Perhaps most interesting: 20 teenagers sitting in silence, their heads buried in books ranging from a recent Superman comic to contemporary fiction.
“I use the comics and graphic novels as a bridge for students to move up to the novels,” said Pearce, in his second year at Middletown High School. “Many of them don’t have a lot of experience reading on their own; they have to start somewhere.”
Three shelves of Pearce’s in-class library include comic anthologies and graphic novels the students can choose from during independent reading time — or “silent sustained reading,” as it’s known by Pearce’s students — once or twice a week. These materials are not used in placed of the curriculum’s required reading, but simply as a way to pull in otherwise reluctant readers.
Pearce started freshman Skylar Watkins with a few comics earlier in the year to whet his reading appetite. Once the student started devouring those, Pearce knew it was time to kick things up a notch.
Gradually, Skylar built up his reading stamina to tackle longer and more in-depth books. Today, he is reading the contemporary vampire/horror novel “The Strain,” by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan. All 384 pages of it.
“I never really read much before because I couldn’t get into it,” Skylar whispered during silent reading time. “Mr. Pearce said I might like this book, so, I started reading it. And I’m totally into it now.”
Pearce just smiled.
“It’s all about engaging the kids,” he said. “If you can connect reading with something they already know and can relate to, that’s a big first step.”
Early love of comics lead teacher to reading career
From the time he was a little boy, Middletown High School English teacher Christopher Pearce has been drawn to comics. From “Peanuts” and “Calvin and Hobbes” to classic Marvel and DC heroes, his passion has followed him throughout his life and into the classroom.
Now, five years into his teaching career, Pearce has found innovative ways to boost his students’ skills in reading and writing, as well as open a window into his life as a teacher.
Pearce uses comics in his classroom to help tie classical literature elements into a more modern environment.
“There are many parallels between classic heroic literature, mythology and superhero comic books,” Pearce said. “You can connect Aquaman with Poseidon, Batman with Hades, Wonder Woman with Aphrodite, and so on. Beyond the characters, all of them have classic stories of good vs. evil, a journey or quest. We make those connections in class when we can.”
Pearce has noticed a boost in reading skills since incorporating the “comic choice” in his classes. Throughout the year, he gives each student a “Scholastic Reading Inventory” — a quick snapshot of reading levels that shows most improved by an average of more than 200 points.
“The more they read, the better they get,” Pearce said. “They can see the improvement, which is even more motivation.”
Pearce has built his in-class library from his own collection, and also through organizations such as Donor Choose, an online group that helps teachers get books and other materials.
“It’s a wonderful program, and I couldn’t do what I do without them,” Pearce said. “I figure they have helped me acquire about $3,500 worth of books.”
Good grief: teaching grammar with comics
Students use comics beyond reading in Pearce’s class. One entire wall is covered with classic “Peanuts” strips with student-created dialogue. Each student is given a page with blank speech bubbles and is expected to create conversations for the characters. From there, students are asked to identify the parts of speech in each sentence.
“It’s a fun way to have them work on writing dialogue, as well as work on the nouns, verbs and adjectives,” Pearce said. “What I also find amusing is that many of these students don’t know who these characters are. They don’t know Lucy is crabby; so, when they create their strips, many times the whole story can change.”
Drawings reflect a day in a teacher’s life
Pearce produces his own comics, too.
“Teachable Moments” is his online comic journal, which takes snippets from his daily experiences and allows him an outlet to work through his process and share his thoughts with other professionals. The strips will sometimes deal with course subject matter (“Romeo and Juliet “has been a common theme lately), but can also tackle subjects such as discipline, technology, pop culture and more.
“The experiences are real, the students are composites — so no one is identified,” Pearce said of the strips. “It’s not that I think I’m profound, but sometimes being in the classroom can be a solitary thing. This is just my way of reaching out and sharing the nuts and bolts of what really happens in my classroom.”
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