The Impact of Reading Graphic Novels

The Impact of Reading Graphic Novels On Student Motivation & Comprehension

Susan Hines, Mountain View Elementary, 5th grade

Katy Dellinger, Lincolnton Middle School, 7th grade

Appalachian State University 2

Background

For our collective years of teaching elementary and middle school children with special needs, we have found that by the time our students get to third grade, they either love reading or absolutely despise it. One of the main reasons our students dislike reading is because they struggle significantly with reading, and for this reason, they have not found anything to read that excites them or motivates them to want to read more. An expectation at our schools is that all Language Arts teachers require their students to complete home reading logs throughout the week or the students are required to read a certain number of books to accumulate Accelerated Reading (AR) points. They are to read at least 30 minutes per night and then record what they have read or keep an AR log. The problem here is that if the students are not motivated to read then they will not do their homework, which leads to lower homework grades, and could possibly lead to failing report card grades. This, in turn, frustrates the students even more about the thought of reading. As the students’ frustrations build, they spend less and less time reading. They fall further and further behind in their reading skills and in their general academic knowledge learned from reading. Additionally, it is a challenge to find material on the student’s instructional reading level that is appropriate for interest at their age level.

During one of our classes through this graduate program, we were introduced to the genre of graphic novels. Sad as it may seem, neither of us had never before even picked up a graphic novel. Many reasons come to my mind. However, when forced to do research about graphic novels, we were challenged to read one as part of a class assignment. While studying and exploring our chosen graphic novels, we came to the realization that graphic novels were more than just silly comics. One of the most interesting things about graphic novels is that there is a lot of content involved from which the students can learn. There are some that cover biographical information (Anne Frank), and others cover historical perspectives (Maus) and scientific information (Magic School Bus). They have rich plots and deal with themes relevant to our students today. They help struggling readers understand and comprehend the text much better by using the support of illustrations.

The material in the general classroom is often above our student’s instructional reading level and the programmed interventions used in EC classrooms do not provide enough practice in reading text. We wanted our research to discover if incorporating graphic novels on children’s instructional reading level into the reading intervention programs in the EC classes would aid in the motivation of reluctant readers to read more and be more involved in text. In addition, we wanted our research to answer these questions: Can incorporating graphic novels on student’s instructional reading level into programmed intervention programs: 1) increase student motivation to spend more time reading? 2) increase student’s comprehension of reading? 3

Research Review

Using effective strategies and materials that appeal to learners’ interests can improve the reading abilities of reluctant readers and help them comprehend the subject matter found in content area books (Ambe, 2007). In Schwertner’s Action Research Project the results indicated students had increased motivation and confidence in reading by reading graphic novels in literature circles. She made the following points: a). the literature circles created a feeling of a “community of readers” that helped students become “absorbed” in books; b). the graphic novel offer visuals that are helpful for the reluctant reader who cannot visualize what he is reading along with a shorter text that appeals to reluctant readers; c). the graphic novel aided critical reading as the students not only decode words but also analyzed visuals along with literary elements and connected the two; d). graphic novels address current, relevant, complex social issues that the students related to (Schwertner, 2008). Struggling readers are often not able to visualize what they are reading. The graphics in a graphic novel support the text and allows the reader to focus on meaning in order to comprehend the story (Smetana, 2010). It is well known that students who have difficulty reading do not spend much time in this activity. They do not see themselves as readers. Smetana makes the point that the different format of graphic novels and sophistication of the stories are motivating and engage their attention. When students begin to be successful, they want to continue to read. Griffith reports that students who were identified as having a learning disability, self-reported that graphic novels motivated them to read and aided their comprehension (Griffith, 2010).

In B. Edward’s findings, reading graphic novels and Free Voluntary Reading Time (FVR), increased student time in text and student’s enjoyment of reading and as a result they were more critical readers. The results also indicated an increase in comprehension exercises and greater growth in comprehension (Edwards, 2008). In Snowball’s article, she states that children who read for pleasure show improvements in reading, writing, and vocabulary and acquire these skills without conscious effort. Teenage reluctant readers are attracted to comics. They are an invaluable tool for motivating reluctant readers. Additionally, teens today have so much to keep them occupied and are surrounded by increasingly complex media, their expectations for entertainment is high. They have been raised in a very visual world. Comics provide the teens the opportunity to experience reading for entertainment on several different levels (Snowball, 2005). When Brandeis Hillel Day School in San Francisco offered a graphic novel book club, it became so popular, they had a waiting list to get in. Further, students who had read only required books in the past, continued to return to the school library for recreational reading. This confirms the impact that graphic novels have on reading motivation (Seyfried, 2008).

The quality of the value of graphic novels has been questioned by reading teachers and parents. Some see the graphic novels as just picture books with no educational value. Schwarz suggests that reading graphic novels may require more complex cognitive skills than reading text alone (Schwarz, 2002). Furthermore, in any subject area, studying a 4 graphic novel can bring media literacy into the curriculum as students examine the medium itself (Schwarz, 2002).

This research supports forming literature groups that focus on graphic novels to be an approach to increase struggling reader’s motivation to spend more time reading and engaging in text. The graphics help the reader visualize what they are reading, thus aiding in comprehension. It is important for students to understand that these books share the same literary qualities as other books (Smetana, 2008).

Participants

We each worked with a small group of students (5) and most receive EC services in reading and writing. Their instructional reading levels range from on grade level to four grade levels below expectations.

Susan teaches at Mountain View Elementary School in Hickory, North Carolina with an enrollment of 710 students ranging from grades Kindergarten through 6th grade. Twenty- three percent of the students at this regular school receive free and reduced lunch. Eighty-three percent of the students are Caucasian, seven percent are African-American, two percent are Hispanic, seven percent are Asian/Pacific Islander, and the remainder of the population is American Indian/Alaskan Native.

Katy teaches at Lincolnton Middle School in Lincoln County with an enrollment of 670 students ranging from grades 6th through 8th. Seventy percent of the school’s population receives free and reduced lunch. Twenty-three percent of the population is Limited English Proficiency, twenty percent is African-American, and fifty-seven percent is Caucasian. Lincolnton Middle School falls into the category of being a Title 1 school.

Susan’s Students

Susan worked with a 5th grade group, 3 boys and 2 girls. The EC students receive direct instruction in reading and writing in a “resource” setting .Their EC teacher uses the “Language!” program for 45 minutes daily. The students then receive additional instruction from an instructional specialist (45 minutes) for comprehension strategies with other students who are struggling readers, but who are not identified as EC.

Molly is a 5th grade EC student (Specific Learning Disabled). She scored a Level one on her 4th grade EOG (Extend 2, Alternate Assessment) in reading. On 3/7/11, her STAR Assessment instructional reading level was 1.5. Molly’s auditory comprehension is stronger than her reading comprehension and she does not have confidence in her reading ability. She reads at home most nights. She has been served in the EC program for two years. She had been reading a Junie B. Jones book.

Kyle is a 5th grade EC student (Specific Learning Disabled). He is also an ELL student. He scored a Level 2 on his 4th grade EOG (Extend 2, Alternate Assessment) in reading. On 3/7/11, his STAR Assessment instructional reading level was 3.1. Kyle does not enjoy 5 reading. He does not consistently read independently at home. He has been served in the EC program for two years. English is not spoken in his home. He was not currently reading any book independently.

John is a 5th grade EC student (Specific Learning Disabled). He scored a Level 3 on his 4th grade EOG (Extend 2, Alternate Assessment) in reading. On 3/7/11, his STAR Assessment instructional reading level was 3.4. John has focusing issues. He wants to read what other students are reading and is frustrated with reading lower level books. He does consistently read independently at home. He has been served in the EC program for three years. He had been reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

Zeb is a 5th grade EC student (Other Health Impaired). He scored a Level 3 on his 4th grade EOG (Extend 2, Alternate Assessment) in reading. On 3/7/11, his STAR Assessment instructional reading level was 4.1 He has difficulty staying on task when he has to exert mental control. He does not consistently read independently at home. He needs frequent prompting to read. He has been served in the EC program for three years. He had been reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

Holly is a 5th grade EC student (Specific Learning Disabled). She scored a Level 2 on her 4th grade EOG in reading. On 3/7/11, her STAR Assessment instructional reading level was 4.5. She is beginning to enjoy reading and becoming confident in her reading abilities. She consistently reads independently at home. She has been served in the EC program for four years. She has found a series of books she enjoys reading, Beverly Clearly books.

Katy’s Students

Katy worked with a group of 7th graders, 3 boys and 2 girls. Three of the students are EC; one of the students has a 504 plan because of his Autism and is also an LEP student. One of the boys is a regular education student who just happens to fall in the Inclusion Language Arts classroom. All students except for one of the girls is in the Inclusion Language Arts classroom. The last girl is in the Language Arts Resource class. All five students receive Language Arts instruction (reading and writing) each day a week for 60 minutes each. The student in the Resource classroom also receives an additional 30 minutes of Corrective Reading instruction to help with decoding and fluency skills while the other students are involved in SSR during the mornings.

Emory is a 7th grade EC student. His instructional reading level is 7th grade. He is a general education student who enjoys reading in his free time. He walks to the bookstore near his home to purchase books with his allowance. He reads high level reading material such as The Shack. He has very good reading comprehension. He enjoys reading graphic novels. He rarely completes his home reading logs.

Eduardo is a 7th grade EC student. His instructional reading level is 6th grade. He is an ESL student who enjoys reading, especially Harry Potter books and graphic novels such 6 as the Bone series. He enjoys reading graphic novels. He completes his home reading logs most of the time, but he struggles on reading benchmarks and EOGs.

Sierra is a 7th grade EC student with a learning disability in math only. She just moved to Lincoln County from Georgia in November, 2010. Her instructional reading level is 6th grade. She is a regular education student in the Inclusion Language Arts class, but is served in the Math Resource Class. She is very motivated and enjoys reading Nicholas Sparks’ books.

Austin is a 7th grade EC student. His instructional reading level is 4th grade. He has a Learning Disability in Basic Reading and Reading Comprehension. His mannerisms are eccentric and he is only motivated to read when it is something he enjoys. He is very unorganized and hardly ever turns in homework. He is served in the Inclusion Language Arts class.

Tiffany is a 7th grade EC student. Her instructional reading level is 2nd grade. She participates in the Corrective Reading Program. She is ADHD and struggles to maintain attention during reading class. She enjoys math class, but does not like to read out loud in class. She is in the Resource class for math and reading and takes the Extend 2 reading EOG.

Intervention Plan/Instructional Procedure

We met with the students twice a week for 45 minutes for four weeks. We led the groups in reading a graphic novel through a “Literature Reading Circle” and discussion. The groups previewed a collection of graphic novels and chose which book they wanted to read together as a group. Simultaneously, the students were asked to read graphic novels during their independent reading time at school and at home. They kept a log of the books they read and the amount of time spent reading. They also responded to their graphic novels on a class blog.

Week One: The students previewed the collection of graphic novels. We led the group in a class discussion on how the students feel about reading and what they thought about the graphic novels. The Surveys were administered, “How I Feel About Reading” (Garfield) Survey and “What I Know About Graphic Novels.” The surveys were read aloud to the students. The students were given instructions that they would need to keep a “Reading Log” for their independent reading. They had the choice to read from the graphic novel collection or another book of their choosing. They were shown how to get on the Class Reading Blog and how to maneuver within the blog. We explained to them that they would write responses about their graphic novels on the blog.

The students were given pre-comprehension selections on their instructional levels. These were reading selections with multiple choice answers. (A teacher survey was also given to the students’ teachers on their reading interventions and their students reading practices.) 7

Week Two: We checked reading logs each day we met and discussed what they were reading and their thoughts about the graphic novels and recorded anecdotal notes. We discussed the “Literature Circle” and the roles of the members with the guided “role sheets.” We modeled the roles for them this week with the plan for the students to take over the roles next week. We read the graphic novel each day, taking turns, and discussed the following: main ideas of the chapters, time progression and what happened to characters during time progression, illustrations and how they supported text, text-to-self connections, and predictions. They entered responses to the readings on the blog.

Week Three: We checked reading logs and discussed what they were reading and their thoughts about graphic novels and if their ideas about graphic novels had changed. We recorded anecdotal notes. We explained the roles for the “Literature Circle” and the students took over roles to lead discussions as we took turns reading. The students had different roles each day we read. Again discussions revolved around the following: main ideas of the chapters, time progression and what happened to characters during time progression, illustrations and how they supported text, text-to-self connections, and predictions. They entered responses to the reading on the blog.

Week Four: We checked reading logs and discussed what they were reading and their thoughts about graphic novels at this point. We recorded anecdotal notes. We finished reading the graphic novel with discussions similar to Weeks two and three. We administered the surveys again, “How I Feel About Reading” (Garfield Survey and “What I Know About Graphic Novels.” We gave them post-comprehension selections on their instructional reading level. They entered a blog responding to their thoughts on graphic novels.

Data Collection

“How I Feel About Reading” (Garfield) pre and post survey: We administered before and after the study to compare scores. This was read aloud to the students.

“What I Know About Graphic Novels” pre and post survey: We administered before and after the study to compare scores. This was read aloud to the students.

Pre and post Comprehension assessment: A reading selection on student’s instructional reading level was given before and after the study to compare the level of text comprehension. These were reading selections with multiple choice answers that were created on EOG Test Maker. With this program, selections can be created for student’s instructional reading level. The objectives were controlled so that they were the same for the Pretest and Post Test.

Informal observations of daily class notes, conferences and student journals were recorded. 8

Reading Journals (blogs) and home/independent reading logs: Journals and reading logs were monitored and data was compared about students reading selections, time spent reading, and content and length/quality of blog entries.

Teacher Interview: This interview asked the teachers about their students, their student’s reading practices and the teacher’s strategies and interventions to help struggling readers as well as how the teachers differentiate.

Data Analysis

Data was stored in folders. Each child had a folder with raw data and was kept secured in a file cabinet. Data was shared between partners via email attachments.

1. Data from Garfield Inventory (pre and post) results was collected and entered into a spreadsheet/graph to compare student responses. 2. Data from comprehension pre and post test was collected and entered into a spreadsheet/graph for comparison. 3. Data from home/independent logs were collected and analyzed. 4. Informal notes and observations from the following were collected and analyzed using the codes below* and entered into a spreadsheet/graph for comparison. a. Data from questionnaire, “What Do I Know About Graphic Novels?” b. Teacher interviews c. Reading Journals (Blogs) d. Anecdotal notes from class discussions

*PC: positive comment CN: comprehension of text meaning noted SPI: student participation in class discussion SPC: student’s participation independently in journal blog

Results

Instructional Reading Levels

Both of us picked the group of students to work with throughout our study and we assessed each one of them with either an informal reading inventory or STAR assessment. The results for each of the students are listed below. (Tables 1A and 1B)

Table 1A

5th grade Student: Instructional Level according to STAR Assessment: Molly 1.5 Kyle 3.1 John 3.4 9

Zeb 4.1 Holly 4.5

Table 1B

7th grade Student: Frustration Level: Instructional Independent Level: Level: Emory 8th 7th 6th Tiffany 3rd 2nd 1st Austin 5th 4th 3rd Sierra 7th 6th 5th Eduardo 7th 6th 5th

*Levels were based on ASU Informal Reading Inventory.

After compiling all of the data from each student according to their instructional level, we had to pick out graphic novels which matched up to the students’ instructional levels. Graphic novels were checked out in the school libraries, in classroom libraries, and brought from home to create a wide selection from which the students could pick. Each group of students was allowed to pick out the graphic novels they wanted to read together as a group. Then each student was given the opportunity to select a graphic novel to read independently in order to complete his or her graphic novel reading logs.

Garfield Attitude Survey

The Garfield Attitude Survey was conducted on the first day we were with our group of students. Both the 5th grade and the 7th grade students had the survey read aloud to them and they were given explicit directions on how to answer each of the questions. The results are listed in the table below. (Tables 2A and 2B)

Table 2A

5th grade Pre-Survey Post-Survey (3/7/2011) (3/7/2011) Recreational: Academic: Full Recreational: Academic: Full Scale: Scale: Molly 28 22 50 35 27 62 Kyle 27 22 49 20 21 41 John 30 23 53 28 27 55 Zeb 15 14 29 16 19 35 Holly 21 18 39 26 28 54 10

Table 2B

7th grade Pre-Survey Post-Survey (3/7/2011) (3/31/2011) Recreational: Academic: Full Recreational: Academic: Full Scale: Scale: Emory 32 26 58 33 27 60 Tiffany 18 22 40 24 20 44 Austin 26 22 48 28 24 52 Sierra 19 22 41 23 23 46 Eduardo 31 26 57 36 23 59

According to the results, there was a slight increase in reading attitudes for both groups. More specifically, it was interesting that the academic score was higher for the pre-survey and then the recreational score increased. This shows that the attitude towards reading for fun increased slightly after participating in the research study. This could have contributed to several factors, but one of which could be the result of experiences with a new type of genre, graphic novels.

For example, the question for which all of the students changed their answer was: “how do you feel about spending free time reading?” Most of the students circled the mad Garfield face or the unhappy Garfield face which would have given them either 1 or 2 points. During the post-survey, it was noted that all of the students either circled the happy Garfield face or the excited Garfield face. This gave them either 3 or 4 points for that question which increased the recreational reading score.

What Do I Know About Graphic Novels?

Then we gave the students a survey called “What do I know about Graphic Novels?” There were four questions which asked students to answer by putting checks in the appropriate boxes based on their answers. The information gathered from this survey told us who knew what graphic novels were and how they felt about them specifically.

After conducting the second survey titled “What do I know about Graphic Novels?” it became apparent to both of us who really knew what graphic novels were and who had no idea there was even such a thing. The boys in the 7th grade group knew that graphic novels were similar to comic books. In fact, all of the boys in the 7th grade group had actually read graphic novels before and were eager to learn more about them. One of the questions asked “I have read the following number of graphic novels”, and the boys in the 7th grade group had all answered by checking the box “too many to count”. This gave us a good indication as to who would have a better understanding of the books that we would read and discuss during the literature circle. 11

Class Blogs

Before beginning the graphic novel as a group, we explained to the students what our expectations were for them. In addition to reading a graphic novel within the group, students were expected to pick out one on their own which matched their instructional reading level, and to participate in the class blog, as well as complete a graphic novel reading log.

Students were given a username and password to create a post and to respond to other students’ posts within the blog. Since this was the first time many of the students had ever used a blog, we made it optional as to how many responses each student had to create on the blog. They responded to their independent reading or our class novel. (Tables 3A and 3B)

The results for Ms. Dellinger’s class were as follows:

Table 3A

Student: # of Entries posted: # of Responses posted: Emory 1 3 Tiffany 2 5 Sierra 2 4 Austin 3 6 Eduardo 1 2

The results for Mrs. Hines’ class were as follows:

Table 3B

Student: # of Entries posted: # of Responses posted: Molly 4 0 Zeb 3 1 John 5 2 Kyle 3 0 Holly 4 1

This was also considered optional because several of the students in the group did not have access to a computer with internet. Time was given to the students during the study to either read their graphic novel or respond to the blogs. It was fascinating to see how quickly the students could learn to maneuver through the blogs and respond to one another about the books that they were reading and/or what they know/don’t know about graphic novels.

Reading Logs 12

Students were also asked to read a graphic novel independently in addition to the graphic novel read during the literature circle and complete a graphic novel reading log. The reading log that was given to each student in the study had a designated spot to fill out the title of the book that the student was reading, number of pages read, a comment about the book, and the date.

At both Lincolnton Middle School and Mountain View Elementary School, each student in a Language Arts class is responsible for completing and turning in a home reading log weekly. This counts as a homework/participation grade for that student. However, even though this is universal, it is up to the Language Arts Teacher’s discretion as to how many nights per week a student is responsible for reading in order for a reading log to be counted as complete. At Lincolnton Middle School, students are responsible for reading 30 minutes nightly for a total of 4 nights. At Mountain View, they are responsible for reading at least 20 minutes each weeknight and accumulate a specified number of Accelerated Reader points. Before beginning the study, we both discussed with the Language Arts teachers of the students in our study if they would count the graphic novel reading log as the student’s home reading log. The teachers were very pleased with this because the students in the study were the majority of the students who would inconsistently turn in reading logs anyways, which would in turn lower their grades in that class.

Completion of Reading Logs (# of entries completed):

Table 4

Student: Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Total Molly (5th) 0 2 1 2 5 Kyle (5th) 0 1 1 1 3 Zeb (5th) 1 1 1 1 4 Holly (5th) 2 3 3 2 10 John (5th) 2 3 2 2 9 Emory (7th) 0 1 1 3 5 Eduardo (7th) 2 2 2 2 8 Austin (7th) 2 1 1 2 6 Tiffany (7th) 0 2 1 2 5 Sierra (7th) 2 3 4 1 10

Comprehension

In addition to reading attitude, we also wanted to determine if reading a different type of genre would contribute to the reading comprehension of the students. Many of the students in our study seemed to enjoy reading at times and were even fluent readers, but struggled when it came time to take EOG tests or reading benchmarks. We thought that 13

we could use specific interventions including the Literature Circle to enhance the reading comprehension of the students in the study.

Before we began our group reading of the selected graphic novel for each group, each student was given a comprehension assessment to determine how well he or she comprehended. The questions were in multiple-choice format with questions regarding plot, characters, setting, etc. This test helped us, as teachers, to determine what our students know about the elements of both fiction and nonfiction. The test was given to each student based on their instructional level for reading.

Comprehension Results (Pre and Posttest):

Table 5

Student: Pretest: Posttest: Molly (5th) 60 70 Kyle (5th) 20 30 John (5th) 30 60 Zeb (5th) 60 70 Holly (5th) 50 70 Emory (7th) 24 84 Tiffany (7th) 20 72 Eduardo (7th) 40 80 Austin (7th) 20 86 Sierra (7th) 16 76

As you can see from the comparison of the pretest and the posttest, all of the students’ scores increased in their comprehension skills. This could have been caused by numerous things, which will be discussed later on.

Literature Circle

During the weeks of interventions, the students were assigned roles in a literature circle. Before reading the book, students were asked to make predictions about what they think the book will be about and what the characters will be like. We also discussed elements of fiction. The novel that was selected was the book the group agreed on after previewing different graphic novels within the classroom. The activities that took place during and after reading were led by different roles in the group, which were assigned and explained daily by us.

The “Discussion Leader” led the group. The “Picture Reader” used the guide to draw a few graphics and to explain what the picture is telling the reader. The “Travel Tracker” kept track of the setting of the story and kept up with where the characters were during the selection read. The “Gist Expert” worked with the group to decide on the main idea 14 of the selection. The “Predictor” was in charge of predicting what would happen next in the story along with providing evidence for their rationale. The “Connector” of the group helped the group to make connections between the reader and the text. Each student was given a role sheet to complete each day for the particular role that he or she played throughout the literature discussion.

Daily Roles of the Group:

Table 6A

5 th grade Picture Travel Gist Predictor Connector Discussio Reader Tracker Expert n Leader March 14 Molly Zeb Kenny John Holly Mrs. H March 17 Kenny Holly Molly Zeb John Mrs. H March 21 Zeb John Mrs. H Molly Kenny Holly March24 John Molly Zeb Kenny Holly Mrs. H March 29 Molly Kenny John Holly Zeb Mrs. H

Table 6B

7 th grade Picture Travel Gist Predictor Connector Discussio Reader Tracker Expert n Leader March Tiffany Austin Eduardo Emory Sierra Ms. D 15 March Sierra Tiffany Austin Eduardo Emory Ms. D 17 March Emory Sierra Tiffany Austin Eduardo Ms. D 22 March Eduardo Emory Sierra Tiffany Austin Ms. D 24 March Austin Eduardo Emory Sierra Tiffany Ms. D 29

Informal Observations/Notes

In addition to the Literature Circle roles, we both conferenced with students daily about the independent reading they were doing with their graphic novel of choice. We kept a record of what the students said and coded their participation into a chart which was then transcribed into a graph for comparison. (Tables 7A and 7B)

Table 7A (Mrs. Hines’ Informal Observations/Notes) 15

3/14 3/17 3/21 3/24 3/29 3/31 Holly Holly is reading a Nancy Still reading She chose to She got a new She did not read Holly stated Drew graphic novel SPI. Nancy Drew read an AR GN to read, over the that she “sort During reading she and said that book for now. Lunch Lady weekend. of” liked GN. participated with little she was (Her mother (John During class, She turned in assistance with words enjoying it SPI. wanted her to recommended she read well her GN log with and participated with She made a read an AR it) SPI. When I (volunteered). ten entries. She group discussion and connection to book). She asked her she She wanted to said she read 30 grasped concepts SP and the book with blogged about did state that keep reading. minutes each of CN. the cover Nancy Drew. she liked GN. She was “travel those times. illustration CN. She made a She likes to see tracker” and She with the personal the characters in noted that the class, made the connection with the pictures. characters had personal one of the She read her changed from connection with characters part today with being strangers cancer (their (there is a little help from to being friends teacher has character me and SP CN. cancer.) named Holly) participated in and she said it class discussion was scary. She CN. She was the Lead entered for “Literature paragraph on Circle” and the blog with needed help. several details about the book CN. John John chose to read Lunch He has now John has now He is still He did read John stated that Lady SPI. He says he read two Lunch read 4 GN and reading Diary over the he really didn’t loves it. She is like a Lady books continuing with of Wimpy Kid. weekend. In like the GN, super-hero who is SPI. He asked if Diary of During reading, class, he except Lunch undercover PC. During one of the Wimpy Kid SPI. John read with participated Lady. He turned class discussion, he Wimpy Kids He led the little help and well and read in his GN log participated and grasped books was a discussion participated with with nine concepts of CN. graphic novel about what we well in enthusiasm. He entries. He said and asked to had read discussion SP had the role of he read 30 read that one previously. He CN. the “connector” minutes each of next. He had read with good today and made those times. found it in the accuracy, but the connection school library. had a little between the He, with the trouble finding kids in the book class, made the his place doing a connection with following the fundraiser and cancer. He dialogue their school made a brief bubbles. He doing a entry on the offered an fundraiser for blog, saying the observation JDRF. book was about a “cool”. prediction (they are going to donate money to the pandas) CN SP. He made four entries on the blog, two on his independent reading and two on Zebrafish. He made two entries at home SPI. Zeb Zeb has not done any He said he was Again he said Zeb said he is Zeb did not Zeb stated that independent reading. He still reading he was still now reading read over the he does not like chose Bone GN to take Bone, but had reading Bone, Elsewhere, but weekend. reading of any home. He did read with not recorded it but he had to did not fill in During class, he kind. He said he the group when asked. on his GN log. record his his log (he did it did read, when did like Bone, He offered only one He made the reading in class. in class again). asked, in a He turned in his comment, “I like the connection, He read when Zeb did say he nonchalant GN log with 4 pictures.” with the help of called on, but liked GN, but manner, but entries. He said his classmates, with no did not give a made an he read 15 16

about cancer. enthusiasm. He reason. He accurate minutes each of The girl in the did get a little made a single prediction when those times SPI. story and his excited about sentence entry asked. SP CN teacher both the band in the on the blog have bone story. He said about a cancer. he liked to play supporting fact the guitar. He in the story entered silly (“They are comments on trying to get the blog, their band treating it like a going.”). SP CN social network site. After prompting, he said he liked the last two chapters we read in Zebrafish SP. Molly Molly is reading Owly She is still She is still She is still She did not read Molly stated SPI. During reading reading Owly reading Owly reading Owly over the that she loves today, I had to help her SPI. She did SPI. During SPI. This is not weekend. For GN and wants read almost every word participate in reading, she a long book, but class reading, to go to the SP. class discussion still needed it is taking her a her role was community and volunteered much help with long time to getting the library, answers. She reading words. read it. I’m not “gist” or main especially this made a blog She stumbled sure how much idea. She summer, to find entry about over almost she is truly impressed me and read more. Owly (there was every word. (I reading at with her level She turned in a raccoon) and picked a page home. of oral her GN with an entry about for her to read comprehension. five entries. She Zebrafish which with “easier” Of all of the said she has I could not read words.) With students, she read 30 minutes due to spelling the discussion struggles the each of those errors SP. being oral, she most with times SPI. is insightful and decoding and is able to basic reading answer skills. However, discussion she is on target questions CN. with comprehension, making connections, making predictions...as long as the story is oral CN SP. Kyle Kyle is reading Lunch He said he is He says he is Kyle is not He did not read Kyle stated that Lady and says he loves it still reading still reading filling out his over the he liked GN SP. She is like a super- Lunch Lady Elsewhere, but log. He is not weekend. He and would hero. During reading (though did not he has made no reading had a very choose them today he participated and record it on his entry on the log. independently. difficult time again. He understood concepts. log) SPI. He During reading, He says he took over the turned in his has begun he shared an the book home, weekend (major GN log with 3 Elsewhere. insight about but does not family crisis entries. He said During our one of the remember that has been he read 30-40 conference illustrations which one. ongoing). minutes each of time, he could CN. He again During reading During class he those times or tell me much made two, one- today, he was our until his book about the book. sentence entries needed help “picture reader” was done. SPI He said the on the blog with several and was not pictures were about what he words. The blog attentive during helpful in his liked about the assignment class. (He has a understanding books SP. today was to lot on his of the book. He make an entry mind.) made two, one- about a sentence entries “connection”. on the blog. His was, “I One on Lunch connect with 17

Lady and one Zebrafish.” SP on Zebrafish. He basically said he liked the books SP.

Table 7B (Ms. Dellinger’s Informal Observations/Notes)

3/15 3/17 3/22 3/24 3/29 Emory Emory stated that he enjoys Emory is reading Emory says he is Emory said he Emory said that he graphic novels because there Tall Tales and says reading Tall Tales keeps forgetting to enjoys Cyrano but are a lot of pictures and they that is he is along with another fill out his GN that it is not one of are interesting. PC Emory, enjoying the book. book for SSR. He reading log, but his favorite books along with his peers, made SPI He created a says he has not had that he reads at that he has read. accurate predictions about blog about what he time to fill out his home. He helps the He said he has what the story was going to knows about GN GN reading log. group during the finished Tall Tales. be about. CN and responded to He did not have lit. circle by He turned in a total another student. much to say today helping them to of 5 GN logs. SPI PC during the lit. make accurate circle. predictions and make connections with the text to the real world. PC CN SPC Emory blogged and said “I do not get the whole play thing, but am enjoying it anyways.” PC SPC Eduardo Eduardo was the gist expert Eduardo is reading Eduardo has asked Eduardo checked Eduardo said he today and his job was to tell The Curse of Egypt several times if he out another book enjoyed reading the main idea of what was and has blogged could take home a and is reading a Cyrano and says he happening in Cyrano today. once about what he copy of Cyrano so Manga book. He cannot wait until He also helped in making knows about GN. he could read it has completed 6 spring break so he predictions. CN SPC he also He said they are himself. He has GN reading log can read more of stated that he loves reading filled with action already finished entries up to this the Manga books. GN for the fun of it. PC and lots of reading The Curse point. SPI PC pictures. PC SPI of Egypt but he has SPC not blogged recently. PC SPI He is always active in the lit. circle. He also asked if he could check out another book to read since he has already finished the last one. Tiffany Tiffany was the picture Tiffany is reading Tiffany read aloud She started reading Tiffany started reader during the lit. circle. Lunch Lady and today but she had The Clique today, reading Diary of a She made a comment about says she is trouble following which was Wimpy Kid and she how she was excited to read enjoying the book. the dialogue recommended by stated that she Cyrano because it looks like PC SPI She bubbles. She Sierra. She bought liked this book the there may be something borrowed this book needed my help this book at the best out of all of about romance. PC SPI CN from me because with some of the book fair. PC SPC the GN she had she could not find words also. She She has blogged read so far. She one that seemed was the gist expert several times and said it was easier to interesting to her to and did a good job she does this at follow than the start reading. She telling the group home. SPI other GN novels struggled reading what the main idea that we had read aloud to day with is. It amazes me and she stated that decoding. The how well her Cyrano was kind of words may be too listening comp is difficult to read hard for her. She when she struggles and understand. kept on asking if so much with SPI SPC She said 18

she could read out decoding. PC SPI she will read more loud. SPI SPC SPC of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. She asked if they had them in the school library. PC Tiffany has turned in 5 GN logs. SPI Austin Austin stated the only times Austin asked if he Austin has made Austin blogged by Austin says he will he enjoys reading is when he could read aloud several responses telling the other continue reading gets to read a GN but his today and was very to the other students they all of the GN that teachers would prefer him to enthusiastic about students about their should read Tales he can find and he read something other than reading. He has GN novels and the from the Crypt enjoyed learning “picture books”. PC SPI CN made several posts GN we are reading because it was very more about them He made an accurate to the blog and to together. He states good! PC SPI SPC even though he had prediction about the story. his classmates. His that he has read “too many to response to one completed several count”. Austin was “same here GN reading logs. turned in a total of sister”. PC SPI Austin is reading 6 GN reading logs. SPC I have had to Tales from the remind them that Crypt and states they are to give that he enjoys feedback and not reading this series treat it as facebook. of books. He has followed along and paid very close attention throughout the lit. circle group. Sierra Sierra stated that she is Sierra began Sierra finished Sierra said on her She says she unaware of what GN are, but reading Rose today reading Rose and blog, “Rose is cool believes are make she loves to read all kinds of and she says she now she is reading and it is about a believe and are just books. PC SPC SPI really likes it. She The Clique which man and a for fun, but she has filled out her she bought from dinosaur.” She said they are cool. GN reading log. the book fair. She thinks The Clique PC SPC SPI Sierra CN PC SPI says this is her is much better turned in a total of favorite book so because she can 10 GN reading far. She shows a lot relate to it more logs. of excitement in than Rose. PC SPI reading her GN.

Teacher Interview

Another piece of data that was collected was from the teachers that work with the students in our research study. We interviewed the teachers and asked them several different questions pertaining to how their students read and how the students feel about reading. Once we gathered the information we discussed the results together to form a collective chart with the questions teachers were asked and the answers. (Table 8)

Questions Asked: Teacher Answers: What do you see as your students’ Decoding ability and fluency which affects weaknesses in reading? comprehension What do you see as your students’ Listening comprehension skills strengths in reading? What strategies have you used to Book talks, DRTA, Marzano strategies to increase student comprehension? build vocabulary Do your students do home reading? Are required to, but not all of them do it Do your students choose to read in their Some (the students who read at or above free time? grade level) 19

Do your students choose books on their Some (the students who read at or above instructional level? grade level); others choose books that are too hard for them for fear of being made fun of their reading material Do they choose a variety of books or the Most of them always choose the same type same type of books? of books; if a student reads Harry Potter books then that student will always have a Harry Potter book in their hand What do your students say about That it is a chore instead of something fun reading? How do you keep students motivated Partner read, literature groups with the different level of abilities in class? How do you differentiate for different Try to provide reading material on the reading levels? students’ instructional levels; can be very difficult

What Do the Results Say?

After conducting the Garfield Attitude Surveys, it was determined that over the course of the study 9 out of 10 of our participants increased their attitudes toward reading. Only one student had decreased their attitude toward reading. Many factors could have contributed to the particular student’s decrease. One of which could be the environmental struggles that seemed to be going on over the four weeks with his family. It could also be determined that the increase in scores from the attitude surveys could have been because the students wanted to please their teachers, even though they were told to be very honest with their answers. However, it could also be proven that graphic novels were something of interest to the students and once they started reading one, they became intrigued, and wanted to learn more about them.

Another observation from the test results of both the pre and post attitude surveys is that the recreational score increased from the pretest to the post test. This explains that after being a part of the research study, many of the students found that over the course of the 4 weeks, reading can actually be fun and entertaining instead of a chore. Most of the students had positive things to say about reading graphic novels, which correlates to the increase in recreational reading scores from the Garfield Attitude Survey.

In comparison to the pretest and posttest on comprehension, all of the students showed an increase in their comprehension skills by a measure of at least 10%. It has been determined that this could be the direct result of a literature circle or book talk with each member of the group having an active role. During the literature discussion students were asked to think about the elements of fiction such as plot, characters, and setting, and then to synthesize what would happen next by making connections with the text to the real world. When reading independently, students would not have the opportunity to collaborate with their peers and discuss the important aspects of the story. This shows how beneficial a literature group can be within a Language Arts classroom. 20

With that said, even though the students showed an increase in their comprehension skills when comparing the pre-assessment to the post-assessment, all of the students have solid listening comprehension skills which help them in class discussions. The level of understanding for the students did increase but not a significant amount. Students still made accurate predictions as they normally would and followed along with the text as they normally would.

It is safe to say that when students participate in literature circles on a desirable subject matter, students will have a higher chance of increasing comprehension test scores. The student’s increase in comprehension scores could have been impacted by the focus of the Literature Circles - elements of fiction and discussions on how the graphics impacted the literature.

Students also showed an increase in their feelings toward graphic novels. Many students, especially the 7th grade boys, were already aware of what graphic novels were and they enjoyed them. However, over time, more of the students saw graphic novels as something they “could not take their hands off of”.

There was not enough time to show that independent reading practices increased when given the opportunity to read a new genre. Some students still struggled in completing their home reading logs, but several of them did increase. This could be due to the fact that they knew they would be discussing what they were reading at home with us, and we would be holding them accountable. Students also utilized the internet blogging and many of them seemed to enjoy this much better than writing their entries on paper. The length of this study was not long enough to impact student independent reading practices. Those who usually read, read the graphic novels. Those who don’t read, did not.

Overall, there was no significant change in the independent reading practices for both the 5th and 7th grade groups. Student reading levels did not play a factor in reading interest, because the higher level readers were still not motivated in completing reading logs. However, this did not prove that the students were not motivated in reading, instead, just not completing homework.

Reading graphic novels created a curiosity in a new genre of literature which renewed some interest in reading. Any time struggling students show an interest in reading, it is worth building on.

For Future Research

Including Graphic Novels as a genre to study in class can keep students interested in topics relevant to their age. Graphic Novels can be beneficial for students who read below, at, or even above grade level. Graphic Novels will keep students with different reading abilities motivated in reading.

Offering Graphic Novels for independent reading can provide the struggling reader an alternative to full text material. Students who struggle with reading can use the visuals to 21 predict what the text says and what will happen next. This will assist them in learning novel vocabulary words, but will also help with decoding and fluency skills as well.

As EC teachers, we can advocate for the application of graphic novels for our students. Many students with Learning Disabilities need the extra assistance that can be provided with graphic novels. Students can use the pictures to learn about a specific content. Graphic Novels should be looked at as a way of using the graphics and illustrations to teach content subjects for struggling readers. It is a great modification for both special and general education students.

Literature Circle 22

The students will read the book together in their group, taking turns or reading in pairs.

Before, during and after reading the students will take place in book talk in a “Literature

Circle.” Preview the book before reading making predictions about what they think the book will be about and what the characters will be like? Also, discuss elements of fiction.

The first novel was selected and agreed upon by the students after they previewed several different graphic novels from a selection of ten books. The activities during and after reading will be led by the different roles in the group. The roles will need to be explained to the students before the Literature Circle begins. These are adapted from several different collaborative strategies (Schwertner and Birsh).

The “Discussion Leader” will lead the group. The “Picture Reader” will use the guide to draw a few graphics and explain what the picture is telling the reader. The “Travel

Tracker” will track the setting of the story and keep up with where the characters were during the section read. The “Gist Expert” works with the group to decide on the best gist

(main idea) of the selection. The “Predictor” will predict what will happen next in the story. The “Connector” helps the group make connections between reader and the text.

The students will be given role sheets to help them with their roles. The roles will change during the duration of the book. After they have completed the group session, they will respond in their blog journal.

Discussion Leader 23

Instructions: Start by asking the group members about a part of the story that excites them. Explain why this part is (was) so exciting or interesting. Make sure you comment on each others’ responses. Don’t let the discussion die! Keep it moving.

Discussion starters:

Finish the Statement:

1. What did you think when....

2. How did you feel when....

3. Did you understand what was going on when....

4. A part I really liked was…. What do you think about that part?

5. A part I didn’t like so much was…. What do you think about that part? 24

Picture Reader

Instructions: In graphic novels, the pictures tell the story, too. Below, draw a few “slides” and explain what the picture is telling the readers. 25

Gist Expert

Instructions: Good readers are able to read a story and pick out the one main idea or the “gist” of the story (what it is mainly about). They can also support the main idea with details. Your mission is to identify the main idea and supporting details.

Main Idea: ______

______

Detail: ______

______

Detail: ______

______

Detail: ______

______

Travel Tracker 26

Instructions: As the plot of the story moves, so do the characters. As travel tracker, you are tracking the setting of the story. That means you keep up with where the characters were during the reading.

Location 1 When: ______

Where: ______

Predictor 27

Instructions: Write your prediction for what will happen next in the story. Then write the clues that helped you draw that conclusion.

Prediction: ______

______

Clues: 1. ______

______

2. ______

______

3. ______

______

4. ______

______

Connector 28

Instructions: Good readers make connections as they read. There are three types of connections: Text to text: a connection between the book you are reading and another book (or story)….plot, characters, author, etc.

Text to self: connection between the reader and the story (‘this reminds me of the time I ….” or “this character is a lot like me…”).

Text to world: a connection between the reader and the rest of the world (“this reminds me of something I heard…”).

****As you read make three connections****

Text to Text 1.

Text to Self 1.

Text to World 1.

References 29

Ambe, Elizabeth BiFuh. (2007). Inviting reluctant adolescent readers into the literacy club: some comprehension strategies to tutor individuals or small groups of reluctant readers. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 50(8), 632-639. Retrieved from http://tinyurl.com/3dgnz9x

Edwards, Buffy. (2009). Motivating middle school readers: The graphic novel link. School Library Media Activities Monthly, Vol. 25(8), 56-58. Retrieved from http://tinyurl.com/3ov35c4

Griffith, Paul. (2010). Graphic novels in the secondary classroom and school libraries. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, Vol. 54(3), 181-189. Retrieved from http://tinyurl.com/3eetwsq

Smetana, Linda. (2010). Graphic novel gurus: Students with learning disabilities enjoying real literature. California Reader, Vol. 44(1), 3-4. Retrieved from http://tinyurl.com/3d4scmx

Schwarz, Gretchen E. (2002). Graphic Novels for Multiple Literacies. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, Vol. 46(3), 262. Retrieved from http://tinyurl.com/43ywoa8

Seyfried, Jonathan. (2008). Graphic novels as education heavyweights. Knowledge Quest, Vol. 36(3), 44-48. Retrieved from http://tinyurl.com/6zo3fxg

Snowball, Clare. (2005) Teenage reluctant readers and graphic novels. Young Adult Library Services, Summer 2005, Vol. 3(4), 43-45. Retrieved from http://tinyurl.com/3wcdc46