ERIC Number: EJ860789
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Oct
Abstractor: As Provided
Reference Count: 30
Critical Literacies and Graphic Novels for English-Language Learners: Teaching "Maus"
Chun, Christian W.
Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, v53 n2 p144-153 Oct 2009
Graphic novels can be used in the secondary school classroom as part of a multiliteracies approach to help develop critical literacies of English-language learner (ELL) students. One particular graphic novel, "Maus," is discussed as a possible teaching resource. Intellectually substantive graphic novels that foreground racism and immigrant otherness often resonate with ELL students. These texts' multimodalities along with their engaging content reflecting the diverse identities present in many classrooms work in tandem to help deepen the students' reading engagement. For ELL students, their increased engagement via graphic novels can facilitate their entry and apprenticeship into important social networks that amplify opportunities for academic success in mainstream classes. Reporting from a collaborated pilot study of teaching "Maus" in an ELL high school class, I conclude by examining how it can be used to develop and draw on students' multiliteracies practices. (Contains 1 table.)
Descriptors: Cartoons, Social Networks, Educational Resources, Novels, High Schools, Secondary Education, Literacy Education, Academic Achievement, Reading Materials, Second Language Learning, English (Second Language), Cooperation, Racial Bias, Immigrants
International Reading Association. 800 Barksdale Road, P.O. Box 8139, Newark, DE 19714-8139. Tel: 800-336-7323; Fax: 302-731-1057; e-mail: email@example.com; Web site: http://www.reading.org/publications/index.html
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A