Post 5 - The Odyssey, Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Annnotating and Interacting with Text
In all the overwhelming stuff in the world right now, I REALLY appreciate you reading my blog and hopefully sharing it with others who might benefit from my educational and nerdy rantings. This week, I will share a favorite comic cover from my collection, some more graphic adaptations, and a note-taking/annotation activity I do in my classroom. I am feeling completely overwhelmed by everything on my plate right now, personally and professionally, so I need to focus on one thing. This blog writing helps me to get my thoughts together and I am going to focus on completing my second book before the end of the summer. This second book collects my literacy across the curriculum ideas – specific and tested ways to teach analytical reading and writing across the curriculum (of course, with some pop culture lessons as well). I am also preparing to give a guest lecture at a university next week on the power of pop culture to teach about cultural humility, working on some teacher guides for some AMAZING graphic novels that will be published soon ,and trying to revamp some of my classroom materials as I prepare to take on a student teacher this year. I have also been asked to do some professional development for school districts and professional organizations. We have also adopted two more kittens (Daisy and Rudy), so there is just chaos everywhere, LOL. Anyway – let’s get into it.
First – today is the 6th anniversary of the passing of Congressman John Lewis, my favorite superhero. The March and Run graphic novels have been the most impactful teaching materials I have ever used. I am so glad that his powerful legacy continues to live on in our classrooms. Here is an article I wrote for PBS about him – https://www.pbs.org/education/blogs/voices-in-education/post/ . I wrote about ways I have used these books in my own book, Teaching with Comics and Graphic Novels, as well.
Note-taking and annotations.
I have taught course work at the University of Pennsylvania through their graduate level Penn Literacy program to educators K-12 and across the curriculum. I firmly believe that we are all teachers of reading and writing – EVERY classroom, EVERY grade level, and pre-K THROUGH graduate school. We all know about the studies that showcase students not reading on grade level by third grade will likely never catch up as educational lessons begin to focus more on reading to learn than learning to read. It always has to be both. So many of my high school students struggle, in lower level classes, AP, gifted, etc. – with analytical reading and writing. There is often an assumption at higher levels of education that students know how to read. Students get assessment questions wrong because they don’t understand the vocabulary. They take notes from the textbook, but often don’t understand their notes. Many have never been taught HOW to read a textbook, HOW to study, HOW to interact with text (pictures, videos, comics, etc.). This also includes my adult college students. I will be writing A LOT about this in my second book, but here is a peek at what I do in my AP World History class. This is how I teach students to interact with their textbook the first week of school. There really is no way to use AI as a shortcut here. The students are thankful, and impressed (and sadly surprised) that I do the work that I expect them to do.
Over the summer, the students read a chapter of the textbook on their own and take hand-written notes (the brain research tells us this makes more meaningful and long-last connections – NOT typing). I then give a SHORT ANSWER open notes quiz – students often reflect (complain LOL) that they have to actually understand the material in my class to do well on assessments – not just memorize factoids. We then get together and discuss annotations, note-taking, etc. as they self-assess their notes and quizzes. I then share how I take my notes and my advice to them – (as I say to my students – please forgive any errors in my notes as this is largely flow of consciousness thinking and I would never expect their notes to be “perfect.”) https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OmO3I_PhxXq1rMqWH7Z-CfY4QqXLRtgr/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=106404336286912298554&rtpof=true&sd=true
I also share my own hand-written notes with them and how I annotate my copy of the textbook. We discuss that note-taking should be done three times – it’s not just about finishing the reading task. It’s going back into and understanding what we write, asking good questions, bringing connections to class, being an independent thinker, etc. We also do a visual comparison of annotations later – the idea that we all annotate differently and that’s ok as it has to work for the individual. Of course, this is for an advanced placement course, but I also specifically teach the “lower” level courses in much the same way – I’ll write more about that in my next blog.
OK – comics!
Whenever a popular movie, anime, TV show, etc. comes out and there are books to connect to… it’s a no-brainer! Liked the movie? Read the book. These graphic novel adaptations of the Odyssey will be displayed in my classroom on the first day of school as I know there are many students who will have seen the movie. It’s not “only” the interest, but adaptations are a wonderful and engaging way to how text to text to text to …. Connections between one another. Common Core focuses on this skill many times, as it should. Choose a favorite or vital part of the story – how was it portrayed differently in the prose, movie, comic, etc.? Which one told it the best? Why? How have the stories changed over time? What medium (movie, prose, comic, etc.) made the most impact Why? These skills are vital in the humanities classroom and in life – really showing critical thinking. And the best part? Text to text comparisons show that sources can mean different things to different people. This is such a great gift for our young people – that their interpretation matters. I always love when students have me look at a text, image, etc. in a way I hadn’t before. They often think this means that they are wrong because they didn’t agree with the teacher. But then I ask them to explain their thinking and, more times than not, they convince me. We can have different takes from the same source material BUT – and this is important – what is the evidence? How can you back up your interpretation? I LOVE these moments in the classroom. Then I can have students rewrite their own interpretation of a particular scene/part of the book. Or they can add in one that they think is missing. They can create an aside for a different character. They can do this in prose, poetry, or (my favorite) in a comic. This is what truly shows students understand the material – not just reciting back what they think the teacher wants to hear. I am NEVER afraid to say to students that I don’t know something, that I was proven wrong, etc. We are there to learn from one another, not just them from me.
As for the Odyssey – I haven’t seen the new film yet. I never go opening week – I really don’t like crowds. But – there are already fantastic adaptations that I will have in my mind when I do see the movie. My highest recommendation goes to the adaptation by Gareth Hinds (Hell, I recommend anything this super talented artist/author does!). Candlewick Press. ISBN 9781536254525. This new deluxe addition is visually stunning and true to the original prose. Hinds also created a stunning adaptation of the Iliad (ISBN 9780763696634 also from Candlewick Press). Put the Iliad next to the Odyssey – get the students interested in reading while the topic is hot. This can also be a powerful draw in the library as well.
Other adaptations - The Odyssey by Roy Thomas and Greg Tocchini, Marvel Comics, ISBN 9780785119081, The Odyssey by Agrimbau and Smilton, ISBN 9781496555830, The Odyssey by Russell Punter and Fabiano Fiorin ISBN 9781801310284
I am also LOVING the Godzilla’s Monsterpiece Theatre Presents…. comics from IDW. Godzilla is implanted into so many of our canonical stories – Gatsby, Romeo and Juliet and so many more. Take a look at the different covers for the Odyssey comic – comparing them alone will be an awesome conversation in the classroom. (What characters are on the cover? Who is missing? How would YOU depict…..). Comic covers so very often are what bring the reader into the story – they just drag you in. (IF YOU LEAVE A COMMENT ON THIS BLOG, I WILL MAIL A COPY OF MY BOOK AND ONE OF THESE COMICS TO A RANDOM COMMENTER – JUST HAVE TO BE IN THE US AND AN EDUCATOR/LIBRARIAN). Seriously – why not put Godzilla into the story? How would this giant monster change the story? How would he fit into the story? Have students predict before reading the comic and then see how close they were to the reimagined story. Then – have them create their own zany reimagining of a story you are reading in class. These comics do follow the original stories closely… with certain obvious differences. LOL. These comics can be found at your local comics shop or eBay….
Now – on to Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (the comic the movie is mostly based on). This is one of those comics everyone just has to read. Again – many of your students will have watched the movie this summer – displaying the comic will inspire them to read the book. Tom King is one of my all-time favorite writers and his wit and creativity come through in this book. King showcases that comics are indeed literature and deserve a place in every classroom and library. Once again, have students discuss the differences between the movie and the comic. This doesn’t have to be a class assignment – often, it’s that one student will borrow the book and stay after to talk to me about it. For too many students, comics are just not seen in the classroom and this gives them the perfect opportunity to discuss a medium they love with a trusted teacher. Funnily enough, parents are often brought into the conversation as well! The high-level vocabulary and meaningful prose will impress even the most anti-comic academic. Pair that with the stunning artwork by Bilquis Evely and Matheus Lopes and you have a mind-blowing story. This is one of my all-time favorite comics. (BTW - I LOVED the movie! Don’t listen to the naysayers - my kids and I thought it was awesome!)
Ok – so what’s the connection between Supergirl and Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed? In the Supergirl movie, the bad guys are child traffickers – not true in the comic. In Laurie Halse Anderson’s Wonder Woman, Wonder Woman actually does have to fight back against child traffickers and so much more. In Laurie’s typical honest and hard-punching look at the world, we see real-life issues in the story. A true hero doesn’t just fight the big green aliens, they also have to deal with real life. Tom King and Laurie Halse Anderson do this so very well in their prose and comics – they make our heroes accessible, human, and that much more inspiring. Leila Del Duca is the artist for the Wonder Woman comic (ISBN 9781401286453) and her work will bring your emotions out and involve the reader in ways not possible with only prose. I will let my daugther’s review of Laurie’s book speak for me in the images below. (BTW - if you haven’t read the graphic novel adaptation of Laurie’s Speak, you have to! Here is the teacher guide my wife and I wrote - really showcases teh power of comics in education. https://static.macmillan.com/static/macmillan/2020-online-resources/downloads/speak-graphic-novel-common-core-guide.pdf)
I’ll have to do a deeper dive on both of these books in the near future – but this blog is already growing out of control! There’s just so many books to discuss!
Lastly – a favorite comic cover from my collection. This is Batman #44 and the cover is drawn by Mikel Janin. There is just so much going on here! I Think most people know that (spoiler alert) Batman is Bruce Wayne. Bruce has so many internal struggles – some the same as his alter-ego and some different. This cover shows so much of this – the mirror is an obvious way to see this struggle. But the artwork goes much deeper than this surface level meaning – look at Brice Wayne’s clenched fists – we don’t see Batman’s fists, so it’s impossible to tell if they are the same. Are they the same? Different? Why or why not? Then look at the posture – Bruce Wayne is looking down, not at Batman, However, Batman is staring right at Bruce and even seems to have a smirk on his face. What does this all mean? What is the psychology of it all? What will we be reading about? Wow – so much in “just” one image. This is the beauty of comics – my comic book readers are often my most skilled students at picking apart political cartoons, etc. – same skills.
Alright – that’s enough for one post. I’d love to get some comments on the blog. Let me know what you think, what you want me to write about. As of the posting of this, I have 30 subscribers and I thank you so very much! I have been posting less to social media – I’d rather have a smaller community here than the faceless expanse of social media in four images and short videos. Perhaps I Can go back to interviewing folx again – artists, authors, educators, librarians, and putting them in the blog as well. Tom King? Laurie? You game?
On the list for next blog – SDCC, Eisner Awards, Brue Springsteen, Music in the classroom, and Infinity Gauntlet and high-level vocabulary in comics…
If you want me at an event, to give a presentation, speech or professional development, my email is historycomicsguy@gmail.com. My website is teachingwithcomics.com