Creatively Energizing Students With Comics, Arts and Puppets

My Students

I began to share comics and graphic novels with my students to encourage them to read. Hungry for more, I have brought in titles from the store and the students fly through them. I would like to build upon the very small collection they have and introduce them to different genres and creators.

My students come from very diverse backgrounds in a very tough neighborhood in NYC.

I have students who come from shelters and low income families that are looking for an escape. Using the arts and comics, it is my mission to help them find a positive creative outlet where they can express themselves. The school lacks in the arts and we have many students who are very talented artists and storytellers. As they will not only be able to read these books for enjoyment, they will also serve as inspiration that will guide them into being able to tell their own stories using their imaginations, or even share some of their own experiences.

My Project

My students need graphic novels like Bone, Maus & Batman in order to help them improve literacy skills and to connect to more difficult texts. Using these materials to build our classroom library, my students will be introduced to a different form of storytelling. The organization Reading with Pictures states the following: "Even beyond the support given to reluctant readers and English Language Learners, the benefits of graphic novels and comics in the classroom are vast. They can: - engage readers who learn visually, and who are comfortable with visual media, such as video games and computer graphics - increase vocabulary - encourage readers to explore different genres, and develop an appreciation for different literary and artistic styles - teach positive messages, such as helping others, working to one's best ability, working as a team, and persevering - open a reader's mind to new ways of storytelling, and increase their imagination, through the unique combination of text and pict

It is my hope that using these materials will increase the literacy levels of my students and give them an exciting entry point into reading and literature.

By donating to this project, you will help reluctant readers to connect to stories in a way that may not have been possible without these graphic novels. These materials will have an everlasting effect on my students' lives because they will be inspired to approach education in a more creative and exciting way!