Teach Secondary - Issue 13.2

speech, thinking about both character and what’s happening in each panel. These tasks can be more challenging than you’d expect, and provide a great segue into developing the quality of dialogue in prose writing. Aspace for silence In recent years, wordless picture books have become widely used in primary classrooms, reminding us that the importance of developing an appreciation of visual literacy and its role in reading and writing shouldn’t be underestimated. The comic equivalent of a wordless picturebook, the silent comic can be another interesting avenue by which to explore the richness of visual narratives. Silent comics can open up a world of complex and subtle narratives to a much broader range of children. Though obviously far easier to access, the level of discussion that can be garnered from some visual texts has the potential to be quite in-depth and high-level. Without the barriers written words can sometimes create, discussions can focus on the richness of the material, the intent of the creator and motivations of characters. For a good starting point, take a look at works such as Gustavo Duarte’s Monsters , or Peter Van Den Ende’s stunning comic The Wanderer . They’re a stark contrast in styles, but both titles truly excel at silent storytelling. Comics in thewider curriculum Across the curriculum, graphic narratives can serve as a great tool for both acquiring and demonstrating knowledge. Various studies working with different age groups have shown that material presented in comic formhas the potential to boost levels of engagement and information retention when compared to reading standard texts. As such, there’s been a marked growth in non- fiction comic titles primarily intended to support use of the form across the foundation subjects. Titles like Emma Reynold’s Drawn to Change the Worl d and Mike Barfield and Jess Bradleys’ A Poo, a Gnu and You series, are just two examples of comics being used to convey complex non-fiction information in an accessible and memorable way to very young readers. For older cohorts, the creation of non-fiction comics in order to demonstrate subject knowledge can provide classes and extracurricular groups with an interesting challenge. Elements of history, science and JUST FOR FUN Comics clubs and dedicated ‘writing for pleasure’ time, whether in or outside of school, can provide great ‘reading for pleasure’ opportunities Comics can be used as a hook for bringing groups of students together in collaborative creative projects, providing a way of involving children who don’t typically see themselves as writers, or artists in the process. Embrace students’ eagerness to further explore existing characters from their favourite books, games and TV shows.When writing for pleasure, give them opportunities to draw from stories and pastimes they love and exercise their creativity. If they’re feeling overwhelmed by the need to come with ideas, they don’t have to start from scratch. The freedom to reinvent characters or storylines from existing stories and combine them in inventive mashups is a well-established part of comics’ history, and can be another way of breaking down barriers that might put students off creative writing. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Lucy Starbuck Braidley is the producer and host of Comic Boom - The Comics in Education Podcast and is senior programme manager for Reading for Enjoyment at The National Literacy Trust. geography will all lend themselves well to being depicted via sequences of words anchored to specific images. In fact, you may find yourself surprised at just howmany details in students’ pictures demonstrate subject understanding. Students may, for example, pick up wider historical contexts contained within illustrations, or find themselves able to capably demonstrate complex or even abstract concepts via sequences between panels. These ideas are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to using the medium of comics for curriculum purposes. Comics cover all genres. They can be silly and anarchic or deeply poetic. They can present complicated information in accessible forms, or be highly complex texts themselves. Their versatility and range offers huge potential for educators. 67 teachwire.net/secondary E N G L I S H