Meryl Jaffe - Worth a Thousand Words: Using Graphic Novels to Teach Visual and Verbal Literacy

1. Chapter 1
2. Chapter 3
3. Chapter 4
4. Chapter 5
5. Chapter 6
6. Chapter 7
7. Chapter 8

Meryl J. Jaffe, PhD and Talia Hurwich

Copyright 2019 by Meryl Jaffe and Talia Hurwich. All rights reserved.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Jaffe, Meryl, author. | Hurwich, Talia, author.

Title: Worth a thousand words : using graphic novels to teach visual and verbal literacy / Meryl J. Jaffe, Talia Hurwich.

Description: San Francisco, CA : Jossey-Bass, 2018. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018031311 (print) | LCCN 2018047611 (ebook) | ISBN 9781119394617 (Adobe PDF) | ISBN 9781119394631 (ePub) | ISBN 9781119394327 (pbk.)

Subjects: LCSH: Graphic novels in education. | Visual literacyStudy and teaching.

Classification: LCC LB1044.9.C59 (ebook) | LCC LB1044.9.C59 J35 2018 (print) | DDC 371.33dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018031311

Cover design: Wiley

Cover images: ivector/Shutterstock; Fernandodiass/Shutterstock

FIRST EDITION

First and foremost, thank you to my incredible family who have so enriched my life: to Adam, who has always supported and enabled us all; to Talia, whose strong insightful voice continues to grow and who took this work to places I never dreamed of; to Leah and to Zev, for your honesty and love; and to my mom, Solange, who read aloud to me whenever I asked (especially when she didn't really want or have time to), and to my dad, Lloyd whom I miss terribly and who introduced me to the world of storytelling. I am grateful for all you have given and continue to give me.

To my agent and dear friend, Judy Hansen, for your insights, your letters of introduction, your encouragement, but most of all for your friendship; to our editor Kate Bradford, whose edits and insights have been spot-on and this book is the better for them; to Annette Dorfman, whose friendship I deeply value and who continues to teach me to calm and open my mind thank you.

To my dear friends, the authors who've joined me on my journey both professionally and socially and who make graphic novels so easy to write about and teach with Jennifer Holm and Matthew Holm, Janet Lee, Royden Lepp, Cecile Castellucci, Raina Telgemeier, Nathan Hale, Jonathan Hennessey, Jimmy Gownley, Jeff Smith, Scott McCloud, Gene Luen Yang, Kazu Kibuishi, and Joe Kelly (whose book began my journey), and also those whom I've neglected to mention (due to addled brains and deadlines) and those who are yet to come thank you.

Finally, but most of all, to all the dedicated teachers, librarians and comic book aficionados who helped pave the way for comics in classrooms and to all of you who have picked up this book in hope of expanding your own classroom tools and techniques thank you.

I consider myself privileged where the people who inspire me (including my family and students) have become peers and friends.

With my deepest appreciation, Meryl

My path has been slightly different from my mother's, but many of the sentiments are the same. Many thanks to my family: to Lee for his emotional support, delicious meals, and readiness to pick up some of my household chores as I worked on this project; to my parents, who have pushed me to proudly pursue my interests no matter how unconventional they are (in fact, the stranger, the better); to Zev for being my first partner in crime when it came to graphic novels; and to Leah for her skepticism and ability to keep me honest with myself. Thank you to the teachers and administrators who have taught me how to teach: Maxine Borenstein, Jessica Alyesh, and Elisheva Gould. A special thank you to Christie Pearsall, whose creative integration of acting and literature first convinced me that I can bring my hobbies into the classroom (and the source of our tableau vivant activity). Thank you to all my role models at New York University for your interest and your support of a doctoral candidate intensely fascinated by the funny books; to the late Harold Wechsler for his infectious, heartwarming enthusiasm and keen ability to guide me he is deeply missed; and to Bethamie Horowitz, Camillia Matuk, and Miriam Eisenstein Ebsworth for their continued support as I cobble together a research program to better understand the way this medium can be used. Thank you to all the amazing creators of the graphic novels I've encountered: your insights, creativity, and sheer genius regularly reaffirm why I tried to convince my mother all those years ago. Thank you to my students for being guinea pigs for so many of the lessons teachers will find in this book. Finally, thank you to Kate Bradford: your input and insights have been such a boon. You have made this book possible, you have made it what it is today, and for that I cannot thank you enough.