As some readers may know, I am a middle school Humanities educator who is passionate about using visual literacy activities in the classroom. One seminal text I have used both in my Humanities and Comics Writing courses over the past six years is Ms. Marvel: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson. An important part of the process is teaching students how to read comics and graphic novels. For instance, I remind them to read top to bottom, left to right, unless they are reading Manga. A reading strategies tactic I use with all books is to have students predict what the book is going to be about based on the cover.
The student predictions have often been on point: it’s about a teenage girl, the main character is strong, she is a person of color, she develops superpowers, she has to balance school and being a superhero, among others. The activity shows students’ ability to interpret visual texts and also to use the predict reading strategy. In addition to the cover of the novel, the students and I have also viewed and discussed these images before starting Ms. Marvel: No Normal:
The student predictions have often been on point: it’s about a teenage girl, the main character is strong, she is a person of color, she develops superpowers, she has to balance school and being a superhero, among others. The activity shows students’ ability to interpret visual texts and also to use the predict reading strategy. In addition to the cover of the novel, the students and I have also viewed and discussed these images before starting Ms. Marvel: No Normal:
I ask the students to look at the pictures and write down what they notice. Oftentimes, they will comment that Faith looks calm and composed in her picture, in part because of the cooler colors of this comic cover. They comment that Carol Danvers looks “strong” and “confident” in her picture, along with Kamala Khan. Consistently, the students notice the difference the colors of the cover and the body language of the characters make in conveying the personality traits of the characters. With time and sometimes more pointed questions, the students start to notice the different body types and races of the female characters. This leads us to a conversation about progression, as diversity in female representation in comics has increased in recent years. Sometimes, depending on time and context, I take the teachable moment as a chance to discuss the representation of Wonder Woman over the years. For instance, during the 1940s, she and other female characters were working women, whereas in the 1950s when the men soldiers came back from the war, Wonder Woman and other female characters were more likely to be housewives in their stories.
The skills of critical literacy (Hall, 2012; Morrell, 2002) and critical visual literacy (Schieble, 2014) encourage students to go beyond entertainment with comics and other forms of media and interpret messages about power and the status quo. While these conversations have been within educational circles for a while now, I believe that they are particularly relevant in our current climate, where books are often censored and culture wars are prevalent.
Another book we do similar activities with is Class Act by Jerry Craft, which we read in Humanities toward the beginning of the school year. In addition to looking at a few key panels in the book, I also have students make predictions about the novel’s topics based on the cover:
The skills of critical literacy (Hall, 2012; Morrell, 2002) and critical visual literacy (Schieble, 2014) encourage students to go beyond entertainment with comics and other forms of media and interpret messages about power and the status quo. While these conversations have been within educational circles for a while now, I believe that they are particularly relevant in our current climate, where books are often censored and culture wars are prevalent.
Another book we do similar activities with is Class Act by Jerry Craft, which we read in Humanities toward the beginning of the school year. In addition to looking at a few key panels in the book, I also have students make predictions about the novel’s topics based on the cover:
This particular cover has a lot to work with in terms of predictions because Drew, the central character, is literally “juggling” his friends, a book, a graded paper, and a basketball trophy. Therefore, the students are able to infer that the main character of the book is juggling a lot to try and be a “class act.” The book has multiple other themes, such as friendship and accepting people who are different from you. However, the picture and the idea of juggling a lot during one’s adolescent years is a great conversation starter.
Book covers and superhero pictures are great examples of using visual literacy to start conversations about media in the classroom, and the examples I describe above apply to other novels and media as well.
References:
Craft, J. (2020). Class Act. HarperCollins.
Hall, L. (2012). How popular culture texts inform and shape students’ discussions of social studies texts. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy. 55(4), 296-305.
Morrell, E. (2002). Toward a critical pedagogy of popular culture: Literacy development among urban youth. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 46(1), 72-77.
Wilson, G. Willow, 1982- author. (2014). Ms. Marvel. Vol. 1, No normal. New York, NY: Marvel Worldwide, Inc., a subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment, LLC, 2014.
About the Blogger:
Margaret A. Robbins has a PhD in Language and Literacy Education from The University of Georgia. She is a Teacher-Scholar at The Mount Vernon School in Atlanta, Georgia. She has peer-reviewed journal articles published in The ALAN Review, SIGNAL Journal, Gifted Child Today, Social Studies Research and Practice, and The Qualitative Report. Her research interests include comics, Young Adult literature, fandom, critical pedagogy, and writing instruction.
Book covers and superhero pictures are great examples of using visual literacy to start conversations about media in the classroom, and the examples I describe above apply to other novels and media as well.
References:
Craft, J. (2020). Class Act. HarperCollins.
Hall, L. (2012). How popular culture texts inform and shape students’ discussions of social studies texts. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy. 55(4), 296-305.
Morrell, E. (2002). Toward a critical pedagogy of popular culture: Literacy development among urban youth. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 46(1), 72-77.
Wilson, G. Willow, 1982- author. (2014). Ms. Marvel. Vol. 1, No normal. New York, NY: Marvel Worldwide, Inc., a subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment, LLC, 2014.
About the Blogger:
Margaret A. Robbins has a PhD in Language and Literacy Education from The University of Georgia. She is a Teacher-Scholar at The Mount Vernon School in Atlanta, Georgia. She has peer-reviewed journal articles published in The ALAN Review, SIGNAL Journal, Gifted Child Today, Social Studies Research and Practice, and The Qualitative Report. Her research interests include comics, Young Adult literature, fandom, critical pedagogy, and writing instruction.
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