Graphic Novels

Course Essential Questions

• How have comics and graphic storytelling evolved into the graphic novels medium that we know today?
• How do graphic novel creators use literary and visual techniques to tell a story?
• How do readers interpret literary and visual elements when reading a graphic novel?
• What is the creative process of developing a graphic story?

Course Learning Objectives

• Identify and describe how the history of comics has developed to include graphic novels.
• Identify, describe, and analyze how visual art techniques - such as panels/frames, gutters, simplification, lines, transitions, captions, and speech balloons - can be used to direct the reader's focus and communicate meaning.
• Infer meaning based on the presentation of words and images in graphic stories.
• Identify and analyze how words and images combine to communicate setting, character, conflict, and theme.
• Select, cite, and analyze textual and visual evidence to support claims.
• Write in a variety of genres using grammar and syntax appropriate to the audience and purpose.
• Create a graphic story by deliberately employing words and visual techniques.

Unit 1: History and the Basics (Weeks 1-5)

Unit description In the first unit, students will explore the history of comics, including the impact of superheroes and manga, and will learn about the basic visual art techniques related to layout in a graphic story.

Unit Level Essential Questions

• How are images used to tell stories?
• What is the comics medium and how does it help us define graphic novels?
• What techniques are essential to comics layout and cartooning style?
• How can we write about art and images?
• What are the most important events, people, and works in the history of comics?

Week 1: Visual Storytelling

Weekly Learning Objectives

• Understand the rules and policies of the course, and expectations of you as a contributing member of our learning community.
• Begin to build community by sharing important information with your teacher and classmates about yourself and your school.
• Develop your skills for navigating the course environment and using the various course tools
• Share a favorite comic strip and identify graphic elements in the work.
• Scan, save, and insert an image within the course platform.
• Make and explain inferences based on a wordless picture book.

Week 2: What is a Graphic Novel?

Weekly Learning Objectives

• Explain the relationship between "cartoons," "comics," and "graphic novels."
• Develop observation skills to support writing about visual art.
• Identify, describe, and evaluate the impact of simplification in graphic stories.
• Apply simplification in a drawing.

Week 3: The History of Comics

Weekly Learning Objectives

• Read and analyze how words and images work together to convey information about the setting, character, and conflict in an episode of a webcomic.
• Identify, describe, and evaluate the impact of layout in a graphic story.
• Identify relevant events, people, and works in the history of comics.
• Write descriptively about visual art incorporating specific observations.
• Plan the panels and sequence for an adaptation of a scene from a picture book.

Week 4: Superheroes and Manga

Weekly Learning Objectives

• Identify and discuss how superhero comics and the manga style influenced the comics medium.
• Identify relevant events, people, and works in the history of comics.
• Create the layout for an adaptation of a scene from a picture book and explain artistic choices.
• Identify imagery used to convey information about the setting and characters in a short story.
• Reflect on successes and challenges and identify strategies for continued success.

Week 5: Adaptation

Weekly Learning Objectives

• Identify, describe, and evaluate how transitions function in a graphic text.
• Compare and contrast the effects of a text-only telling of a story with a graphic telling of the same story.
• Research the basic life facts and contributions of two comic or graphic novel artists.
• Create a timeline showing essential events, people, and works in the evolution of the graphic novel as we know it today.

Unit 2: Analyzing Graphic Novels (Weeks 6-10)

Unit description In the second unit, students will read two graphic novels - March: Book One and Nimona - focusing on analysis of setting, character, conflict, and theme. Unit 2 contains a group project where students will work collaboratively to research and share the life, works, and impact of a comic or graphic artist.

Unit Level Essential Questions

• What techniques are essential to developing setting, characters, conflict, and theme in a graphic text?
• How do we care about others? What happens in the absence of caring?
• How have individuals contributed to the development of graphic novels that we know today?
• How can we write about art and images?
• What is the creative process for developing an idea for a graphic story?

Week 6: March - Introduction

Weekly Learning Objectives

• Research the life, works, and impact of a comic or graphic novel artist.
• Read a graphic memoir, using historical context to support understanding.
• Analyze how words and images reveal character in a graphic text.
• Identify, describe, and evaluate how text such as captions and speech balloons are incorporated in a graphic text.
• Analyze how the art techniques of simplification, layout, transitions, and speech balloons/captions function on a single page of a graphic story.

Week 7: March - Historical Connection

Weekly Learning Objectives

• Collaborate with peers to outline a presentation of a comic or graphic artist.
• Compare and evaluate the effectiveness of graphic storytelling and text-only media to convey non-fiction content.
• Identify, describe, and evaluate figures in graphic stories.
• Draw figures using various levels of simplification.

Week 8: Nimona - Introduction

Weekly Learning Objectives

• Discuss a thematic concept, supporting ideas with evidence and examples.
• Present research about a comic or graphic artist, choosing relevant details and images.
• Read a graphic novel, considering elements of setting and conflict.
• Identify, describe, and evaluate color and "graphic weight" in graphic stories.
• Brainstorm ideas for an original short graphic story.

Week 9: Nimona - Character Analysis

Weekly Learning Objectives

• Discuss characterization in a graphic novel, supporting ideas with evidence and examples.
• Analyze how words and images work together to reveal character in a graphic novel.
• Outline the story arc for an original short graphic story.
• Evaluate the contributions of a comic or graphic artist.
• Select a graphic novel for independent analysis.

Week 10: Nimona - Good vs. Evil

Weekly Learning Objectives

• Discuss a thematic concept, supporting ideas with evidence and examples.
• Analyze how words and images work together to reveal theme in a graphic novel.
• Evaluate the contributions of a comic or graphic artist.
• Create the storyboard for an original short graphic story.

Unit 3: Read and Create! (Weeks 11-15)

Unit description In the third unit, students will choose a focus text from a selection of graphic novels for independent reading and analysis. They will engage in the creative process, including peer review, to create an original short graphic story.

Unit Level Essential Questions

• How can we appreciate and incorporate a range of graphic storytelling styles into our own work?
• How do literary and visual elements reveal setting,conflict, character, and theme?
• What is the creative process for writing and drawing an original short graphic story?

Week 11: Choice Books

Weekly Learning Objectives

• Discuss the impact of visual art techniques in a graphic novel.
• Analyze how words and images work together to reveal setting in a graphic novel.
• Create the storyboard for an original short graphic story.

Week 12: Critique

Weekly Learning Objectives

• Discuss the impact of visual art techniques in a graphic novel.
• Analyze how words and images work together to reveal conflict in a graphic novel.
• Review and evaluate peers' storyboards, providing constructive feedback.

Week 13: Create

Weekly Learning Objectives

• Discuss the impact of visual art techniques in a graphic novel.
• Analyze how words and images work together to reveal character in a graphic novel.
• Create an original short graphic story, deliberately incorporating peer and teacher feedback.

Week 14: Theme

Weekly Learning Objectives

• Analyze how words and images work together to reveal theme in a graphic novel.
• Create an original short graphic story, deliberately incorporating literary and visual techniques.

Week 15: Gallery Celebration

Weekly Learning Objectives

• Review and celebrate peers' graphic stories, identifying areas where literary and visual techniques have been used effectively.
• Describe decisions about literary and visual techniques and how they are connected to intended meaning/impact.
• Reflect on course essential questions, supporting ideas with evidence and examples.