QUESTION: G/T 6th grade reading and the graphic novel?

[Susannah Brown]

Hey All,

I just found out that I'm getting a new teaching assignment next year - Gifted and Talented 6th grade reading.  I would like to do a graphic novel with this group either as a summer reading assignment or sometime next year.  The only graphic novel I have taught is American Born Chinese in 8th grade intervention reading classes.  I would love some suggestions for a novel that is "deep" enough for the gifted kids but not overly-sophisticated as they are mostly only 11 years old.

 

Thanks,

Susannah

[James Bucky Carter]

I think with proper scaffolding, they'd get ABC. I've also had some success with Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 1: Power and Responsibility with gifted 6th graders. I was an AIG (Academically and Intellectually Gifted) Educator for a North Carolina middle school for a couple of years and saw 6th graders connect with what I've called Peter Parker's "super-powered puberty." Teach them a little about the form and get them to make their own comics along with your study of a graphic novel text, and it'll open up all sorts of opportunities, especially if you find a way to publish their work (and might I suggest SASSY Gallery: Sequential Art Stories Submitted by Youth) from the online national gallery hosted by NCTE? ;)

[Susannah Brown]

I can't teach ABC as it's designated for 8th grade. I'll check out Spidey Volume One though. That one sounds fun. I also have to be careful that my "helicopter" parents will see what I'm teaching as real literature. If you have any other suggestions for good G/T novels for this age group-graphic or otherwise, I would appreciate it. I've worked with the reluctant readers for so long, I'm not sure where to begin with over-eager types.

[Ryan Goble]

Susannah, on this issue of "real literature" - you can be very pro-active on that front. As a lot of the crew in this group will tell you (James, Katie, Stergios, Peter etc. and all the other people that are featured under the group description) the case for the graphic novel - or sequential art - as an art form is, at least on the intellectual front, a fairly shut case. If you pull from these people's books and start your unit with a mini-lesson on the history of comics and graphic novels and explain why they are a complicated art form you can have or send that rationale to parents before or during the unit.

See:
http://mcpopmb.ning.com/group/graphicnovelscomics/forum/topics/comi...
http://mcpopmb.ning.com/group/graphicnovelscomics/forum/topics/cfp-...
http://mcpopmb.ning.com/group/graphicnovelscomics/forum/topics/pete...
http://mcpopmb.ning.com/group/graphicnovelscomics/forum/topics/the-...
http://mcpopmb.ning.com/group/graphicnovelscomics/forum/topics/comi...
http://mcpopmb.ning.com/group/graphicnovelscomics/forum/topics/arti...
http://mcpopmb.ning.com/group/graphicnovelscomics/forum/topics/comi...

As far as GREAT 6th grade titles - hopefully when your question is crowdsourced some great ideas will come your way!

I hope this adds to your brainstorming!

Be groovy,

Ryan:)

[Kelly Farrow]

The Arrival by Shaun Tan and Into the Volcano by Don Wood might be possibilities.

[Stergios Botzakis]

I don't know what kinds of themes you'd be looking to cover but how about some of James Sturm's books? I could see his Satchel Page or his Houdini books working well. There are great sets from Graphic Universe (I think) about various myths from different cultures which may be fun. Also for work with Greek Myths could be George O'Connor's Zeus or Athena books that recently came out.
First Second has some good looking GNs coming out, such as Resistance (a series about French children during WWII). I'd check out their library for more ideas as well. http://www.firstsecondbooks.com/collection.html

I hope this helps!

[John Isaacson]

Two books by Derek Kirk Kim (actually a friend of Gene Yang's) spring to mind: Same Difference (published by Top Shelf) and Good As Lily (published by Minx an imprint of DC) are quite good for that age. Fox Bunny Funny by Andy Hartzell is a silent comic, but deals with deep issues.

[Susannah Brown]

Thank you for all the great ideas! I'm going to make a list and do some research when school is out (only 7 more days!) I really appreciate the input as American Born Chinese is the only graphic novel I have read or taught. (Okay, I did read the Twilight graphic novel in the book store, but I did NOT buy it.)

[Christine Henke Mueller]

There is a wonderful graphic novel of The Hobbit (2006) which may interest some. Also, Mouse Guard is quite popular among those students who like history and beautiful illustrations.

[Jennifer Philips]

Maus might be a good one for your students. We use it with 9th graders, but I think it could be scaled down for 6th. Good luck!

[Christine Henke Mueller]

Maus and Maus II by Art Spiegelman are very nice--our 8th graders read it. It could be connected to some more traditional novels as part of a theme basket.

[Glori H. Smith]

I recommend Persepolis. It is about a girl who was 12 when the Iranian Revolution began. I have used it with high school ESL classes and think a 6th grade G & T would be fine with it. I think the problems between Art & his father in both Maus I & II would be difficult, and I wouldn't want to handle the double entendres of ABC with gifted 6th graders.

[Susannah Brown]

One of our teachers uses Maus with the 8th graders. My daughter did Persepolis in her G/T 9th grade English class so I don't think I will attempt that. I really like the idea of using a graphic novel to teach mythology (Greek or otherwise) and/ or supporting the world history curriculum. Thank you all for the excellent suggestions!