public

Questionable Content: Comics have
limited subject matter, right?
Wrong! The opposite is true. Comics are not limited
to superheroes, aliens, crime, violence…..
Many subjects translate successfully
into graphic novels:
History/Historical Fiction,
Science, Biography,
Geography, Math,
Classics, Poetry,
Mythology/Tall Tales/Folklore

Questionable format: Serious books can’t
have fun, colorful pictures, can they?
● Text-only books are perceived as superior to books
with pictures
● Children begin reading with picture books, and as they
become “better readers” the pictures begin to disappear
● Information can be presented in many different ways
● Graphic novels are simply an alternative way of
presenting information.
If a reader gains understanding, should it matter
in which format the information is presented?

So...Can Comics Help Students?
Yes!
Students of all ages and reading levels
can benefit from graphic novels.
Graphic novels have
proven their worth in
the medical world
Dr. Michael J. Green published
a comic-style article in a
reputable
medical journal
Dr. Green also teaches a
graphic novel course to
medical students at Penn State
College of Medicine

Graphic novels can offer:
● Increased motivation
○ The graphic novel format is appealing
to school-age children
● Enthusiasm to explore a wider
range of subject matter
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.6.2 Interpret information
presented in diverse media and formats (e.g.,
visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how it
contributes to a topic, text, or issue under study.

Graphic novels can offer:
● Support for struggling readers:
○ Less intimidating to lower level readers,ESL students
○ Illustrations provide visual clues to help interpret text,
vocabulary, and emotion
● Challenge for advanced readers
through complex plot lines,
characters, etc
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.3a Engage and orient the
reader by establishing a context and point of view
and introducing a narrator and/or characters;
organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally
and logically.

Graphic novels and Common Core
Curriculum
How can graphic novels help overall learning?
● Wide range of topical non-fiction and fiction titles
● 65% of the population are visual learners
● Easily accessible

● What is visual literacy?
○ To understand, interpret, and make meaning from
information presented in visual form.
○ Sequential art and storytelling
○ Understanding visual cues
Visual Literacy
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.7 Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and
formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.5 Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to
provide additional detail.

Sequential Art
and Storytelling
From Robot Dreams
by Sara Varon

Learning to
‘read’ a picture
From Drama by Raina Telgemeier
From Drama
by Raina Telgemeier

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.7 Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and
formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.5 Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to
provide additional detail.
● What is visual literacy?
○ To understand, interpret, and make meaning from
information presented in visual form.
○ Sequential art and storytelling
○ Understanding visual cues
Traditional books
can’t teach this!
Visual Literacy

• Huge selection of STEM based
graphic novels
• More accessible for reluctant
students
• Visual learners benefit from
images, graphs, & diagrams
• Format aids retention
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.7 Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in
diverse formats and media (e.g., quantitative data, video, multimedia) in order to address a question or
solve a problem.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.7 Translate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a
text into visual form (e.g., a table or chart) and translate information expressed visually or
mathematically (e.g., in an equation) into words.
CCSS.Math.Practice.MP4 Model with mathematics….’They (students) are able to identify important
quantities in a practical situation and map their relationships using such tools as diagrams, two-way
tables, graphs, flowcharts and formulas.’
STEM

Diagrams aid in understanding

Cultural Literacy
● Variety of multicultural graphic novels
● Relatable stories and characters
● Illustrations present a more complete picture of diversity
● Visual and textual immersion in a new culture
CCSS.ELA-Introduction: Students actively seek to understand other perspectives and cultures
through reading and listening, and they are able to communicate effectively with people of varied
backgrounds.

Illustrations immerse the
reader in a new world

Social Studies
● Political cartoons are some of the earliest
comics
● Present lengthy/dry texts in more
approachable format
○ 9/11 Report
○ United States Constitution
● Visual representations enhance
understanding
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.7 Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs,
videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.7 Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in
diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a
question or solve a problem.

Information Literacy
Our own AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner
● 1.1.6 Read, view, and listen for information presented in any format
(e.g., textual, visual, media, digital) in order to make inferences and
gather meaning.
● 1.2.3 Demonstrate creativity by using multiple resources and formats.
● 4.1.1 Read, view, and listen for pleasure and personal growth.
● 4.1.3 Respond to literature and creative expressions of ideas in various
formats and genres.
● 4.1.4 Seek information for personal learning in a variety of formats and
genres.
● 4.1.8 Use creative and artistic formats to express personal learning.
● 4.2.4 Show an appreciation for literature by electing to read for pleasure
and expressing an interest in various literary genres.
Common Core Crosswalk:
An AASL Guide on how the Standards for the 21st Century and
Common Core align.
http://www.ala.org/aasl/standards-guidelines/crosswalk

Creative Expression
● Poetic license
● Unique format
● Alternative storytelling
● Thinking outside the box

● STEM to STEAM - Art and design should be included as an essential skill
● A range of simple and complex artwork can be used to tell a story
● Artistic variety
● Artistic style
Artistic appreciation
CCSS ELA’s definition of technical subjects: A course devoted to a practical study, such as
engineering, technology, design, business, or other workforce-related subject; a technical aspect of a
wider field of study, such as art or music.

Comics create visual literacy - and they are
directly tied to common core standards
Comics work best in pairs for the reluctant parent
Scenario #1: Parent hates
comics
“Comics are kid’s stuff.”
“There’s nothing of value in comics.”
Worst of all:
“No, you can’t check that out. Go get a real
book.”

Comics can supplement
curriculum
Comics can supply amazing
firsthand information
Comics can visually convey a
period in history
Scenario #2: Teacher hates
comics
“Comics aren’t educational.”
“We have no time for them in the classroom.”
“Comics are ok as long as it leads to ‘real’ reading.”

“Isn’t it all just manga and superheroes?”
“I have all the volumes of Naruto….”
“I guess I just don’t understand them.”
[...let’s call them ‘comic reluctant’]
Comics use their format to display information in
uncommon ways to tell unique stories.
Scenario #3: Library staff
hates comics
It is not just superheroes...and even when it is, it
is not always the traditional superhero
stories/formats - ex. above from Hawkeye #11

“Comics are just for kids.”
“Comics are just for boys.”
“I only like real/long books.”
Scenario #4: Kid hates comics

Two words: circulation statistics
Examples:
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Babymouse
Graphic History
Squish
Also, maybe some ‘Understanding’ of
comics as sequential art is needed
Scenario #5: Your boss
hates comics
“We have a tight budget.”
“Can we justify them in our collection?”
“We never used to have them…”

Common Core Curriculum Standards
http://www.corestandards.org/
AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner
http://www.ala.org/aasl/standards-guidelines/learning-standards
STEM to STEAM
http://stemtosteam.org/
Common Core Visual Literacy and Technology Mention
http://www.ciclt.net/ul/garesa/CommonCoreVisualLiteracyTechnologyMention.pdf
‘Common Core Crosswalk’: An AASL Guide on how the Standards for the 21st Century and Common
Core State Standards align.
http://www.ala.org/aasl/standards-guidelines/crosswalk
Reading Studies
● Reading for pleasure puts kids ahead in the classroom
● Comics may help people retain information better than traditional books
● Medical Students Study Graphic Novels
● ALA Declaration for the Right to Libraries librarians = better scores/better readers
Links

Booklists:
● Math Graphic Novel Guide courtesy of Indiana University Southeast Library:
http://libguides.ius.edu/content.php?pid=405346&sid=3322581
● Science Graphic Novel Booklist courtesy of Booklist Online:
http://booklistonline.com/ProductInfo.aspx?pid=4268442&AspxAutoDetectCookieSu
pport=1
● Multicultural Graphic Novels/Comics/Manga courtesy of Townsend Memorial
Library: http://libguides.umhb.edu/content.php?pid=285448&sid=2349644
● Graphic Novel Common Core List courtesy of Diamond Comics:
http://www.diamondcomics.com/Home/1/1/3/597?articleID=135961
● NYPL Children’s Books 2012: Graphic Novels: http://on.nypl.org/GMiuzd
Teaching Resources:
● March: Book One Teacher’s Guide courtesy of Top Shelf Comics:
http://www.topshelfcomix.com/contact/teachers-guide
● Using Graphic Novels and Comics in the Classroom from Edutopia:
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/graphic-novels-comics-andrew-miller
● Common Core Guides from Toon Books (lesson plans and activities):
http://www.toon-books.com/common-core-guides.html
Resources

Click on the image for more information:
Graphic Novels

Click on the image for more information:
Graphic Novels

Click on the image for more information:
Graphic Novels

Click on the image for more information:
Graphic Novels

Amie Wright
Selection Librarian - MyLibraryNYC
New York Public Library
amiewright@bookops.org / @librarylandia
Stephanie Gabelmann
Library Director
Boonton Holmes Public Library
stephanie.gabelmann@boontonholmeslibrary.org
Emily Weisenstein
Children’s Services Supervisor
Madison Public Library
emily.weisenstein@mainlib.org
Contact us!