Teaching with comics

I hate to even post this as I always post everything I do for free. I don’t want to put a paywall between this work and teachers who are already underpaid. Resources - like buying books, paying for my website, blog, etc. - gets expensive when funds are tight. If you use my resources and would like to send a little support, I’d appreciate it. If you can’t, I understand and I’ll keep on posting anyway! Thank you to everyone for all of your support over the years!

Big Apple Diaries. Alyssa Bermudez. 2021, Roaring Book Press. This graphic memoir centers on the author’s life as a tween, trying to navigate the social world of middle school, trying to find herself, coping with separated parents, finding love…. and then the events of 9/11 and the immediate aftermath. The events in this book are based on diary entries from Bermudez and allow a human window into a day that many of us still cannot explain. This could be a powerful stand-alone story about a tween getting through life as it connects in a funny and honest way to what many of us have gone through in those years. We connect to the character and the people around her through the power of the comics medium. This is what makes the last portion of the book so approachable as we see 9/11 through her eyes. This story is not one of horror and handles this difficult topic in an approachable way that will help our young readers better understand the human impact of this day. As a 40 something year old, I can tell my students, and my own children, about my experiences on 911, but this story literally shows what a person their own age was experience and allows them into the story in a non-threatening way.

In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers: the Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Days, Weeks, Months, and Years after the 9/11 Attacks. Don Brown. Etch Publishing. 2021. This is the book we need in our classrooms to tell the story of 9/11, the people involved, and the following impact. My daughter was shown a video in elementary school that deeply upset her and she came home crying, full of questions for me. Had this book been around at the time, I would have sat down and read it with her. While Brown doesn’t pull any punches, he emotionally connects with the reader in a way that does not horrify, that allows for space and time to breathe and ponder, to connect, and to ask questions. So much of what happened is touchingly explained as we learn about the first responders, the office workers, the rescue dogs, and those helping to rescue and dig out. We see the Pentagon and Flight 93. We see anti-Muslim reaction and President Bush reminding us that these were terrorists who twisted a peaceful religion. We see troops being sent into Afghanistan and how prisoners suffered through “enhanced interrogation techniques”. We see the hunt for bin Laden and end with the rebuilding of New York. This is not a jingoistic uber-patriotic story that shies away from tough ideas and facts, but this is what makes us learn. The illustrations are just vague enough that we can imagine ourselves in this day and our students, and my own children, will connect to these events in a emotional manner, on a human level. This is the power of comics and Don Brown uses this medium in a powerful and meaningful way. The images put us in the midst of the confusion, of the chaos, and the bravery. I can see this as a much more meaningful way to teach our students about 9/11 in a wide view that will greatly help them to understand and also to question. I will be putting multiple copies of this in my classroom.

This one shot comic, published in 2011, gets into the conspiracy theories of 9/11 and the war in Iraq. Much evidence is given and cited - but it is up to the reader to make decisions. A fascinating read.

Basic Premise - Spiderman witnesses the planes hit - he and other superheroes come to help in the aftermath. Citizens question why the
superheros were not there to help. The heroes then go on to explain that the real heroes are the first responders.
Teacher Thoughts - This is such a powerful comic - on pages 2 and 3 - Spidey is looking down on the destruction of NYC and has just one
thought - "...God..." TGoogle this image - powerful! The superheroes (Spiderman, Captain America, Thor, Thing, Cyclops) and Supervillians come to help (Dr. Doom, Magneto, Juggernaut). Dr Doom is seen crying over the devestation. The shout out to first responders
is such a great message. I wish I had the money to buy class sets of this comic - so an awesome resource. If you want to be viewed as a serious collector - this is a MUST HAVE.
Potential Issues - Christian leader speaking on TV about how the attack was God's punishment for abortions, gays, and feminists.
Muslim leader speaking on TV about how the attack was God's will for America's sins