| Author |
Topic:
Comics in the classroom
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Darth-Lando
Registered:
Aug '02
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Date Posted:
8/6/07 10:02am
Subject:
RE: Comics in the classroom
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LAJ_FETT posted:
I think I have heard of Pride of Baghdad but I haven't seen it. That's about a group of lions?
Yes. It's written by Brian K. Vaughn and it's about a group of lions that escape from the Baghdad zoo during the invasion of Iraq. I haven't read it myself but it looks interesting. I'm waiting for a paperback release.
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whisperjedi
Registered:
Apr '05
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Date Posted:
8/8/07 2:10pm
Subject:
RE: Comics in the classroom
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Rebelwookiee posted:
I'd love to do Watchmen (because it's the best thing ever written!) but I think it's too edgy for our school at this point. But I am going to try to at least get a copy of it and Dark Knight into the library, if our new librarian is cooperative.
Damn right, it's edgy...we discussed fascism and the nudity (in a "mainstream" book back then.) Perhaps U could get a fieldtrip going, when the movie comes out.
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DarthBoba
Registered:
Jun '00
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Date Posted:
8/8/07 6:33pm
Subject:
RE: Comics in the classroom
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LAJ_FETT posted:
I think I have heard of Pride of Baghdad but I haven't seen it. That's about a group of lions?
Yes. As Lando said, it's fantastic. I'd read it 
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rebelwookiee
Registered:
May '04
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Date Posted:
8/8/07 9:03pm
Subject:
RE: Comics in the classroom
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whisperjedi posted:
Damn right, it's edgy...we discussed fascism and the nudity (in a "mainstream" book back then.) Perhaps U could get a fieldtrip going, when the movie comes out.
Actually, I'd be more likely to get a new job and/or a lawsuit with possible jail time. It's ridiculous, but the teaching profession has a whole different set of rules...and they can be re-written at the drop of a hat. I'd love to use Watchmen, and maybe in some situations I could, but right now it just wouldn't work. Nudity is probably the biggest no-no in school...even such simple inoffensive nudity as in Watchmen. Teachers have been charged with exposing kids to pornography for simply taking them to art museums. Other teachers have been threatened with jail time over kids who "accidentally" stumbled onto porn sites while using the computer at school. I live in the state that produced John Ashcroft--who wanted the bare bosom of the statue of the "spirit of justice" to be covered because he thought it was offensive. And most of the people around here support that type of thinking. There's just a limit to what I can realistically do. But I definitely agree with the spirit of the statement, and trust me it weighs heavy on me that I have these kinds of limitations.
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darth_frared
Registered:
Jun '05
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Date Posted:
8/9/07 4:54am
Subject:
RE: Comics in the classroom
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there is a really good graphic novel by craig thompson called 'blankets' which i just realized has some nudity. really because it explores thompson's own story of growing up in the midwest and being ridiculously sheltered and emotionally repressed. i loved reading and it's definitely subject matter for your age group but not image-wise.
so instead i'll recommend 'goodbye, chunky rice' which avoids all the human nudity pitfalls and plunges straight for the heartache of having your best friend move away from home and all told through a mouse and turtle, i think. and it's shorter than blankets as well. so yay.
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whisperjedi
Registered:
Apr '05
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Date Posted:
8/13/07 3:59pm
Subject:
RE: Comics in the classroom
- Date Edited:
8/13/07 4:00pm (1 edits total)
Edited By:
whisperjedi
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Alright then, I will suggest Terry Moore's Strangers in Paradise..."Starman". These r both titles that a friend gave 2 me and I totally got hooked. Personally 4 a high school level, I'd say Maus, Bone & Kingdom Come. I read "Blankets" mentioned by a comic book retailer (who was a guest speaker in class)& he was right, it was boring...even for a prize winner.
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rebelwookiee
Registered:
May '04
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Date Posted:
11/7/07 9:16pm
Subject:
RE: Comics in the classroom
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Just thought I'd give an update on this project. I started with a class of high school freshmen who for the most part had never even seen a comic book. We examined an excerpt from Spider-Man where he and Captain America have a discussion about the events of Civil War. The was a lot of good character analysis and a fairly positive reaction by the students.
Next I let them pick an online comic at marvel.com to read and analyze. I chose this because it is free. We're an extremely small school with very little money, and I had already invested in some graphic novels. Again they had some good character analysis and a pretty positive reaction.
Then we moved on to reading The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci, published by DC's MINX press. I chose this because I knew that the mostly female class was interested in adolescent literature and "teen issues," and it was a school appropriate title with some interesting issues for discussion. They reacted VERY positively. They had no exposure to comics, so seeing something besides male superheroes really blew them away. We did several writing projects including writing a sequel from one of the Janes' point of view.
After that we tried writing original comics. This didn't work out so well, but it was a learning experience.
The best part of all this is that I got a good review from my administrator who observed a lesson, and she recommended that we use more graphic novels in class! Too bad she didn't offer any money to buy them... but anyway, the project is going well so far. Of course I haven't actually created any new comic readers, because it's nearly impossible for kids to find comics around here. But at least the attitude has become friendlier.
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NJOfan215
Registered:
May '03
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Date Posted:
11/8/07 5:46pm
Subject:
RE: Comics in the classroom
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That sounds like it went well. Good job.
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StarscreamPrime
Registered:
Dec '06
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Date Posted:
11/8/07 5:49pm
Subject:
RE: Comics in the classroom
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rebelwookiee posted:
Then we moved on to reading The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci, published by DC's MINX press. I chose this because I knew that the mostly female class was interested in adolescent literature and "teen issues," and it was a school appropriate title with some interesting issues for discussion. They reacted VERY positively. They had no exposure to comics, so seeing something besides male superheroes really blew them away. We did several writing projects including writing a sequel from one of the Janes' point of view.
DC's MINX imprint has been surprisingly good, even for a male reader like myself. (Call me open-minded about my reading material, in that I don't mind stories from a feminine perspective every once in a while.) My personal favorite was "Clubbed", so unless this was a temporary project, that might be a good continuation.
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NYCitygurl
Title: Manager of SFFBC, C&G, and NSWFF
Registered:
Jul '02
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Date Posted:
11/8/07 6:30pm
Subject:
RE: Comics in the classroom
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Congratulations!! 
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rebelwookiee
Registered:
May '04
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Date Posted:
11/8/07 7:05pm
Subject:
RE: Comics in the classroom
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Several of the girls commented positively on the preview of Clubbing in the back of Plain Janes. As for continuing, I hope I can do more. Money is the biggest obstacle.
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Darth-Lando
Registered:
Aug '02
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Date Posted:
11/9/07 10:21am
Subject:
RE: Comics in the classroom
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Sounds like it was a very positive experience for your students. Hopefully it can do away with some of the "comics are only for kids" mentality.
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