PDA

View Full Version : NEW YORK CITY COMIC MUSEUM STARTS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM


MattBrady
10-29-2002, 02:22 PM
Press Release
<blockquote>The New York City Comic Book Museum, the nation's only museum dedicated to the art of the comic book, recently launched a unique educational program.

C.O.M.I.C.S. Curriculum - "Challenging Objective Minds: an Instructional Comicbook Series" is the first museum-approved educational program designed to bring comic books into the classroom.

"This is a very professional use of educationally-sound comic books to attract, motivate and instruct our pupils in schools' literacy agenda," said Hunter College professor Rose Harrison, Ed.D. "The C.O.M.I.C.S. Curriculum Teacher's Guide provides them with the appropriate tools needed to get maximum positive results in all aspects: reading, writing, listening and speaking, while the comic books themselves are exciting the children about the prospect of being a reader."

"Teachers and administrators in over 30 schools nationwide, as well as several schools internationally, have shown a great deal of interest in the C.O.M.I.C.S. Curriculum series," said David J. Gabriel, Executive Director of The New York City Comic Book Museum (NYCCBM). "We inaugurated the program this summer in Washington, D.C. with the `Heads Up' program, and are preparing to launch it this fall in New York.

"It's a valuable program that acknowledges that while children are so easily distracted by anything colorful, loud and eye-catching, they will read a book or magazine if you make it fun and interesting. A perfect example is the success of the Harry Potter book series. The C.O.M.I.C.S. Curriculum builds on that interest in reading, and utilizes the traditional comic book medium to help children learn structure and creative skills."

The fall program utilizes the recently published comic book "Fantastic Four #60," published in September by Marvel Comics. A New York-based comic book retail store, Midtown Comics, donated a large supply of these books, while Marvel Comics partnered with NYCCBM to include additional reading and writing activities based on pages from the issue, as well as from other classic Marvel Comics.

As designed by Dan Tandarich, a New York City public school teacher, along with educators and professionals consulting with NYCCBM, the eight-lesson C.O.M.I.C.S. Curriculum gets students reading a variety of comic books with the goal of raising interest in this art form, and learning more about the medium.

The first four lessons provide warm-ups, activities and lessons that instruct students on the basics of reading comics, the history of comics, and the art of comics. The final four lessons guide students through a simple process of creating their own comic book through characters, plots, settings, and vocabulary. Teachers receive a guidebook to assist them in the planning of the lessons.

The NYCCBM program also supplies teachers with a comic book vocabulary guidebook as well as a bibliography pointing out other comic books that children can learn from. The C.O.M.I.C.S. Curriculum kit also includes pre-selected, age appropriate comic books.

Fantastic Four #60 from Marvel Comics will be the first comic book used with COMICS Curriculum. Midtown Comics has donated a large supply of these books and Marvel has partnered with us to include some reading and writing activities based on pages from this issue, as well as from other classic Marvel Comics.

C.O.M.I.C.S. Curriculum is our first museum-approved educational program designed to bring comic books into the classroom. The guide will provide teachers with the proper tools necessary for getting the highest educational rewards from comic books.

The curriculum works like this:

• The first four lessons provide warm-ups, activities and lessons that instruct students on the basics of reading comics, the history of comics, and the art of comics.

• The curriculum gets students reading a variety of comic books with the goal of raising interest in this art form, and learning more about the medium.

• The final four lessons guide students through a simple process of creating their own comic book through characters, plots, settings, and vocabulary.

• Students learn while having fun!

Teachers will be provided with a guidebook to assist them in the planning of the lessons. We will also supply them with a comic book vocabulary guidebook as well as a bibliography pointing out other comic books that are great for kids (and kids of all ages!). There will also be pre-selected, age appropriate comic books accompanying the kit. </blockquote>

Walt Grogan
10-29-2002, 05:42 PM
I think this is great. Anything that gets comics in front of kids is fantastic.

Walt

COREMARK
10-29-2002, 05:43 PM
Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3....

Elayne
10-30-2002, 03:46 PM
If anybody in the NYC area wants to talk to the tireless David Gabriel or his compatriots, they'll be there in force at the <a href="http://www.bigapplecon.com/cgi-bin/Update.pl?action=ShowPage&key=national" target="_blank">National Expo</a> on November 9-10, including hosting the first annual <a href="http://www.nyccomicbookmuseum.org/exhibits/Golden_Panel.htm" target="_blank">Golden Panel Awards</a> on Saturday and a special showing of the "Heroes Among Us" exhibit, including a "Heroes" panel on Sunday (my husband Robin will be on the panel).

These folks are doing a tremendous amount of wonderful work, and should be commended!!

- Elayne

comicsareliterature
10-30-2002, 10:46 PM
Hello.

To QCCBOB: I really hope you can see how this sounds soooooo familiar to you in regards to a recent discussion you and I had on Newsarama before it was vandalized. I also hope you take note of how you can possibly use this in your area with upcoing 10 and 25 cent comics.

See? It isn't only in Canada that comics from Marvel are capable of being used in schools, Bob... :p :p :p

Congratulations to The New York City Comic Book Museum, Midtown Comics, and to David J. Gabriel. This is a great initiative, and something I have ben harping about for quite some time! Good luck, and do well.

DrTzinTzin
05-08-2004, 01:31 PM
There's a comic book museum in New York????

Where the hell is it?

rroch
05-08-2004, 03:39 PM
Hello,

I think it´s a good idea to use comics for educational
purposes. There have been a few publishers of
school books in germany, who tried to translate
school topics into comic book form, but due to the
fact, that most people in german think comics are
garbage and for the poor in mind, these efforts
came to a sudden halt. I´ve been using french
comics about the medieval age and the french revolution
to transport a kind of feeling for the people who were
living in these times. After translating these books
page by page from french to german, I found out
that the kids were really interested in the historical
topics and started to ask a lot of questions. So I think
it´s a good starting point to raise interest. In the
sixties/early seventies I started to read the german
issues of Classics Illustrated and those stories led
to my interest in books in general. It would be great,
if comics would get more positive attention in germany.:)

Food Eater Lad
05-08-2004, 05:37 PM
Hi

I am a teacher, and I run a comic book club in my school. I would like some contact information so I can get involved with this program.

Thanks