Graphic Narratives and the Evolution of the Canon: Adapting Literature for a New Generation

Graphic narratives have been slowly trickling into English language arts classes throughout the United States, but few educators regard them as academic works with much value in the middle school classroom. This article explores the questions I had as a teacher when implementing graphic narratives for the first time in my classroom, such as: What is the best method to teach graphic narratives? What are the benefits/pitfalls of teaching outside of the traditional canon? What will middle level students think about reading a differentiated text? Do graphic narratives have a place within the traditional canon? With the guidance of Dr. Meg Dulaney, we studied the effects of graphic narratives with 25 eighth-grade honors language arts students.