May 3rd is Free Comic Book Day April 23, 2008
May 3rd is Free Comic Book Day, originally uploaded by Litandmore.
Free Comic Book Day is a day when partcipating stores provide free issues of comic books.
http://www.freecomicbookday.com/
Comics in the Classroom April 23, 2008
I am a huge fan of Time for Kids. Most students look forward to reading it and the articles serve as wonderful discussion starters. This week’s issue focuses on Comics in the Classroom. Graphic novels and comics are becoming increasingly popular in elementary classrooms and it made me smile when I read the following article! 
Yay for comics and graphic novels!
Picture this: You are sitting in class and pow! your teacher turns into Superman. Thwak! Garfield is chasing Mickey Mouse around your desk. What are comic book characters doing in class?
In some places, they are part of the lesson. Schools around the country are using comic books as a way to teach reading, writing and other subjects.
Critics say comics are too simple for school. But many teachers give comics a good grade for getting their students to read.
A Colorful New Way to Learn
Third-grade teachers in Maryland are using classic Disney comics. The department of education created lesson plans for the comics.
Maryland tested the program in eight classrooms. “The teachers love it. It captures students’ interest,” says Nancy Grasmick, superintendent of Maryland schools. She adds that they believe the comics have helped improve reading skills.
Another program, the Comic Book Project, is being used in 850 schools in the U.S. Students write and draw their own comics. The project was started by Michael Bitz, of Teachers College at Columbia University, in New York City. Bitz wanted to give kids the chance to “write their own stories and create their own characters,” he told TFK, “while improving their reading and writing skills.”
Katie Van Els, 11, from Hawaii, says the project has made her a better writer. “You need to use the right words and punctuation.”
Teachers also give the program high marks. Bitz has heard stories of children who didn’t like to read. “Suddenly, they’re the star writers in their class,” he says.
Retrieved from http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/teachers/ns/article/0,27972,1732354,00.html
Wireman March 26, 2008
Wireman Comics produces high interest materials geared toward emergent and reluctant readers. Author Sue Stauffacher came up with Wireman after listening to teachers and tutors complain that there were not enough materials for lower readers that included complex plots but low vocabulary. Wireman does not market itself as an educational tool; however, the comics include Dolch words and some teachers’ packets are avaliable. Check out the website to hear the reactions of students and teachers. http://www.wiremancomics.com/
Monkey with a Tool Belt February 28, 2008
I picked up Monkey with a Tool Belt and put it down twice. Charge me with judging a book by its cover. I’m so thankful for picking it back up, especially since my laugh carried throughout Anderson’s Bookshop. Two women stared at me as if I were insane.
Chico Bon Bon is a monkey that can build anything with his tool belt. Check it out…
Will his tools come in handy when an organ grinder captures him in the hopes of turning him into a circus monkey?
I heart office supplies November 20, 2007
I love this Unshelved comic because I, too, heart office supplies. It all started around age eight. My mom used to give me a box of office supplies for Christmas!
Older Marvel comics go online November 13, 2007
Nov 13, 2007 04:30 AM
Marvel is putting some of its older comics online today, hoping to reintroduce young people to the X-Men and Fantastic Four by showcasing the original issues in which such characters appeared.
It’s a tentative move onto the Internet: comics can only be viewed on a Web browser, not downloaded. New issues will only go online six months after they first appear in print.
Still, it is perhaps the comics industry’s most aggressive Web push yet in an ongoing effort to tap into the youth market
Retrieved from here
