Teaching Literature

This presents a challenge across the curriculum

Immigrant children often experience what is referred to as “culture shock”

They try to make sense of a strange new culture, while holding on to their own cultural identity

Trying to „fit‟ in

Trying to hold on to their culture

Struggling to learn a new language

Struggling to master subject area content

Is possibly the biggest challenge for ESL students

1. the obvious: vocabulary and grammar

2. imagery

3. idiomatic expressions

4. slang

5. regional dialects

6. social dialects

Every text, whether fictional or non-fictional, Is bound to the

culture that created it.

Look less threatening because of pictures Make reading literature less intimidating,

less formal Help students understand the plot by

illustrating the main events and the characters‟ feelings

Help students learn new vocabulary by associating words with visual representations

Graphic novels are very popular with all student

populations, but are possibly most helpful to ESL

students

Graphic novels are available not only as the stories of

Superman, Spiderman, Batman, and all sorts of other very popular heroes, but also

as classical literature.

Ask your librarian about graphic

novels!