After reading the book Readicide: How Schools are Killing Reading and
What You Can Do About It written by teacher Kelly Gallagher, I was
compelled to write a grant to the Snapdragon Foundation in order to get
more graphic novels into our library. In the book Mr. Gallagher states,
"Students who read less, read less well. Students who read less well, do
less well in school. People who do less well in school, do less well in
the workplace and participate less in civic life." That implies that
getting students "hooked" on reading will have a positive effect on them
for life! I feel certain that graphic novels can help ignite a love for
reading in Tonasket Elementary School’s reluctant and struggling
readers and help guide them to a successful future. I am very happy to
report that our library received the grant for these books which are
currently in our catalog.
High interest graphic novels
can spark a lifelong love of learning. They offer an enticing way to
show struggling and reluctant readers that reading can be fun.
Struggling readers benefit because they offer less text and great
support to comprehension through the illustrations. Both reluctant and
struggling readers need access to books that they will love reading.
This is something I have seen over and over, working with students who
are reluctant to read. It is can be a real challenge to find books that
include topics these readers enjoy which are interesting, quite possibly
humorous, and yet comfortable. A growing body of research shows that
graphic novels are not only motivating, but support struggling readers
and are highly effective at teaching content such as science and social
studies. These high interest texts immediately grab reader's interest
and students will gravitate to these books.
All children,
but particularly struggling and reluctant readers, need to feel that
reading is one of the most exciting things that happens at school. In
order to get them excited about reading, we need to have books that are
truly engaging. I am repeatedly asked on a daily basis for books to
check out in the graphic novel format. Reading these materials will
boost students’ self-confidence as readers and build momentum for the
desire to read more. Young readers who have developed a sense of
confidence in reading will be prepared to branch out into reading other
forms of literature in time.
Children have become more
visually oriented due to television, computers, video games, and the
Internet. Graphic novels complement this trend. They encourage reading
for pleasure and are a great way to entice reluctant readers, special
needs students, and ESL learners to become interested in books. The
graphic novel format can also help reluctant and struggling readers
understand plot, sequence of events, and inferences within stories. This
format can also help teach story structure and promote understanding of
character development and setting. These are critical reading skills
that will help enhance student’s reading comprehension of other reading
materials.
As a teacher-librarian, I can speak to the fact
that the few graphic novels we had before the grant were rarely on the
shelves. Students were powerfully attracted to them and motivate them to
read. Many librarians have built up graphic novel collections and have
seen circulation figures soar. I have read many times that school
librarians and educators report outstanding success getting students to
read with graphic novels, especially boys which has been identified as a
group traditionally difficult to reach. Graphic novels can dramatically
help improve reading development for students struggling with language
acquisition. Illustrations provide contextual clues to the meaning of
the written narrative and clues to emotional context that might have
been missed when reading traditional text. English-language learners and
special-needs students will be more motivated by graphic novels, and
can readily acquire new vocabulary and increase language proficiency.
Simply
stated, graphic novels promote literacy. They motivate reluctant and
struggling readers, foster the acquisition of critical reading skills,
and can be used across the curriculum as a tool for improving the use of
language, developing critical thinking skills, and promoting
creativity. Graphic novels are something students are eager to get into
their hands. I feel certain they will help our students achieve greater
success in reading.
Kimberly Fitzthum
TES Teacher-Librarian