Blog 6

Looking over this article on graphic novels, I have noticed how they have started to become a success with educators who use them in their curriculums. I would make use of this article and website, by saving it, and referring back to it, whenever I wanted to incorporate a graphic novel into my curriculum. I would probably try to incorporate these novels while teaching History or Science, because I know those subjects can be hard for many students to grasp. Although reading and learning about Science or History by reading graphic novels with many pictures could be very beneficial.

Summary Graphic Novel: Pashmina

Pashmina is about a teenage girl, who is raised by her immigrant mother in the United States. Pashmina’s mother is from India, and Pashmina has a burning desire to visit India to learn more about her father. She has never met her father before, and when she finds out the sad truth about her father on a trip to India to visit her Aunt, she finally discovers why her mother refused to ever talk about her long lost father.

Question D

Pashmina is being a little sassy to her mother at dinner one evening. When I look at the expression on Pashmina’s face her eyes are narrowed, arms are folded across her chest and she looks either angry or frustrated at her mother. Pashmina is upset with her mother at the dinner table, because she will not talk to her about her father from India. She quotes to her mother, “You always change the subject,” (Chanani, 15) whenever Pashmina brings up her father to her mother.

The free verse novel I am currently reading is Enchanted Air, by Margarita Engle. This book  is a memoir about her childhood and her struggles of being half Cuban and half American. This novel has been a quick read for me, because of how the book is written. Due to the fact there are only a few words on the page this book is an easy and quick read for me. I have not yet finished the book, but I feel really bad for Margarita, because her heart lies in Cuba with her Cuban family, but she is not allowed to visit them anymore. The United States is in a War with Cuba, and the state erupts with the Bay of Pigs invasion.  She logs to be with her Cuban family, and hopes that they are safe from harm.

I loved the format of this book, I have read many books like it before in the past. My favorite series in the poem format is the Crank series written by, Ellen Hopkins.  I read her entire series in about two weeks because there minimal writing on each page, so it was easy to plow through her books. I would recommend Enchanted Air for my students to read, and then once they read the book, I would have them right a memoir about themselves. The memoir would be about their life and major events that have happened since they have been born. Then I would have each of my students present theirs to the class, so their classmates and I could learn a little about them.

 

Poem

so much depends upon

a little blue wagon

rusting in the rain

beside the red shed