Comics in Education Presents -- Literature in Translation: Going Graphic in IB

Comics in Education

Comics in Education Presents -- Literature in Translation: Going Graphic in IB

6/11/2014

by Glen Downey, Comics in Education, www.comicsineducation.com

Three Great GNs for Teaching Literature in Context

This coming year, I've decided to do something rather bold. Now to me it doesn't seem bold, but no doubt some of my fellow IB educators will feel otherwise.

For 2014-15, I've decided to replace each of our current texts for the Literature in Translation unit in the Language A: Literature course at The York School with graphic novels from the PLT (Prescribed Works of Literature in Translation).

Those of you who love graphic novels and want an opportunity to teach them in a context other than in Unit 4 (The Options Unit) can do so in Unit 1. For those who are teaching the Language A course in English, there are currently four graphic novels you can choose from:

Aya, by Marguerite Abouet (originally published in French)
Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi (originally published in French)
A Distant Neighbourhood, by Jiro Taniguchi (originally published in Japanese)
Naruto, by Mashashi Kishimoto (originally published in Japanese)

I won't be teaching these graphic novels until January 2015, but I can hardly wait. Although the contexts of these works are naturally all different (Aya, for instance, deals with growing up in the 70s in The Ivory Coast while Persepolis obviously deals with the Iranian Revolution in 1979), I think it's cool for students to have the graphic novel format as a consistent thread throughout the unit. The visual also gives them something else to focus on that is textual rather than contextual, an important feature for the Literature in Translation Paper that serves as the summative assessment for this unit.

If you're an IB Educator for Language A: Literature, let me know what works you're planning to do for the Literature in Translation unit. Depending on your titles, I can point you in the direction of some graphic works that might help to facilitate your students' understanding!

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6 Comments

Lisa Jensen-Hengstler

9/28/2014 10:47:49 am

Hi Glen!!

My name is Lisa and I am a Canadian teacher (originally from Alberta but it has been 10 years since we lived there). Right now I am living and working near Sao Paulo, Brazil. My husband and I are at an international school teaching IB DP - I am teaching the English Lang and Lit course. I plan to use Persepolis for one of my choices in Part 4 of the course: Texts and Context.

Since graphic novels as a genre will be new for my students and for me I was wondering if you have some good resources for teaching students to read graphic novels - particularly Persepolis. I won't be tackling it until January 2015 (like you!) but I was poking around looking for some other stuff for my current unit on humour and stumbled onto this site, thought I would send a note and see what you have on Persepolis that you might be willing to share.

Cheers from the southern hemisphere!

Lisa

Glen Downey link

9/28/2014 02:43:57 pm

Great to hear from you, Lisa!

The single best book for anyone wanting to understand comics is, not surprisingly, Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud. It's the Bible for understanding the history, tradition, and practice of visual narrative.

For using graphic novels in the classroom, there are a number of options to try. These include ones that can be found on the Comics in Education website at http://www.comicsineducation.com/for-educators.html. Just look for the Resources to Teach Comics in the Classroom section.

In fact, you can find links to all of our past blogs under "The Hub" and that might help with some great ideas for the classroom as well.

If you send me a direct email, I can get you set up with some great resources specifically about Persepolis!

You can get a hold of me under the contact tab at comicsineducation.com@gmail.com.

Glen

Nick

7/29/2016 06:35:08 am

I came across your website whilst having second thoughts about including Persepolis in my Part 1 component for the Literature course — thinking that it might be better suited to Part 4 (as the Guide suggests).

I'd like to include it in Part 1, so that students who enjoy the study of graphic novels might take it further in Part 4, but I'm wary about moving too far from what the primary focus of Part 1 is, being a focus on language and context. (This is not of course to say that one can't do this with Persepolis, it's just that I'm more used to applying these approaches to 'traditional' literature.)

I also want to include it because it offers an interesting angle in relation to the other two texts in Part 1, also translated from French, Camus' The Plague, and Voltaire's Candide. I like the idea of having a 'throughline' of French-language translation, even though I realise there's no need for this.

All of this is to ask a simple question: how did you get on with teaching Persepolis in Part 1? And do you think it's viable to teach it without other graphic novels in that part as well? If you have any resources to share, or advice to give, then please let me know. I'd be very happy to continue the conversation via email.

Many thanks.

Aoife Abushaqra link

9/30/2017 12:09:28 am

Hi! I've previously taught Persepolis and this year my HL Literature class will study Aya as one of their Part 1 texts. I'm interested in trying out Naruto next year but there are so many volumes, how does it work? Is it Volume 1 only that is prescribed? Any info would be greatly appreciated 😊

Glen Downey

9/30/2017 08:45:56 am

Hi Aolfe!

I believe that the Naruto story they want you to teach is the 0-issue. In other words, the original Naruto story published in Shonen Jump magazine. I considered teaching it, but wasn't sure how to find it since it doesn't seem to be available in stores. I think you'd be better served teaching A Distant Neighborhood. It's a fantastic graphic story and on the PLT.

Cheers!

Glen

Aoife Abushaqra

9/30/2017 11:41:44 am

Thanks for your quick response Glen! Yes, A Distant Neighbourhood looks like an interesting choice. I teach the Literature course so also considering focusing on Graphic Novels for Part 4 of the course which allows for free choice of texts to study.

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Glen Downey

Dr. Glen Downey is an award-winning children's author, educator, and academic from Oakville, Ontario. He works as a children's writer for Rubicon Publishing, a reviewer for PW Comics World, an editor for the Sequart Organization, and serves as the Chair of English and Drama at The York School in Toronto.

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