Integrative and illustrative: Multimodal acquisition, comprehension, and composition

Abstract

In this study, we examine evidence of transfer from reading instruction to students’ learning of language arts and historical content as demonstrated by their independent writing and growth in background knowledge. We taught a unit in a sixth-grade language arts classroom in which students learned about design elements of graphic novels (e.g., line, color) and typical features (e.g., gutter, panel) to bolster reading comprehension, using a historically accurate graphic novel about the American Revolution as an anchor text. We asked, (a) When students are taught about elements of graphic novels during content-area reading instruction, in what ways are they able to demonstrate understanding of those elements in independent compositions? (b) Does this type of instruction also build historical content knowledge? Results indicate that students were able to simultaneously learn about the graphic novel form and the content of the focal text.