Graphic Narratives as Teaching Tools

Content

True belonging is not passive; it is not the belonging that comes with simply joining a group. It is not about fitting in, pretending, or selling out because it is safer. It is a practice that requires us to be vulnerable, get uncomfortable, and learn how to be present with people without sacrificing who we are. Dr. Brene' Brown. This quote emphasizes that true belonging requires active participation and authenticity. -Instagram

For this curriculum unit, I will use the terms "graphic novel" and "graphic narrative" synonymously and interchangeably, following the explanation provided by Marta Figlerowicz in her seminar, "Graphic Narratives as Teaching Tools," at the Yale National Initiative (YNI). I must also admit that enrolling in this seminar challenged me both personally and professionally. Until recently, I openly disliked graphic novels and even discouraged my students from checking out books from this genre, a stance rooted in reasoning I now recognize as unfounded, even a bit embarrassing. However, the seminar surprised me. My curiosity was sparked, and I left feeling transformed: more informed, more reflective, and far better equipped to support my emergent bilingual students through the powerful medium of graphic storytelling. Something I found interesting was, according to Jie Y. Park, "Emergent bilinguals must develop both language and content knowledge in secondary school, and many must simultaneously acquire literacy skills."⁶  

While my background in education has been primarily at the elementary level, this book asserts that there is a dual responsibility. Learning English while also learning to read and master academic subjects can be considerably challenging for my students. There is sometimes limited access to resources and specialized support. To support these learners effectively, I subscribe to implementing sheltered instruction strategies, such as using simplified texts, visual aids, and graphic organizers to make content more accessible. When teaching academic vocabulary explicitly and tying it to language arts, students can build the language they need to engage more with the texts I present to them. After researching language acquisition and incorporating graphic novels into my lessons, I can further support their literacy development by combining visual and verbal information, while also making complex concepts more understandable and engaging for them.

Jie Y. Park also notes that "even while working to 'break the word,' [emergent bilingual students] are engaged in critical analysis."⁷ This challenged me because of my presumptions about graphic novels being less than traditional literature, and I was reminded that even my students, who are still developing proficiency in English, are capable of deep thinking, especially when presented with multimodal texts. You will find later in the activities section that using graphic novels, such as The Complete Persepolis and The Blue Road: A Fable of Migration, fosters critical reflection and visual comprehension. Interpreting emotions and themes through symbolism can help English learners who are still decoding vocabulary, and this approach can deepen their engagement with the material while simultaneously building their confidence as English speakers, readers, and thinkers.

As I delved further into the research for this curriculum unit, I was eager to incorporate graphic novels like Speak Up, The House on Mango Street, American Born Chinese, and Borders into my English classroom. These stories will give more opportunities for my students to explore identity, place, voice, and belonging, both in their reading and in their lives. Alissa Burger says that graphic narratives "provide students a new way to look at the course material and the world around them" by engaging "multiple literacies and critical thinking skills."⁸ Clock this tea, through speech bubbles, borders, visual metaphors, and layered narratives, I will help my students find their inner voice to connect our classroom texts to their lived experiences. My students can be affirmed in their identities as readers, thinkers, and storytellers as they use the research I learned, the conversations I have had with other seminar fellows, and discussions with Marta to navigate their rightful place in the classroom, the community, and the world. 

Drawing on insights from Shirley Mthethwa-Sommers emphasizes, "that when teachers become aware of how power and knowledge intersect, they can avoid unintentionally marginalizing some students and elevating others, fostering more equitable participation.⁹ I will rely on this idea to guide my decision on the types of graphic novels to use, thereby tailoring my instruction to meet the needs of my students. Graphic novels such as Pacho Nacho, Black AF: America's Sweetheart, and Hello, My Name Is Poop feature young characters with plots that challenge societal expectations or assumptions, as they assert their identities. Moreover, I plan on clocking the tea of my students' haters with these stories, whose plots emphasize names, borders, and belonging, and those plots can lend themselves to robust classroom discussions of agency. One of the culminating activities will be for my students to create their own stories, following the graphic narrative model, to tell about times when they perhaps did not feel seen, when their names were mispronounced. This creative outlet, which will combine speech bubbles, borders, and belonging, will serve as a vehicle for them to claim or reclaim their voices, utilize visual literacy, and see their experiences portrayed as valid, powerful, and dynamic, both in our classroom and in their community. 

President Trump and Rosie O'Donnell recently engaged in a war of words on social media, and my takeaway from their exchange reminded me of why I teach. When society builds walls for students whose first language is not English, I am reminded of the purpose of my research and participation in programs like the Yale National Initiative: to create a classroom for my students where decency still prevails and teach them to question power. Nurture the art of surviving trauma as they are not meant to be silent, but to use their voices so that we can exist in a world where there are more Rosies and fewer Donalds. -Instagram