Using Graphic Novels, Anime, and the Internet in an Urban High School

Abstract

A dolescents who struggle with reading and writing are often grouped in remedial classes and spend countless hours with worksheets and paraprofessionals. The focus of many intervention programs is basic skills, such as decoding. But as Gallego and Hollingsworth remind us, these intervention programs fail to recognize the multiple literacies that the students possess. Using popular culture builds on students' multiple literacies (Alvermann, Moon, and Hagood 3), as we found when we employed alternative genres such as graphic novels, manga, and anime. Students used these and other forms of popular culture, including the Internet and teen magazines, to enhance their creation of an illustrated story.