Using Comics with ESL/EFL Students
Justine Derrick
Second Language Acquisition, Reading, and Comics
Commics could be used as a tool Encourage students to read (input)
The most important factor in the development of reading skills is
the amount of time a student actually spends reading
comics is used to increase the amount of time their students read
they not only can provide language learners with contextualized
comprehensible input, but also engage the learner and lead him or her
to explore more graphic novels or books.
commics deals with real spoken language more than books
therefore it could be a tool to introduce learners concepts such a ‘ellipsis,
blends, nonwords, vague lexis, confirmation checks, contrastive stress, new
topic signals, nonverbal language, mitigators, [and] routine/ritual phrases’
Comics, on the other hand, put each of these into context and make them
relevant to second language learners.”
Visual Literancy
Comic books and graphic novels call for “visual
literacy,” where students need to learn to recognize
certain symbols and decode their meaning
How to Use Comics in
the Classroom
Understanding Visual Symbols
prepare students to interpret symbols
Reading Order in Comics
Give students the oportunity of
reading commics, and discuss the
order they should read the page.
Comic Jigsaw
Give some students texts
and other panels. Students
could match their panel to
text or their text to a panel