"Frankenstein" Graphic Novel Adaptation

I think the use of graphic novels in the classroom is a brilliant idea. Not all students love to read. Not all students who love to read want to read. My problem in high school was I would read dialog but skip the “scenery” of the text. I wanted to get things done quick and then base my answers from in class discussion, especially if I was uninterested in the text. I feel many students fit into the range I just described. Graphic novels cut out the extra verbiage and use pictures to describe what is happening, this will register with more students than just reading text.

I feel that graphic novels can reach more students. Reluctant readers, slow readers, and uninterested readers are more likely to do an assignment if it’s more interesting. A graphic novel is also a good starting point for students who are struggling to grasp concepts or just struggling as readers in general. The “Frankenstein” graphic novel is a good example of something that would work well for reluctant or struggling readers. It is a story most kids are familiar with, so if I were to give them just the story text they may ignore it and watch a movie instead. A graphic novel would help keep students engaged in the lesson and give students an extra understanding. Or I could assign both the text and the graphic novel and have the students compare scenes from it to develop a deeper understanding of the text.

The only thing that might be problematic using graphic novels is that some can be quite graphic or disturbing to some students. For example, Poe’s works can be disturbing at times with ideas of mental illness and death. When some stories were converted to a graphic novel, I would question using them because of the graphic nature. Of course, it depends on the students age and maturity. We should always customize our lessons to our students, so that will play a part in determining if graphic novels are worth it a classroom.