Dog Man

Dog Man

by Dav Pilkey

Published: 2016

Dog Man is an eight-book graphic novel series that tells of the adventures of a crime-fighting dog named Dog Man. As an extension of Dav Pilkey's famous Captain Underpants books, Dog Man is framed as the next product of the two students who created Captain Underpants, George and Harold. Dog Man is the product of two different police workers within the town, one police dog, named Greg, and one man. When they are both injured, doctors combine the legs of the human, with the top of the dog, to create Dog Man. In the first book of the series, Dogman fights many crimes within his community. Dog Man is in a constant battle with Petey the Cat as he tries to take over the town. With bright illustrations, and engaging humor, Dog Man is a great first reader for any young student looking for a graphic novel.

Response: 

Graphic novels are a huge hit within lower elementary classrooms, and Dog Man is no exception. Students become invested in the handwritten graphics, and humor found within the Dog Man books. The use of graphics and multimodal text enhances understanding and comprehension within students, and the different characters and emotions portrayed within this text support this concept greatly. First, the text is designed in parts and chapters, that each tells of a different adventure Dogman experiences. From these easy to recognize headings and labels within the gutters, students are able to separate each plot point from the others. This layout also makes the text more approachable to readers because it is split up into equal sections with different storylines to keep readers engaged and wondering what Dog Man's next mission will be. The bright colors and zoomed-in illustrations within each panel are a great tool to guide students in reading visual images. Dog Man is filled with humor, which keeps students engaged and interested in reading. This text is a great book to utilize for reluctant readers because it is reader-friendly, while also filled with content young readers will enjoy reading. Another way students become engaged is through the balloons. The balloons are used to show voice, emotion, thoughts, and enhance an understanding of point of view. From balloons, students are able to experience characters in a new hands-on way by their constant interaction and clear voices.  

Another aspect of Dav Pilkey's work that enhances his graphic novels is the concept of a "Fip-O-Rama". A "Fip-O-Rama" is an interactive sequence of visuals and events within the story. Pilkey guides readers where to place their hands, and how to use a "Fip-O-Rama". The "Fip-O-Rama" reflects something similar to a flipbook, where it appears like the characters or scene is moving. This approach is loved by all readers, as well as entertaining for readers to create their own stop motion sequence. When introducing graphic novels to students, it is imperative to recognize the importance of using illustrations to gain more understanding. My teaching multimodal reading, readers will be able to recognize that reading is not solely text, and information can also be gathered from the illustrations within each panel. Readers should be instructed to pay attention to the illustrations to gain more information on setting, characters, plot, as well as changes in time and progression of the story. The only area of note which could be problematic for students, is that this text is published as if it were written by children, so there are spelling and grammar mistakes, as well as cross-outs, and messy writing sections. Students will enjoy being able to connect to the text because it becomes more approachable and relatable, however, it could provoke confusion for early readers and spellers. Overall, Dog Man is a great graphic novel to implement and instruct multimodal reading in elementary classrooms due to its' engaging and humorous text, and bright illustrations. 

New Kid

New Kid

by Jerry Craft

Published: 2019

New Kid tells the story of Jordan Banks, a twelve-year-old whose world is flipped upside down when he enrolls in private school. Written as a graphic novel, Jerry Craft is able to capture emotions, opinions, and bring the harsh reality of racial stereotyping into the light. Jordan dreams of bring a cartoonist, but in order to go to art school, he must promise his mom that he will attend Riverdale Academy Day School school. When Jordan begins school, it becomes clear that he is one of the few kids of color. Jordan makes some friends, but is immediately greeted with expectations, stereotypes, and preconceived notions about him solely based on his skin color. Within the book, Jordan wrestles with his identity. He tries to balance who he has always been, and who he is becoming based on the people he is surrounded by at school. This text has received many highly acclaimed awards such as the 2020 Newbury Medal as well as the Coretta Scott King Award. 

About the Author:  

Jerry Craft grew up in Washington Heights, NYC, just like Jordan Banks. Much of Jordan Banks' story, is actually the story of Jerry Craft. He commuted to a private school in Riverdale, where he was also the minority, and wanted to be an artist. His sons were also sent to a private school in a more affluent community. Craft calls these thirty years of research that went into the creation of this text. Jerry Craft wrote New Kid because it was the book that he wished he had had as a kid. He wrote this book for the kids who feel lost and underrepresented in books, as well as in schools. Inspired by how his kids viewed Diary of a Wimpy Kid, as well as how he was a reluctant reader, he aimed to create a graphic text with humor, that also made readers feel seen and validated. He wanted to push the visuals within the text to tell an equally as compelling message. Craft is one of only a handful of syndicated African American cartoonists in the US. Now, Craft is the author of the first graphic novel to be awarded the Newbury Medal. 

Response: 
New Kid has opened my eyes to the harsh truths of being a minority. Jerry Craft does a beautiful job shedding light on the harsh truths that people do not want to acknowledge. Through Jordan, readers are exposed to situations they may have witnessed, such as calling someone the wrong name solely because they shared physical features with someone else, or assumptions about athleticism or interests. The Article, What If I Offend Someone by Laura Darolia discusses the concept of a socially just classroom that consists of critical literacies. She writes about valuing different perspectives, while also exploring sociopolitical issues (Darolia, 2018). New Kid is a great text to add different perspectives, as well as address sociopolitical issues within the classroom. The contrast of Jordan's friendships with Liam, his caucasian guide to RAD, Drew, the fellow African American new student, and Kirk, Jordan's oldest friend in Washington Heights. Jordan recognizes how his actions and personality are altered and changed based on the friend he is engaging with. When his grandfather asks him about this, or why his friends do not all hang out together, Jordan is unable to put into words why. This text does an amazing job of getting readers to stop, think and reevaluate how they view life, and others without making the text too heavy. For example, when Jordan travels to school each day from Washington Heights, he takes the bus. From this experience alone, readers see first hand the pressures and expectations Jordan is facing. Jerry Craft described this switch as changing worlds completely, and that concept is perfectly portrayed through Jordan's consistent change of outfit based on the stops the bus takes. Situations such as these, go unnoticed constantly, but the Jordan's of the world suffer greatly because of them. Exposing older students to this text, such as middle school, will teach them about acceptance and the struggles that other students face in an approachable and engaging way. 

Starfall

Starfall: Learn to Read

Created by: Starfall.com

Starfall is a website, as well as an application available on all iOS and Android devices. Starfall is targetted towards early elementary students and focuses on phonemic awareness, and early literacy development. The resource is free to use both online, and using the app, and teachers or parents can easily create accounts. There is a low-cost paid version where schools can gain full access to more resources and content. Teachers or family members can utilize this tool to promote and support phonemic awareness and reading development. 

For Students

Starfall is visually simple, and simple for young learners to work through. The resource includes fifteen mini-books, which each focus on a pattern from a vowel sound. The resource also includes games, songs, videos and images to reinforce and engage students in their early literacy development. There are four levels that students can work through to develop their reading. The first level is "Learning ABC's" which focuses on the most basic root of reading, understanding letters and letter sounds. The next level is the "Early Beginning Reading" where they elaborate on their understanding of letter sounds by adding consonants and learning about word families. Each letter within a word is highlighted, as the sounds are read to the learner. The next level is "Intermediate Beginning Reader". At this level, students are exposed to the book characters within the next level, and are able to explore the tools, such as magic tricks, that they will utilize in their last level. The final level is "Advanced Beginning Reader". In the final stage, students are exposed to a variety of books that they can choose to read, as seen above. There is a range of genres, topics, and styles, including comics and fables. As the students progress through these levels, there are skills that are aligned with each level, such as blends, digraphs, and short and long sounds. 

For Teachers

Starfall is a great tool for lower elementary teachers to implement into their classrooms, as well as encourage families to utilize. As seen on the left, the content of this program is easily accessible, and simple to guide families and students through. Starfall also allows for class logins, where teachers can track and monitor student progress. 

Response

Starfall is a great resource to promote and enhance early literacy. The games, songs, and practices are bright, and kid-friendly, which allows students to remain engaged. Starfall also does a great job encouraging students to foster a love of reading through positive messages and headings such as " I Love to Read!" and "I'm Reading!" This encourages students to utilize these phrases, and put the words into action and see themselves as readers. Since the program is simple, there is little room for distractions. The simplicity allows students to focus on developing their literacy skills, as opposed to learning to solely rely on images and illustrations. One downfall I recognize in this program is the simplicity may lead to boredom or disinterest in students. Students love to be stimulated and engaged through moving pieces, which this program does not have a lot of. Since there are only fifteen texts, there is not a lot of exposure to a wide variety of texts. Once a student is able to read a simple book, I suggest moving on to a different program where they can engage in books that interest them, as well as a program that has a wide variety of diverse texts. Starfall is research-based and aligns with Common Core State Standards for ELA development. Starfall brings to life the concept of effective exploration and play as it pertains to encouraging students to become motivated and successful readers.

Teach Your Monster to Read

Teach your Monster to Read

Created by: Teach Monster Games

Teach your Monster to Read is an application as well as a website, available on all iOS and Android devices. It is based on a child's early literacy development. This means that it includes basic skill-building from matching letters to letter sounds and pictures, to reading small skill-building books. This digital resource focuses on early phonics instruction and reading games, so it is the best fit for lower grades. 

For Students

This resource is designed to guide students through their first two years of learning to read through a progression of skills. Students are immediately engaged when they open the app or website and get to create their own monster. The program is story based, so the students are engaged in a mission to fix their ship and progress through the galaxy. There are three different "stages" of the program through which the students, and their monster progress. The first phase is called "first steps" where they build their letter-sound correspondence, as seen above. Here, they practice connecting sounds to letters and images. The second phase is called "Fun with Words", and is pictured on the left. Here, students learn how to segment and put letters and letter sounds together. The final stage, "Champion Readers", shown below, is where students put all of their knowledge together and read small introductory books. The other phases of the game are slow and repetitive, however, this section moves quicker and is more challenging so that it best fits the new abilities and learning speed of the student. The books are highlighted, and read aloud to the student to gain exposure with fluency, pace, and letter-sound correspondence. Here, the students are exposed to short sentences. Throughout the resource, students are able to progress through different planets, which keeps them engaged and encourages them to progress through the program. 

For Teachers

This resource has a great resource area for teachers to monitor and assign phonics development for early learners. Since it is aimed for early learners, teachers could utilize this program as a tool to reinforce and strengthen the reading skills of students who may be struggling to grasp these early concepts, or as a way to encourage and support  ESL students to engage with the English language. Within the easily findable "Teachers' Area", there are resources for teachers to bring the program to a whole group setting, as well as tips for implementing and introducing the program. Teachers are encouraged to create profiles for their students, so that they can easily log in at home or in the classroom. By creating a class, teachers can also track progress, and recognize if a student has been on a "planet" for a long time, and may need extra support. Teachers are able to view reports of student progress, as well as find additional resources to reinforce phonics and reading development in early readers. 

 Response 

This program is designed based on research for phonemic, phonological, and reading development. There are no external advertisements, so it allows for minimal distractions. Since this program's skill practice is game-based, the students are consistently engaged and learning key skills to develop their reading. There is a strong reward system, which praises the students for their success, and inspires them to try their best and continue to succeed. The students cannot be monitored on their amount of time creating and editing their monster, which could be distractive. Since the content is repetitive, it ensures that the students have a lot of exposure to the concepts, and are receiving quality information and quality time with the phonics practice. Since it is a story-based program, there are not a wide range of texts or cultures represented, because the "champion readers" are reading simple sentences to build text awareness. One area I would be cognazent of would be assigning this as a resource for a whole class. Since students are at such varying ranges of reading development, it is important to only assign resources that will further the individual's reading development. This resource should be for early readers, before they have a lot of experience with time in text because it is a resource that builds student's foundation for reading.   

RAZ Kids

RAZ Kids

Created by: Reading A-Z

Raz-Kids is a website, as well as an application available on all iOS and Android devices. RAZ-Kids provides texts spanning over 29 levels of reading, in both fiction and nonfiction texts. The texts address different literary concepts, content area subjects, and prompt comprehensive responses. Within their account, students are prompted to read, listen to, or record themselves reading, and each text is followed by a comprehension quiz. The students are able to "Level Up" and earn stars for their work, so it is visually and motivationally engaging. 

For Students

RAZ-Kids is designed in an outer space theme where students can create and build their own robot. This automatically engages and excites the student to earn more stars so that they can personalize their robot. If their teacher already inputs their reading level, the student will be able to have full access to the book room, labeled by the yellow planet, where they will be exposed to books on, below, and above their reading level. To build fluency, RAZ will first read the text out loud so that the student is able to learn unknown words, and build familiarity with the text. It will also model reading fluency. Following the "listen", students will have the option to read and record their books at their own pace. This will allow them to practice and apply their learned reading skills, as well as demonstrate the fluency they have experienced. Each book also includes interactive reading tools, such as a highlighter or a space to make notes. When they take the quiz after having exposure to the text at least three times, they will be able to show their understanding of the text. Each quiz is linked to a Common Core Standard, as well as a comprehension skill to report to the teacher areas in which the student may need more support. If the blue plant is present, it means that the teacher has assigned the student either a reading, or an assessment, which can be teacher-created, or a running record. By having it's own planet, this makes the assignment clear and simple for students to locate. As students read more books, they will earn stars and progress towards their next level, which motivates students to remain engaged and continue reading. By allowing a wide text selection, students love this program because it gives them many different options, and they can choose texts that interest them. Within the article, Selecting Appealing and Appropriate Books, authors Cahill and McGill-Franzen state that online reading programs are effective for English as a Second Language learners. This is especially true for RAZ-Kids because there is an option where students can read a text in their native language, and then transition with that same text into English. 

For Teachers

For teachers, RAZ-Kids provides great tools for monitoring, assigning, and assessing students. Teachers are able to input their class data, as well as reading levels for each student. They can create "kid-friendly" log-ins, where the password can be in symbols for students still developing their reading and typing skills. Teachers have easy access to reports and student data that is easily organized in a way that teachers can gather data. The reports consist of time logged, texts read, concepts that the students struggle most with and succeed most in, as well as level progression. Teachers can also assign texts for students to read, as well as assessments such as running records. Teachers are also able to create and assign their own assessments to students. 

Response

Raz-Kids creates an effective tool for both teachers and students. It has multiple features that support student needs, and grow literacy growth. Through the consistent monitoring of "just right" and "level up" texts, students are pushed in their reading without feeling frustrated. There is a store where students can accessorize their robot, however, if it becomes too distracting, a teacher can deactivate a student's access to the store. Within reports, teachers can see the amount of time each student spends in the store, in order to maintain quality reading time. Since it is an ever-changing source, there are new texts being added frequently ranging a wide variety of concepts, as well as cultures. The students are encouraged to learn from illustrations, so the illustrations within the texts are detailed enough in a way that is not distracting.  

They All Saw A Cat

           

They All Saw A Cat

by: Brenden Wenzel

Published: 2016

2017 Caldecott Honors Book

They All Saw a Cat is a picture book that shows readers what a cat looks like through different lenses. Using illustrations, Wenzel was able to create a world where the reader experiences cats from all different points of view, through the eyes of many other animals. 

Response & Visual Literacy

Example of how a cat would appear from the perception of a bee

The illustrations within this book are used to demonstrate different perspectives and show readers what it is like to see the world, or see cats, through a different lens. This book is an effective teaching tool for multiple purposes. First, this book is an effective tool for teaching students about appearance, and how each eye sees differently. For example, in the image above, Wenzel illustrates how a cat would appear through the eyes of a bee. As students progress through this book, they are able to experience cats through the lens of all different species and eyes. This concept could stem a lesson, or cross-curricular project where students have to research how different animals see, and create a visual perception of their own. In terms of visual literacy, this book embodies the concept that stories are told through the text and illustrations together. In this book, the illustrations and text have a strong relationship. As described by Louis and Serchenynski, the pictures in this book have a reciprocal relationship to the text in this story. This means that the images coincide with the text, but they add more detail and purpose to the book, as well as provides more information and meaning. The illustrations hold an underlying meaning as well as inform the reader of a new perspective, however, they do not alter or change the message or contradict the text. 

The final page of the book

The image to the left depicts the final page of the book. On this page, Wenzel combines all of the different perspectives explored through the text and the different depictions of cats readers have encountered. This page holds an important takeaway, that comes from the illustration piece. In the classroom, teachers can utilize this page to teach two important lessons. First, teachers can point out that from just the text, it is clear that all creatures saw the cat, but once a reader takes the illustration into account, it is evident that they all see the same creature differently. This can also lead to a life lesson that students can take away. Even though each creature saw the cat through their own lens, the cat is still the same cat. This can guide a conversation about how everyone may view a person differently, but they are still the same, and still a human, underneath.  

The One and Only Ivan

The One and Only Ivan

 by: Katherine Applegate

Published: 2012

2013 Newbury Metal Winner 

Summary: The One and Only Ivan is a young-adult novel that is based on the true story of a silverback gorilla named Ivan who lived in a cage at a mall located in Washington for 27 years. When Ruby, a baby elephant joins him from the wild, the two become unexpected friends and Ivan is forced to acknowledge who he truly is and where he belongs. This novel is told in the first-person point of view from Ivan himself. Ivan lives at the Big Top Shopping Mall off of a highway, and loved his life initially. He had human friends who frequented at the mall and visited him often. From Julia, a young girl, Ivan received his first crayon, which he used to draw for enjoyment. Mack, the mall's owner, sells Ivan's paintings in the gift shop. Ivan also had a neighboring elephant, Stella, who was also living in captivity at the mall. Since the story is told through Ivan's eyes, he is able to develop relationships with Stella and Julia, and tell of the fascinations he has with them, such as Stella's ability to use her trunk and Julia's artistic abilities. When the mall loses popularity, the owner, Mack, decides to bring in a baby elephant, Ruby. When Stella passes away due to a lack of resources and space for two elephants, people begin to protest Ivan and Ruby being held at the mall, and Ivan takes it upon himself to get them out. He paints the word "HOME" on a large poster, and the media and public get invested in his story, and freeing Ivan and Ruby. They are released and sent to a zoo where they can interact with others of their own kind. They both adapt to their new life, and Julia is able to visit the zoo frequently. 

Response: The One and Only Ivan is a fascinating read. The most interesting concept of this book is how it is told, from the perspective of another species. However, it works due to how knowledgeable and informed Ivan is, and how he is continuing to develop and learn throughout the novel. Due to this, readers are involved and taken on this journey of discovery. Readers are able to see the world and discover through the eyes of Ivan. For example, at the beginning of the book, Ivan seems happy watching TV, and interacting with bypassers at the mall. However, once he discovers the way his life should be, out of the close captivity, readers experience the hurt and turmoil of this discovery alongside Ivan. The interesting thing about this book is that it takes basic human concepts from a new perspective. For example, readers understand the term freedom from a totally new lens. To humans, we think of freedom as not being tied down or obligated to a greater system. From this book, readers recognize that freedom actually means something completely different to other species. To Ivan, freedom is being able to return to the life he knew when he was young, the life he was taken from and longs to return to. This opens an outlet for many discussions while reading this book. Since freedom is often longing for something you have never experienced, it is interesting to acknowledge through this book that freedom to Ivan is being able to return to something he once had. 

Analysis: In relation to the elements of a well-written book, this book develops a strong unexpected insight through the point of view the story is told from, as well as art. Katherine Applegate does an incredible job with personification, as well as plot and character development that many students could connect and relate to. Through telling the story from the perspective of Ivan, Applegate personifies a gorilla in a way that readers can relate, and feel for him. Ivan is able to teach readers many important lessons, such as helping others, which he does for helping liberate Ruby, and the importance of speaking up for injustice. Through this personification, the book makes readers think about perspective, and gives an unexpected perspective on a common occurrence we see each day: animals in captivity. The use of the first-person point of view gives a strong unexpected insight into the world of Ivan, and animals in captivity. This allows readers to understand and see animals in a new light, and build a new sense of empathy and understanding. These concepts, as well as the concepts of personification and imagery which are used strongly within the book, would be beneficial to discuss and reflect on within a classroom setting. 

This book also does an incredible job of teaching the importance of communication and the weight art can hold,  no matter the form. The One and Only Ivan teaches the power of art, and using it to get a message across. When Ivan creates a poster with the word "HOME", he is able to get bystanders to recognize that a small window in a shopping mall is not where he belongs. This simple art piece is able to spark a response and revolution that leads to his liberation, which was possible and achieved by a gorilla. This can be used to teach the lesson of small gestures and acts that can make a huge impact, or the importance of standing up for what you believe in. This concept can also be used to discuss communication, and how different cultures, communities, and even species can bridge their communication gap using art. This could spark a project where students create a piece of art that portrays an important issue or cause to them, and they can explain how their message could be received using their artwork. The story of Ivan is also a true story, which makes this story even more engaging for students. Even though it is not non-fiction since it is told from the perspective of a gorilla, the foundation of the story and the events are factual.