DANIELLE LOWESALISBURY UNIVERSITY

NOVEMBER 2011

ELED 408:Literacy Inquiry Project

-Classroom Library Observation

Summary of Mentor Teacher’s Classroom Library

The classroom that I am currently mentoring in has a very large classroom library.

There are books all around the room and divided into different sections: Poetry, Historical Fiction, Non-Fiction, Young Adult Genre, Multiple Copy Series books, Dictionary/Thesaurus, Fantasy, Magazines, and Advanced Reading

The following slides show the set up of each section of the classroom library

Dictionary/Thesaurus Shelf

Historical Fiction/Non-Fiction

Main Bookshelf: Novels, Multiple Copy Series, Young Adult Genre, Fiction Books

Magazines (to the right) & Non-Fiction Books

Poetry

Fantasy Books & Advanced Reading Stories

Gaps in the Classroom Library

Although there are plenty of great books of many different genres present in the class for the students to read there is also a gap in the Young Adult/Fiction area of the library. This gap is in the area of Graphic Novels, both Fiction and Non-Fiction.

The current classroom library does carry the Captain Underpants series which the students really like but they are more geared towards a male audience.

Therefore my suggestion to help bridge the gap is to add both female and non-fiction graphic novels.

My Suggestions…

*Dork Diaries by Rachel Renee Russell is a great sister series to the male version of Diary of a Wimpy Kid

*Young female readers are getting more interested in Graphic Novels where for awhile this type of genre has been geared towards young male readers through comic book series and super heroes

My Suggestions…

*Discovery channel has released a series of graphic novels to match some of their top rated shows.

*These graphic novels are all non-fiction and a great addition to a classroom library.

*Graphic adaptations have been created in a unique way to teach important historical events such as the U.S. Constitution & the Gettysburg Address.

The Importance of Graphic Novels in the Classroom Library

According to a 1993 study in The Journal of Child Language, the average comic book introduces students to nearly twice as many new words as the average children’s book and more than five times as many as the average child-adult conversation. 

Graphic novels appeal to reluctant readers (especially boys), give new voices to minorities, teach multi-literacy, and encourage traditional literacy. They attract graphic novels because the limited amounts of text are less intimidating and the images are inviting.

The combination of text and images is helpful for new and struggling readers; these texts can offer an alternate path to higher-level texts.

The Importance of Graphic Novels in a Classroom Library

Boys in particular find the combination of image and text very appealing, and so these are an excellent way to draw boys into literary activities.

One study shows that “middle school boys who did more comic book reading also read more in general, read more books, and reported that they liked reading better than those who did less comic book reading.” (Schwarz, Expanding Literacies Through Graphic Novels, Jul. 2006)

The Importance of Graphic Novels in the Classroom Library

“Minority students may enjoy the many graphic novels that depict the struggles of immigrants and minorities. Many other graphic novels give insight into more recent conflicts and power struggles, and thereby give validation to minority students and their experiences.”(Chun, Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, Oct. 2009)

Graphic novels offer more diverse voices than traditional textbooks do, and they can lead easily into discussions of political and social issues. They present alternate views of culture and history in accessible ways.

The Importance of Graphic Novels in the Classroom Library

Last but not least… graphic novels can also encourage traditional print literacy. If students are reading graphic novels, they are reading. “Reading comics is reading -- the verb choice is deliberate and

accurate. We don't say watching (like we do for movies or TV) or listening (like music or the radio). We call it reading because that's what you do with a comic book or graphic novel. And that implies at least three important things: a medium that can tell any kind of story or instruct on any topic; active engagement with those stories or topics; and a medium that requires readers to interpret words and pictures and the interplay between the two. There are a lot of comics that don't aspire to do anything beyond entertain, and many don't even do that well. But that's true of movies, TV, music, radio... and yes, books. There are plenty of comic books and graphic novels that do much more than entertain, and do it as well as the best books you can think of.” --Jim Ottaviani, author.

Bibliography of Articles

Chun, Christian W. “Critical Literacies and Graphic Novels for English-Language Learners: Teaching Maus.” Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 53.2 (Oct. 2009): 144-153. JSTOR. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40344359?origin=JSTOR-pdf

Schwarz, Gretchen. “Expanding Literacies through Graphic Novels.” The English Journal 95.6 (Jul. 2006): 58-64. JSTOR. http://www.jstor.org/stable/30046629?origin=JSTOR-pdf