Graphic Novels For Struggling And Apathetic Readers

This is actually the second time I've proposed funding for these kinds of materials. The first shipment of graphic novels arrived about a month ago. They coincided with an opportunity I had to reach in my own pocket for a comparatively modest sum to buy a lot of about 300 comic books from a bookseller in Harlem. I had an idea that graphic novels might be one way to reach our struggling and apathetic readers here at Aspire. To my surprise, it appears to be the way to get these students reading—and thinking about what they have read. As it turns out, this is an idea that has a great deal of currency; after I accumulated my current pile of comics and graphic novels, I set about writing a curriculum (comprehension worksheets, various decoding tables, sequencing worksheets and the like) to accompany these materials. I learned that Dr. Michael Bitz at Columbia University's Teachers' College has written and spoken—he has been featured on National Public Radio and in The Washington Post—about the use of comics to teach struggling or disinterested readers. I found lesson plans on the web page of the National Council of Teachers of English—endorsed by the International Reading Association—for teaching reading comprehension with comics. Most important, perhaps, is what I found when I offered these materials to the students I serve: They really want to read these stories, and they will put aside their most cherished activities—e.g. seeking attention by disrupting class or otherwise causing trouble—to earn the privilege of signing out a graphic novel or batch of comics. Shortly after I began signing out these materials, I was surprised to walk into the cafeteria to pick up my class only to find them all seated, quietly reading. The day before, I would have found them throwing food at one another and in general behaving poorly. Therefore I propose the funding of another batch of graphic novels to keep these struggling readers engaged. I have attached a list from Barnes and Noble: You will, I hope, find them, and my proposal, compelling. In any case, I thank you for taking the time to read this.