Why books aren't the only things your child should be reading...

I'm a big advocate of students reading anything and everything that is appropriate for them.  Be that magazines, (like "Ranger Rick" or "National Geographic for Kids,") newspapers, (the comic section of the Journal Sentinel is a perfect resource-there are short phrases galore!) brochures for fun places to travel, or my husband's favorite: graphic novels.  Graphic novels are similiar to comic books, but often have more text on the page, and are formatted like a book.  Often times, reluctant or struggling readers enjoy graphic novels because they can put down a graphic novel at any time and pick it up without having to read long pages of text.

Recently, I came across one of my favorite things to read: other teachers' blogs.  On one of these blogs, I read an article entitled "Why Graphic Novels Belong in Classrooms."  Here is a short excerpt from that blog.

"Reading is a complex activity at any age. For young adults it's less about decoding the words and far more about making deeper meaning and connections; still no less complicated...graphic novels are less taxing to one's focus. A story setting can be taken in visually and doesn't need to be built within the mind, the way character expressions are drawn can make a muttering tone easily understood, and multiple characters are distinguishable and effortlessly categorized. The net result is that young readers...can push students into the deep end of the reading comprehension pool for longer periods of time. Students can focus more on themes and symbolism because the art has removed so many of the other potentially dangerous pitfalls to understanding."
(from readingteacherct.blogspot.com)

Some examples of wonderful graphic novels to read at home and to encourage your child to check out of the library include: