Teachers
notes for educators using www.COMICS.education in their classroom
www.COMICS.education comics are designed to be supplemental reading - fictional narratives that use standards-based, age-appropriate themes. These are ideal for settings where a teacher is asked to "teach more reading in the subject area".
Why does it matter?
In 2022, average eighth-grade reading scores declined in the Northeast (2 points), Midwest (4 points), and South (3 points) compared to 2019; the average score did not significantly change in the West. The number of states with score declines in 2022 is the largest dating back to the 1998 assessment. [source]
Need to validate "comics" with research (or at least expert opinion)?
See the Harvard article on Comics in the Classroom or the Comics in Education website for ideas, strategies, and best practices. GeoComics have even been studied. Sample of results on Eric database.
Notes:
Comics are not serialized. They are also not sequential.
As a general rule, characters don't carry from one reading to the next.
Several AI engines are used to generate the narrative, art, and other media.
You should find one or more national content standards at the bottom of each comic. Standards frameworks will vary with the subject area. NGSS, C3, Common Core, and others are used.
Flesch-Kincaid grade level reading scores are put in the "Tags" section at the bottom of each reading. These are rounded to the nearest whole grade. Use in searches by typing: FK8 (for example, Flesch-Kincaid grade level 8).
Use the magnifying glass in the upper right corner to search on keywords or identifiers used in standards or reading level. "GeoComic" is a special keyword used for comics with interactive maps. Search examples include:
earth science FK8
GDP
oceans FK8
NGSS:MS-ESS3-1
earth geoomic
If you feel like we've mishandled or misrepresented a theme, standard, or concept, please send an email to comics@comics.education. We can discuss.
Feel free to share or reuse as you want for use in classrooms. The content is intended for school-age learners, but may be used by older students as well. If you have any special requests, please reach out.
Shareable resources from partners and teachers:
Canva webpage (teacher PD)
Canva presentation (copy to use in teacher PD)