Assignment –

Students will be creating an original WWI poem and visual.  This is a great cross-curricular activity between the humanities classes and is easily adaptable.  As my Language Arts partner was teaching similes in her course, I made it a part of the rubric to be included in the poem.  The poem must consist of a minimum amount of lines and stanzas – onomatopoeias, while encouraged, do not count as a line unto themselves.  I also require a minimum of three direct references to WWI – this is not a poem about any war, but about the Great War.  As the social studies teacher, I also help my students engage in annotating poems to further reinforce the humanities aspect.

As for the visual – students must draw their own creations to illustrate the events in the poem.

Students will then pair/share in small groups and I will then ask for volunteers to share with the entire class.  I will then put up the work around the classroom and in the hallways.

Resources:

Poetry Directions

WWI Poems to annotate

All Quiet on the Western Front

Pro-War Poem

WWI comics and graphic novels

In particular, my class will be using Joe Sacco’s The Great War. Trust me – buy this book!  Do a Google Image search – you will not be disappointed!

The book folds out to a HUGE “poster” running across the back of the entire room.  The drawing is annotated and I place summaries of what is going on in each panel and the students walk along for inspiration.

Supplies – multiple comics, a WWI Bulletproof Bible (Slaughterhouse Five connection), posters around the room, construction paper, drawing implements

Teacher Powerpoint – given to the students over the course of a few days as they also complete research – https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0q0hv_n2-9xanlsbWpYQmZmYjQ

9th grade students usually come to me with a decent understanding of the Jewish Holocaust – but the one question I am most often asked is – why didn’t the Jews fight back?  The first time I was asked this question, it really made me take a step back and think about how this topic was taught.  I realized that students, and society in general, often learned about Jews as victims (I begin teaching about Antisemitism in the beginning of the school-year during the Medieval unit), as being passive in their struggles.  We then began to research as a class and came up with some great information – students often went and rented the movie Defiance (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yw6Rwum7zcU) and would become excited as we focused more on empowerment (this is a focus in my classroom – it’s why I teach about Nat Turner during the Atlantic Slave Trade unit).  This year, I plan to include historical Jewish literature about Golems, a graphic novel, and individual student art to support my team Language Arts colleague’s teaching of Elie Wiesel’s Night.  I will update this blog later in the year, but I wanted to share my initial plans and would love to hear any suggestions/feedback.

Resources:

Night by Elie Wiesel.  This book is taught by the Language Arts teacher – the social studies classroom will be used to create background knowledge of the historical events.

The Golem and the Wondrous Deeds of the Maharal of Prague by Yudl Rosenberg.  This book was published in 1909 – it is a collection of stories centering on 16th century Prague and events surrounding the creation of a Golem.  It is a fascinating read full of Jewish cultural references and would be a great resource just for this aspect.  Additionally, it helps teach historiography as it is a fiction within a fiction – the book was written as a historical collection of true stories about events that happened in the 16th century – Rosenberg suggested that he had only “discovered” the stories hundreds of years later and had them published – not that he had written them.  Without knowing the history, one can be easily duped into believing that the stories are much older than 1909.

The Golem by Elie Wiesel.  This book presents cultural stories from a Jewish perspective about the creation of Golems.  It repeats a lot of the same information originally presented in the book by Yudl Rosenberg.  However, it does add some perspective to the literature and is obviously a great connection to Night.

Breath of Bones: a Tale of the Golem by Steve Niles and Matt Santoro.  This phenomenal graphic novel visually illustrates the Golem as a method of resistance against the Nazis in a small Jewish town in 1944 Europe.

Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manual by Mike Mearls. This book outlines the different types of golems used in this popular fantasy role-playing game.  There are obvious connections to Frankenstein – was Shelley inspired by the Golem?

Clash of Clans – iPhone app game.  This is currently a popular game many students play and it utilizes golems as part of the war strategy.

Two “children’s” books that could easily be integrated – wonder if students might be able to create their own?

Video of the author reading the book along with the pictures from the above book – http://vimeo.com/28875697.  Cute story that is reminiscent of Mickey Mouse and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.  This book by Kimmel follows the historical literature/stories of golems – a bit of the history is explained in the book.  I read this book to my kids (4, 6, and 8 years old) and they loved it.

This book changed the historical literature a bit – the Golem is able to speak.  There is a good historical synopsis in the back of this book.

Teacher created Powerpoint – https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0q0hv_n2-9xWXJqNVozRXh6Rlk/view?usp=sharing.  Incorporates X-Men, Superman, Band of Bothers, excerpts from Night, and excerpts from Ordinary Men.  This file is large – if you cannot view, I would be happy to share a smaller version (historycomicsguy@gmail.com).

THE PLAN:

Length??? Unsure at this point – I would imagine it will take 3-4 days.

Big Question – what does the creation of golems in Jewish literature depict about their culture/struggles?  In other words – why was there a need for the golem to be created?  (blood libel, antisemitism, etc)

I intend to begin the lesson with showing images from the Clash of Clans game and from the Monster Manual of golems.  I will ask students to create their own golems and draw a representation of its image.  They are to write a short piece on the purpose of the golem – for what could this being be used?  We will already have discussed Frankenstein during the Industrial Revolution unit, so we will be able to make connections.

I will then assign students to “read a book in a period” – they will each be given an excerpt from Wiesel’s The Golem book.  The students will discuss their common reading, then break out into expert groups where the  students will be able to share out the entire book.  We will then make discuss why the golem was created in these stories and compare to why the students created their own.

We will then read the Breath of Bones graphic novel and discuss.

The students and I will then begin going through my powerpoint.

This is as far as I have gotten as of 1/9.  I will have the next two months to formalize.  Again – I would LOVE to receive feedback and/or ideas.

Class: Western Civilization – ninth grade

Topic: Columbus, Age of Exploration, triangular trade, slavery, imperialism

Skills – textual evidence, annotation,  comparisons of text,  close reading, analysis, predicting

Process –

I. Background – through two lessons of reading, researching, and teacher Powerpoint, students garnered a basic background of Columbus and the Age of Exploration and the impact on Native Americans and Africans.

II. Day 1 (80 minute period)

1. Students reviewed a teacher created Powerpoint summarizing the previous lessons.

2. Students then read the author’s two page introduction to the graphic novel.  We discussed the idea of – one man’s hero is another’s villain (IRA, American Colonists VS English, bin Laden, etc).  Was Turner a hero?  Why would textbooks steer clear of this topic?  We also discussed the importance of education and why slaves were forbidden to read and write.  We also discussed illiteracy VS alliteracy and what power critical reading brings to civilization.

3. Students then read the first chapter of the graphic novel and filled in the Nat Turner summary worksheet.

4. Homework – draw what you think happens next (students could either draw it or use an online comic generator like Chogger.com. )

III. Day 3 – (58 minute period)

1. Students will come in and pair/share their Nat Turner summary worksheet answers and share their drawings.  There are also asked to make direct connections to the Jewish Holocaust.  We will then pair/share and I will walk the students through the first chapter, page by page.  As I do this, I will model the skill of critical analysis using textual evidence (I call this “the so what?).  Students are often surprised that there are Africans capturing other Africans – most students completely missed this when they read on their own.  We then stop the lesson to ask why would Africans enslave other Africans.

2.  Students will then listen to the Nat Turner song by Reef the Lost Cauze as they read the song lyrics.

3. Students will then watch a short 4 minute documentary on Nat Turner.

4. Students will then annotate and listen to Can’t Truss It by Public Enemy.  The task is to follow along and hi-lite text that focuses on MODERN racial issues.  Some of my thoughts in italics)

“Can’t Truss It”

5. Students will then annotate and listen to Familiar Faces by Rhymefest. Are these issues still current?  Has anything changed?  Can these issues apply to more than African-Americans?  Can you personally connect with this song?  How do we attempt to solve these issues?

All around me are familiar faces,
Worn out places, worn out faces,
Bright and early for the daily races,
Going nowhere, going nowhere,
Hide my head I wanna drown my sorrow,
No tomorrow, no tomorrow

[Verse 1:]
They say don’t put off tomorrow what you could finish today,
(I say) The rest of your life’s only seconds away,
(I rate) Success of a life by decisions we make, (powerful three lines here – how do we break out?  Find success?)
(I hate) The fact that they judge every step we take, (who are “they”?  Who judges us?)
(I can’t) Wait for the Lord, Revelation’s my fate,
(I paint) Pictures with words, fuscia teals and greys
(I shine) Hot as the sun you can feel my rays,
No wait you can feel my rage!
I’m burning inside, nobody can speak my language,
We all wanna be different, but we doing the same s**t,
Wear the same clothes, same chains, same cars,
Got the same goals, wanna be the same stars,
Same heart break, we carry the same scars, (what are those scars?  What unites us as humans?)
I carry the same scars!
And when you finally made it, there’s no real friends just smiling faces.

[Chorus]

[Verse 2:]
It doesn’t start on our birthday,
Half of us wasn’t planned in the first place,
The other half of us was given everything they got,
There you have it, the have and the have-nots, (this is the theme throughout history – connects to Nat Turner and Can’t Truss It)
I was born on a black spot,
My life’s a plane this song is the black box,
Put it on heat it, it will find a five minute’s of a genious the world will never see it,
Never believe it, It’s in our palms but we can’t seize it,
Within our reach but we don’t reach it,
Don’t tell me that I can’t be it,
I have the one till it ain’t even,
I ain’t leavin till I ain’t breathin, (leave it all on the field.  Take advantage of your education)
No apologies, no tears, no emotions, no fears,
Look at my face you can’t even see the years,
But carved in the tree are the words “I was here”. (I LOVE THIS LINE – so powerful)

[Chorus]

[Verse 3:]
NO!
No one can tell you what you oughta be, (YES!)
(My) My silent thoughts are heard audibly,
(It’s) It’s like people don’t have ta talk to me,
Their body language speaks louder just when they crossing me,
Brushing me, bumping me, touching me, I can feel their energy,
Hating me, loving me, cocaine and hennesy,
Mix it with ego’s music models and industry,
It’s hard to separate reality from fantasy,
So does it matter if I’m here or not,
If I was around could you hear the shot?
Would my father miss me, you think a tear would drop?
Would the world stop spinning and the clock stop?
I think not.

AN EXAMPLE OF STUDENT WORK FROM THE FAMILIAR FACES song – this is from a student who usually doesn’t write beyond one or two sentences.

Chorus – “too many people around him going nowhere in life and he believes it’s affecting his future, their behaviors rubbing off on him”

Verse 1 – “Don’t wait to make things happen, anything can be done in the moment and you never know when the end (of life) is, so don’t regret not doing because of procrastination.  Everyone has obstacles, be the one to overcome them.”

Verse 2 – “Never give up, you were able to be anything since BEFORE birth and you have to persevere, never give up until you have breathed your last breath”

Verse 3 – “You don’t need words to communicate your action and body language says an entire conversation and if I/he (Rhymefest) was gone, the world would miss me

Question 1 – React to this song – what did it make you think about? – “When I went to a restaurant when I was younger, I walked in with my mom and step dad and everyone was staring at us weirdly – so we left asap.

Question 2 – Summarize the meaning of this song – “Never give up no matter the situation given or obstacles coming your way – you don’t know when your time is, so make the best of it!”

Day FOUR

Will share this video of Rhymefest – https://www.pscp.tv/w/1MYxNAZmzAvJw

1. Students will then answer the Malcolm X questions and we will pair/share. (see Powerpoint)

2. Class discussion will then focus on Ferguson and the upcoming grand jury decision and potential impact.

3. Students will then watch a short documentary from the movie, Amazing Grace (it is included in the DVD extras) centering on the US slavery museum and modern day slavery.

4. Students will then write and reflect on the above documentary by responding to – If not you, who?  If not now, when?

5. The lesson will then end with a discussion of modern day slavery (from the homework articles) and what we can do about it.

Teacher Reflection:

This lesson allowed me to share my adolescent experiences growing up in Philly and the music I listened to – I was also able to talk about the history of Hip-Hop and how it was once a political movement (different from much of contemporary Hip-Hop and artists’ need to describe their car’s rim sizes, treating women badly, etc).

I was impressed how the students turned Jefferson’s words into a much broader definition to include the rights of women, homosexuals, religious beliefs, special needs children, etc.  I have to say that my realistic (read pessimistic) self was impressed with the enthusiasm and positive outlook of my students on current society.  My classes are made up of all races and economic backgrounds – most students gave the USA a 75% grade and noted that we are moving in a positive direction.

It was great being able to play the songs rather loudly so that students walking through the halls could hear and wonder what was going on.

The students remarked how much they enjoyed the lesson and how they were forced to think and consider new opinions.  I smiled as the discussions were extremely animated and passionate – if one just walked into the class, they might wonder if I had lost control.  But – the students were 100% on task and wanted to share with each other about their interpretations of the graphic novel and other opinions.

This lesson takes place in a European/Western Civ course — we obviously strayed a bit from the official curriculum – but I thought it was important to bring in some non-white faces in the role of not victims, but resisters and “doers.”

Having the students draw, listen to music, get up and line the room, small group discuss, etc — we really hit all the types of intelligence and got the blood moving.

Resources:

Teacher Powerpoint with songs and documentary – https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0q0hv_n2-9xTkcxSlFTejJuQVE/view?usp=sharing

Graphic Novel: Nat Turner by Kyle Baker. ISBN-13: 978-0810972278

Song: Nat Turner by Reef the Lost Cauze – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ty3R6pA28Zc (students listen to audio while reading the lyrics)

Worksheets:

       I.  Nat Turner Intro questions –

1. Who was Nat Turner?

2. What did he do?

3. How did he do it?

4. What are your thoughts about this man and what you are about to read?

5. Why is it important that we learn about him?

II. Nat Turner summary sheet –

1. For each of the pages assigned, briefly describe what is going on in the graphic novel.  Be sure to use specific textual evidence.

2. Write down any questions you have – what did you not understand, what do you want to know more about, etc.

3. Describe the one scene that stood out to you the most and explain your choice.

III. Modern Day Slavery Worksheet

Directions – interpret the following questions:

1. If not you, then who?

2. If not now, when?

3. Brainstorm – what you you think YOU, or the class, can do to help end modern day slavery?

4. Homework – bring in a current news article describing slavery in the world today.

IV. Malcolm X worksheet

“Sitting at the table doesn’t make you a diner, unless you eat some of what’s on that plate. Being here in America doesn’t make you an American. Being born here in America doesn’t make you an American.” – Malcolm X

The author of the Nat Turner graphic novel referenced this American Civil Rights activist in his introduction.  What does this quote mean?  According to Malcolm X, what does someone need to do in order to be considered an American?

  Rhymefest was on a panel with me at C2E2 on 4/21/17 – such an awesome person who believes in the power of comics in education and as a literacy tool.  Here is part of what he had to say – https://www.pscp.tv/w/1MYxNAZmzAvJw

Fairy Tales and children’s stories as societal artifacts. 

Fairy tales can give us a rather large window through which to view a society – especially if we can see changes in the stories throughout history.  I first included this lesson when I was teaching German Unification to my AP European students and looking for something “different” to use.  I had read about the Grimm Brothers pulling together multiple stories to reinforce the idea of cultural unity and began to look for resources.  What I found surprised me, as I realized that the current “Disneyfied” versions of the stories were often quite different from the originals.  I asked myself why these stories had changed and what these changes revealed about the societies in which they were written.  I decided to have my students read the stories and tell me what they thought was being revealed.  I have since done this activity for a few years to great analytical effect – and it is also fun.  The below books really help to fit the bill as they not only include the original stories, the annotations add immediate insight to the uninformed.  I found these books on clearance at Barnes and Nobles – you never know what you may find!  I bought 8 copies of each – enough to have one at each table of students as they always work in teams.

Another source is : http://www.huffingtonpost.com/valerie-ogden/fairy-tale-true-story_b_6102602.html?utm_hp_ref=tw

These sources make for a quick read and allows AP students to let down their hair a bit.  I choose a different fairy tale for each student and have them answer the following questions:

1. What do you know about the story already (before reading the handout) – give a general summary.

2. What was different in the account you read?

3. What insight does the original story give to the society in which it was written?

4. What insight does the modified (modern) version give about the society in which it was written?

These are only 4 small questions, but they open up a very large discussion – particularly about our present-day society and how protected our children have become. It has been stated that adolescence in the United States may now exist until age 25.  I do not enter with this any preconceived expectations – I allow the discussion to go where they may.  We have also tied in Bloody Mary (Mary Tudor) and why this story was created (to remind the English of the apparent dangers of having another Catholic monarch – children would not forget when they became adults).

This year (2014), I decided to front load this discussion while we were still studying the Middle Ages and the Bubonic Plague (I also have my ninth grade students participate – not just AP this time).  Again, we discussed the importance of stories/fairy tales and what they tell us about society.  In this case, students looked at the lyrics to Ring Around the Rosie and its origins from the Plague.  Seeing that is was only one week from Halloween, I had the students create a video using historical images of the plague with the audio of the lyrics being over layed – most used iMovie or Windows Movie Maker.  We had a contest to show the top three scariest videos to the class on Halloween Day – the students really created some amazing (and freaky) videos.  It was great fun, but also set the groundwork for later discussions.

The students were also able to make a connection to two video games that the students play (I have only played one) – Dead Space 2 (the audio came from a marketing video for the game – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl7O8_kWeOc), and Assassin’s Creed (awesome series with a lot of history – da Vinci, Plague “bird” doctors, etc).  All in all – this little assignment blossomed into some rather cool stuff.

UPDATE – this book was just published and it awesome!   Many of my students are into Neil Gaiman (as am I – both comics and novels).  This is a different take on the story and provides an EXCELLENT historical analysis at the end of the story.  I really cannot recommend enough – great add to the social studies or language arts classroom.

_____________________________________

2019 UPDATE.

Wow – this lesson continues to grow and really speaks to the need to allow teachers time to reflect and grow their lessons instead of always changing curriculum, etc. I now teach this course to 19th grade students and have added many resources to the lesson. This year, since it is a Global History course, I want students to learn about fairy tales/children’s stories/folk tales from around the world and how they help create a sense of nationalism. My library will continue to grow, but these are most of the books I have available to be read so far… my own kids helped me go through our home library to choose titles. I am not only choosing traditional Western tales, but also those from around the world – and non fairy tales, but stories told in different ways.  At the end of this lesson, students will create their own “fairy tales” for a modern audience and create a comic about their story. I will turn this into a contest between my classes and have students vote on their favorites. I will also open the vote to social media and have adults from the community, teachers, and YOU vote as well.

I am also exploring using several online options for additional resources for tales from around the world – one such is https://fairytalez.com/

This is a fantastic resource from Google Earth that connects geography with local tales – https://earth.google.com/web/data=CiQSIhIgNzYwYTc0Y2MzZDk5MTFlODlkZjU4MTBmODJlMzhmMTU

Pop Culture – music, literature, children’s stories – all of these can tell us much about a culture and their nationalism.

Once students have read, reflected upon, and discussed multiple tales, they will then create their own and depict them in comic book form. Students can choose to use an online comic creation tool, such as Pixton Edu, or can hand-draw them – or a combination of the two. When assigning the comics to be created, I will also supply several types of blank comic book pages that students can choose to use – a blank pae can sometimes overwhelm students.

Another source can be the old Fractured Fairy Tales cartoons from my youth – widely available on YouTube. These can be shown how tales can be changed.

I will update this blog again in two weeks when the comics have been created and the contest goes live! Some sample comics from last year –

EVEN THE PA DEPT OF EDUCATION SECRETARY VOTED!

I know – this is a blog about using comics in the classroom, and here I am posting about Star Trek – I figure it all goes under the topic of creative teaching.  I was hesitant to geek out with the students – but they responded positively and enjoyed the lesson.

This lesson is intended to be used in an Advanced Placement European History course – but it certainly could be adopted to other topics and/or levels.

Materials –

Star Trek TOS episode “A Taste of Armageddon” – aired on February 23, 1967.  Can be purchased on DVD or through Amazon instant video

Online essay by David W. Felder of Florida A & M University – “The Call for a World Constitutional Convention: An Application of John Locke’s Theory of Revolution.”

Prior teacher discussion or assigned textbook readings on Hobbes and Locke.

Assignment Part 1

Students take home the Felder essay and annotate – also write a one-page reflection paper.

Assignment Part 2 – will need 55-60 minute period.

Students will be handed a directions sheet to guide them as they watch the Star Trek episode –

1. Do you agree or disagree with the planetary leadership’s methods of fighting a war in the show?  Defend.

2. How does the TV show tie into the essay – make direct connections – bullet a list.

3. Would the idea of a World Constitutional Convention work in practice?  Defend – using examples from the TV show.

Assignment Part 3 – additional resources and conversation starters:

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/can-killer-robots-learn-follow-rules-war-180951581/?no-ist  — use of robots in warfare

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DQsG3TKQ0I&list=PLUv8Gg8W5rFWr60PhBDOadNmLNrwGMeMz&index=33 – Skynet becomes aware – Terminator

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4Wn2wlOwSU — Trailer for the Star Trek episode.  It can also be cheaply purchased from Amazon video.

http://www.amazon.com/Sling-Stone-Century-Military-Classics/dp/0760324077/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1414625809&sr=1-1&keywords=the+sling+and+the+stone  — The Sling and the Stone – an amazing book on the generations of warfare and how technology has changed – but also how generals often fight the previous war.   I have the students read an excerpt and then predict what they think the next generation of war will look like.

http://thehumanist.com/magazine/july-august-2014/up-front/robo-morality  — can robots be programmed to be moral?

Overall –

I am only finished up to Part 2 at this point – I am looking forward to collecting the students’ written answers/responses after viewing the episode.  It has been a fun experience for me as I was able to share a passion of mine with the students and to show them how I make connections (such an overlooked skill in the age of Google searches).  We were able to discuss how Roddenberry had used the TV series as a protest against the Vietnam War (http://www.depauw.edu/sfs/backissues/62/franklin62art.htm),  how Lt. Ohura was an icon for the Civil Rights Movement (http://www.npr.org/2011/01/17/132942461/Star-Treks-Uhura-Reflects-On-MLK-Encounter), we discussed the special effects, how women were treated, etc — so much in one TV show – a true reflection on society.

My purpose here is to have the students really debate the merits and shortcomings of both Hobbes and Locke as they deal with governmental authority and the social contract.  My hope is that I am able to make these philosophers become more “real” by putting their ideals up against modern day issues.  While it would certainly be nice, a la Locke, to have a world convention and eliminate war through the social contract, it really is not feasible (does this make me a realist or pessimist?).   The major issue would be to have all cultures in the world come to agreement on morality – not an easy task.  Of course, this also opens the discussion to issues of ethno and euro-centrism as well.

The first comic I introduced to my students this year was Crecy, by Warren Ellis.  The lesson was inspired by a quote from their textbook – “The longbow, not chivalry, had won the day” (Beck, 402).  As if often the case, the textbook summed up a crucial turning point in history in only a few sentences.  Looking to find a way to teach this subject in a more engaging and deeper manner, I decided to try the graphic novel.  I will admit to “editing” the text a bit as some of the language was a bit much for the classroom, but it did not take away from the story.

I teach my Western Civilization class, we actually titled it Historical Inquiry, as a historiography course as well – the students learn how to become historians and that history does not have a “right” answer or depiction.  The beginning skills are focused on annotating a source – written, picture, song, poem, artifact, comic book, etc – and becoming a detective by pulling out as much specific “textual” evidence as possible.  This comic book enabled the students to use an engaging and exciting medium to better understand the 100 Years War, by focusing on these skills.  Additionally, an important skill for annotating is making connections – so I also shared with my students my own personal connections in this lesson, beginning with the quote from the textbook and ending with the graphic novel/movie 300.

We had been working on another task earlier in the class – I told the students that the reward would be to read a “bloody and gory” comic book.  I really had the attention of the students after uttering the sentence!

The task – read the graphic novel on your desk and answer the following two questions, using specific textual evidence.

1. The English army, far outnumbered and behind enemy lines, managed to win the Battle of Crecy.  Bullet as many English tactics as you can find in the novel.

2. This battle helped bring about the end of the ideals of chivalry and the importance of nobles/knights on the battlefield.  Use specific textual evidence to defend this idea.

As the students read, I could see the excited looks on their faces as they came across ever more exciting material – many made grossed out sounds (in a good way) as they wrote down their answers.  It took a bit of reminding from me for the students to not share with each other until everyone was finished.  As soon as I allowed the time for pair/share, the students became animated in their responses as they tried to show who had found the most pieces of evidence.  They excitedly flipped back and forth through the pages, pointing out to each other items that stood out or that others had missed.  As I circulated through the class, I smiled as I watched them engaged in a skill-based lesson as they perfectly showcased how to annotate a text.  Previously, we had been working on annotating the textbook, but that lesson was a much tougher sell, albeit an important one.  My favorite part of the lesson was when students realized that they could use pictures, in addition to text, to defend their answers.  Often, students will skip maps, pictures, etc. in a textbook – this drove home the importance of viewing all parts of a resource in order to develop the whole picture.

Below is what the students pulled out –

I finally did it!  I integrated comics into my social studies classroom in a formal and meaningful way.  As an admitted A-type, follow the rules, critical reading/writing type of teacher, it took me awhile to give myself permission to use comics in the classroom.  I didn’t use them as a – hey look, this is cool – Batman is in a comic about the French Revolution  stand-alone lesson – instead, I will be using them as a historical resource – tied to standards and the curriculum.  Now that I have begun to use comics in earnest, a new excitement and passion has come forth and it shows in my classroom.  I have decorated my room with comic heroes and even some important comic books themselves.  The biggest surprise has been the new group of students that I have been able to reach and engage in different ways.  I will post future endeavors and most welcome what you have done as well.  Below is the first lesson plan I incorporated this year into a ninth grade Western Civ class and AP European History.

My thought – how to teach history students to be, well, historians?  I have several artifacts in the room (helmets, ration books, WWII gas mask, etc.) and we also include pictures, art, poems, music, etc — why not comic books as historical artifacts?  What can comic books teach us about the society in which it was published/written?  Below is the lesson plan/questions – I found myself snapping pictures as students were engaged in reading comic books (in class!) and passionately discussing original and creative connections from text to life.  I had to laugh at myself, as only a few years earlier, I would have been a hypocrite and confiscated comic books if I saw them out in the classroom.

Do Now –

Step 1 – answer the following questions

1. If you have a favorite superhero, comic series, or graphic novel, please list below (I asked this so that I can make connections to titles already being read)

2. Overall, what is your opinion of comic books?  Why?  (I was surprised that some students had never before read a comic book)

3. As a class of historians, is it acceptable to use comic books as historical artifacts?  In other words, can we learn about social studies through these sources?  Explain why or why not – be sure to include specific examples (we can learn about ____________ by reading comic books.  We cannot learn about history through comic books because ____________).

MY REFLECTIONS

I was surprised that many students had never read a comic book before – but many were into the movies.  Many students were passionate about comics and upset by my obvious Marvel bias – I don’t have any DC posters in the classroom – I will have to change that soon.  Some students thought comics were “stupid” and others thought that they were for kids.  I made some coverts by the end of the lesson.  Also – some huge comics fans found it difficult, as did I initially, to see them as serious reading material.

EXCERPTS OF STUDENT RESPONSES –

Part II.

Students were each given a random comic – I went to the dollar bin at my local comic book store and brought in a variety of titles.   I tried to mix them up as much as possible – different decades, genders, DC and Marvel, etc.

1. Title:

2. Author and Illustrator:

3. Publishing company:

4. Copyright date

I used the above to teach about finding bibliographic information for research sources – I forgot how non-uniform comics are in placing their information.

5. Let’s pretend that a reader can learn a lot about a society by reading its comic books.  What can your comic tell you about the society in which it was published?  Bullet SPECIFIC examples from the comic to showcase your findings.  Be sure to look through the ENTIRE book – advertisements, letters to the editor, art, etc.  Try to comment on different aspects of the society – gender roles, technology, themes, etc.

Part III

Directions: when you have finished critically analyzing your comic book, pair/share your information with a partner.  Answer the questions below.

1. What is your partner?

2. What is your partner’s opinion about comic books?

3. What information did he/she give you about the comic book that helped you analyze the society?  Did your partner give you any new insight in how to analyze your comic book?

4. What do you and your partner think about using comic books as historical resources?  Explain.

Part IV

Once the students all had their say, I showed them a powerpoint with some of my ideas – https://drive.google.com/?tab=wo&authuser=0#my-drive

Some thoughts:

*I have to give a quick mini-lesson on how to read comic books – some students had never read one before and were more accustomed to linear reading. We demonstrated how to follow panels and why, even for long-time comic readers, it is necessary to back-track when the page is not making sense.

*Some students just do not like comic books – BUT – I did win most over by the end of the lesson – if not to love comics, then to see their importance as a window into society.

*I was fearful of potential parental issues when they heard students were reading comic books in class.  I decided to be proactive and introduced the lesson at back to school night before having the students complete it.  The parents gave positive feedback – besides, it is now hard to hide my passion for comics due to the decorations/posters in my room.

*This proved to be a great lesson plan for the beginning of the school year – it was a sneaky way to introduce historiography, critical analysis, research methodology, etc.

*Being able to bring a personal passion of mine into the classroom was uplifting to my mind and soul – I took pictures of students diligently reading comics in my classroom and then when they were holding them up – in the middle of a heated conversation – to prove a point.  I actually had the thought – wow, and I get paid to do this?

*Students who “do school” well – that is – test well, complete all the work, study the “right” answers, etc. seemed to be challenged the most in this lesson.  Many students really had to stretch their analytic skills as this lesson was based in the abstract.  This is how I teach this course – not so much about “right” answers, more about analyzing multiple sources and defending an informed opinion.

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