The Four Color Media Monitor

CBS-KWTX10 covered a convention in Waco, Texas, dedicated to promoting comics for improving reading for students:

Waco ISD held its first Comic Fest to improve youth literacy.

Waco ISD teacher Matt Menefee and another faculty member came up with the idea after noticing lower reading levels in their students. Menefee said comic books are a great way to get people to start reading.

“It’s that combination of the picture and the words,” Menefee said. “It bridges the gap between a movie and a regular book because there’s something that draws you in and a good graphic novel will draw you in.”

Talented writing and art are what make a good GN. But why does a student quoted for the article like to read comics?

Traditional books can sometimes be difficult for August to visualize.

“Books have no pictures,” August said. “It’s sometimes hard for me to picture them.”

August’s dad and University High School teacher Colton Wheeler, thinks graphic novels can help kids like his visualize stories.

“It’ll help build their imagination by giving them a place to start with the graphics and the visuals.”

No matter how much I love medium, I don't think they should replace text-only books as something to build up the imagination, and there have been plenty of illustrated books on the market too for decades. But, I do appreciate what this convention was established for, and good luck to the organizers in realizing its goal of increasing literacy.

Labels: conventions, history, science