When I first began looking through the Graphic Canon, I assumed it was geared toward elementary or middle school students. After I noticed all of the nudity in the illustrations, I realized it was not something I would be able to keep on the shelf for younger students. Initially, I did not think the Graphic Canon was something I would want to use for high school students, but I was able to find a way to incorporate it into my twelfth-grade unit plan on satire.
One week of my unit plan is spent reading Part II of Gulliver’s Travels and I was able to find the same part in the Graphic Canon. The only way I could think of using the graphic novel in class was to help meet CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.7 (Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem evaluating how each version interprets the source text). For that lesson, the students will have already have read all of Gulliver’s Travels and class time will be utilized watching clips from two movie interpretations of the same scene and reading the Graphic Canon version of the scene. The students will complete a handout asking them “How do the different adaptions of the story Gulliver’s Travels change the effect of the story? Write your notes and observations below.” Essentially, the Graphic Canon would provide the same purpose as a movie would for supplementing reading.
Another way I could have students use Graphic Canon is to help acquire background information quickly. Some texts are better understood when the reader has read other texts that are referenced in it, and the Graphic Canon is a quick and fun way to get young readers caught up enough. I would prefer not to use The Graphic Canon on its own unless absolutely necessary because I don’t think the book shows great interpretations of every story, but I think it could help some students supplement their understanding of the original text versions.
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