New Thematic Educator Guides: Teaching with Graphic Fiction and Nonfiction

By Kaitlyn Spotts | February 8 2022 | General

Comics hold a special place in the literary landscape of schools, but as a form or medium, comics don’t often get a lot of teacher approval. In fact, some research has found that elementary teachers are afraid they won’t be taken seriously if they use comics in their classes. But, here’s the thing: teachers who have brought graphic novels and comics into the formal curriculum have found overwhelming success. Comics provide multiple access points for readers to engage with complex stories in flexible and complex ways.

The first step in teaching with graphic novels must be setting solid learning goals. Are you teaching the hero’s journey? Memoir? Small moments? Are you looking for mentor texts for your students to find inspiration or for modeling persuasive essays? For perspective taking? All of these are important and can be taught with comics. These guides use teaching perspective taking and triumphs as the model, but graphic novels can be used for teaching just about anything.

Download the free guides for elementary school, middle school, and high school.

(A Graphic Novel)
9780593119273
There's a new witch in town! Life in Brooklyn takes a strange turn when Effie discovers MAGIC runs in the family. A middle-grade graphic novel adventure filled with magical hjinks for fans of Phoebe and Her Unicorn and Making Friends.
$13.99 US
Sep 01, 2020
Paperback
240 Pages
Random House Graphic

A Nightlights Story
9781910620595
NEW PAPERBACK EDITION! Raina Telgemeier meets Miyazaki with a Latin American twist in this mesmerizing follow-up to the best-selling children's graphic novel Nightlights. Lorena Alvarez's spunky heroine Sandy returns to explore a magical new dimension.
$10.99 US
Aug 03, 2021
FOC Jul 05, 2021
Paperback
64 Pages
Nobrow

9780525554899
Part historical fiction, part magical realism, and 100 percent adventure. Thirteen-year-old Mei reimagines the myths of Paul Bunyan as starring a Chinese heroine while she works in a Sierra Nevada logging camp in 1885.
$13.99 US
Jun 15, 2021
Paperback
304 Pages
Kokila

(A Graphic Novel)
9781524719371
Perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier, Awkward, and All's Faire in Middle School, this graphic novel follows a neighborhood of kids who transform ordinary cardboard into fantastical homemade costumes as they explore conflicts with friends, family, and their own identity.
$21.99 US
Jun 05, 2018
Hardcover
288 Pages
Knopf Books for Young Readers