Description:

Visual Literacy is a higher-level high school literature course, which will include critical thinking, research, reading and interpreting graphic novels in addition to writing several forms of essays.

As an increasingly more popular fiction and non-fiction format, graphic novels can be a gateway to reading for more reluctant readers and a new method of consuming information for the seasoned reader. With graphic novels, students can learn to handle ambiguity in a text and exercise more reading and interpreting skills by analyzing images in addition to text. Reading comprehension, as well as the comprehension and interpretation of themes, literary devices, and social issues is improved through the study of graphic novels. Students will leave the course with a stronger understanding and appreciation of character, themes and literary devices, in addition to images, icons and how one interprets what they see.

The class will be set up so over the course of every few weeks, we will analyze a graphic novel story and how it relates to our society and life’s experiences. Throughout the year students will learn how to write narrative, critical, editorial and research essays. Students will have weekly reading and/or writing assignments and should expect 2-3 hours of homework per week. There will be no quizzes or tests in this class; however, students should be prepared to complete one project for their midterm and one project for their final in addition to the essays listed above.

This class is worth a full English credit. Students who have previously taken this class may take it again, as we will be reading a completely different list of books and writing a new list of essays.

A sample selection of graphic novel titles that will be included in the course, include the following: (titles subject to change; all books used in this course for the year are included in material fee)
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Beowulf by unknown
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
March by John Lewis
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee