The Use of Comic Books in the Teaching of English as a Second Language

FACULTAD DE FILOSOFÍA Y LETRAS DEPARTAMENTO DE FILOLOGÍA INGLESA TRABAJO DE FIN DE MÁSTER MÁSTER DE PROFESOR EN EDUCACIÓN SECUNDARIA OBLIGATORIA Y BACHILLERATO, FORMACIÓN PROFESIONAL Y ENSEÑANZA DE IDIOMAS The Use of Comic Books in the Teaching of English as a Second Language Abel Sánchez Fernández Tutor: Sara Medina Calzada 2019/2020 2 3 ABSTRACT Literary texts are a tool for the English teacher to exploit, and they can prove themselves very useful for the students, not only in the form of linguistic improvement, but also in cultural and personal development as well. Comic books, being more recent literary texts, should always be selected according to some criteria (mainly regarding content and purpose), to avoid their becoming a hindrance instead of an aid. Their specific linguistic features and their use as gateways to more complex works are among their best assets. The present proposal contains four sets of activities include comics in the teaching of English, from easy-to-read strips to more complex narratives, and explores different possibilities for their use as an encouragement for students to write and speak. Keywords: literature, comics, culture, English teaching, Secondary education. RESUMEN Los textos literarios constituyen una herramienta que el profesor de inglés puede aprovechar, y pueden demostrarse muy útiles para los estudiantes, no sólo para su mejora de su nivel lingüístico, sino también para su enriquecimiento cultural y personal. Los cómics, en su condición de textos literarios más recientes, deberían siempreser seleccionados de acuerdo con una serie de criterios (que atañen fundamentalmente a su contenido y a su propósito), para evitar que se conviertan en un lastre en vez de una ayuda. Sus rasgos lingüísticos específicos y su uso como entradas hacia obras más complejas se hallan entre sus mayores atractivos. La presente propuesta contiene cuatro conjuntos de actividades que incluyen cómics en la enseñanza de inglés, desde tiras sencillas hasta narraciones complejas, y explora diferentes posibilidades para su uso como un estímulo para que los estudiantes escriban y hablen. Palabras clave: literatura, cómics, cultura, enseñanza de inglés, educación secundaria. 4 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction…………………………………………………………………….……7 2. The teaching of English……………………………………………………….……..8 3. The use of literature in the teaching of English……………………………….……10 3.1. Comics as a form of literature – The language of comics…………….…..13 3.2. The use of comics in the teaching of English………………………….….14 3.3. Criteria for the selection of texts…………………………………….……15 4. Teaching proposal...………………………………………………………………...17 4.1. Context……………………………………………………………….…...17 4.2. Objectives…………………………………………………………….…...18 4.3. Methodology………………………………………………………….…..23 4.4. Selected materials…………………………………………………….…...24 4.5. Activities………………………………………………………………......26 4.5.1. Set 1………………………………………………………….….27 4.5.2. Set 2………………………………………………………….….31 4.5.3. Set 3………………………………………………………….….34 4.5.4. Set 4………………………………………………………….….36 5. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………….….38 References………………………………………………………………………….….39 Appendix……………………………………………………………………………....42 6 7 1. Introduction Although not strictly indispensable in language teaching, literature can yield many benefits to both teacher and student alike. Not only it provides learners with some of the best instances of any given language, but it also may foster their skills, especially those concerning reading comprehension and writing. Far from it being the truth that literary language is artificial and cannot be useful in everyday communicative situations, its study within English lessons can help students widen their knowledge of the language, as long as the materials used are properly selected. Furthermore, literature is a gateway not only to other peoples, something that will appeal to those who seek to live and work abroad, as well as those who wish to study cultures different from their own. A part of literature that only in recent times has earned itself the right to be considered as such is that of comic books. Barely considered culture in their beginnings, they have become literary items worth of attention and study. As such, they are perfectly useful in language lessons, and even more so in English lessons, as English is the main language in the world of comics. Without displacing classic literary texts, comics can contribute to the improvement of students’ proficiency in English, and be a source of enjoyment for them. This dissertation proposes a set of activities for EFL students that use comics as a resource, trying to explore their possibilities to some degree. First, some issues on the nature of literature are discussed, to continue with a view on the role of literature in the teaching of English, in order to finally explain the possible uses of comics for that purpose. These uses are later materialised in the form of an intervention and a didactic proposal that details the suggested activities. 8 2. The teaching of English The importance of English in the world at the present moment is well documented and known throughout all layers of society. Although it is surpassed by Mandarin Chinese and Spanish in terms of native speakers, it is the most spoken language in the world when we include all those who speak English but not as a first language, who constitute a considerably larger group (see fig.1). This circumstance stems from the fact that English, aside from being the first language in several countries (i.e. the US, the UK, Australia, Ireland, etc.) is nowadays a lingua franca in many parts of the world. Some countries, like the Netherlands, Finland or South Korea, have large segments of population that speak English fluently, and even when this is not the case, international relations and exchanges frequently use it: congresses, summits, diplomatic relations or academic journals would be representative examples. Although some other languages may become more relevant in the near future, and even come to challenge the predominance of English in some parts of the world (Tinsley and Board, 2013), its status as a lingua franca is likely to continue. Figure 1 – Most spoken languages (both native and overall) in the world (Ethnologue, 2020) 9 In the light of this state of affairs, it can hardly be surprising that educational institutions worldwide devote time and resources to the teaching of English. In the case of Spain, the last two decades have witnessed an increase in the number of bilingual sections in primary and secondary education (a method that has its disadvantages, although it is not the topic at discussion here), and a shift in the teaching methods towards a more task-based approach, instead of the purely grammatical teachings of previous decades. The aim today for students of English (or any language, for that matter) is to properly develop four competencies: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. It is then a crucial task for teacher to choose suitable materials for their students, and it is regarding this fact that we can discuss the use of literature in English language lessons. 16 comics with, and choose accordingly. There are comics such as Alan Moore’s Watchmen or Bryan Talbot’s Luther Arkwright that are probably ill-suited for most lessons due to their sheer complexity and dense language. On the other hand, some comics may have so little content that they would be mostly useless with students in upper levels. Similarly, the teacher should be aware of the different genres of comics: if he wants to work with stories that showcase everyday language and situation, then he probably should not choose superhero comics. The second set of criteria is linked to purpose. There should be an aim when selecting comics to work with: why we choose them and what we want to achieve with them. Maybe they can aid the teacher when explaining some difficult concept, or provide easy-to-follow examples of some grammatical aspects. They can also provide with a good story for students to work on, or a base material for them to invent their own narratives. Comics may be useful too as gateways to more complex, classic literary texts (with which they should coexist): author Grant Morrison (2011) explains how comics lead him to investigate things such as Shelley’s poetry, 18th history or the Bible. The teacher must bear in mind the English level of his students and what he wants them to work on, and the selection should prove fruitful. It the light of what we have described in the previous sections, it seems clear that, even if an accurate definition of literature appears to be elusive, enough evidence is available to support the case for literary texts as useful tools for teaching. Far from being a set of “artificial” texts, literature keeps proving itself a good device for the linguistic development of students. While comics are a relatively recent invention (if we compare them to the rest of literature), they have grown in relevance to the point that their inclusion in language lessons should be carefully considered. The proposal that follows intends to be a small example of what may be done in the English class by using comics. 17 4. Teaching proposal This section will describe the proposal for the implementation of a series of activities in a class of Secondary Education; activities derived from those tenets discussed in previous sections and further detailed in Sub-section 4.5. 4.1. Context This proposal is aimed at a fourth-grade class of ESO in a public high school in the region of Castilla y León, and it is therefore regulated by and based on the Orden EDU/362/265, which describes how curricular contents are organized and details the standards for every subject and grade: contents, evaluation criteria and learning standards. Despite the fact that bilingual sections are increasingly extended in this region, the proposal here presented is aimed at students in a non-bilingual one. The students at whom this proposal is aimed are, as said above, those of fourth grade of ESO (non-bilingual section) from a public school. The reason of choosing such grade is twofold: in order to make the most of these activities, it is advisable that students are at least above the basic level of English (thus making the first years of ESO a less suitable choice); on the other hand, students from Bachillerato have the preparation for the EBAU tests as their core purpose and may therefore reject activities that they consider unnecessary or not focused enough on the curriculum, even if such activities do help with their development of their linguistic skills. (We must face the fact that some students of English see literature or culture-related activities as less important, even when their benefits can hardly be denied). Another reason is the age of the target students. Evidently, those who like comics often begin reading them during school years, but for those who have never tried them, the teenage years are a good time to start. Even for those who enter their teens with a good knowledge of comics there is a lot to explore, as many titles are young-adult or adult-oriented and therefore not suitable for them at early ages. The fact that this proposal makes use of the communicative approach constitutes and additional reason to choose fourth-graders: Bachillerato, again, is focused on the EBAU tests and is therefore more grammar-oriented. 18 4.2. Objectives It seems superfluous to state that the main goal in an English lesson is to improve the linguistic proficiency of learners. This goal, however, does not have to exclude others, and so is the case with the proposal presented here and the use of comics in the teaching of English. While one of its main objectives is, of course, the development of linguistic skills, it also aims at allowing the students to know different countries, cultures, literatures, and points of view, and to learn about them and compare to their own. We have already described comics as gateways to other things, and this is another objective of the activities presented in the proposal. There is also the chance for students to express themselves and put language in action; they should not be always receptors, but also producers of creative content, be it in the form of compositions, debates or presentations. The objectives pursued may be listed as follows: Linguistic and academic formation 1Improving and widening the student’s vocabulary. Through different registers and different topics, they will learn different ways of speaking in keeping with each context. 2 – Using and reinforcing the student’s understanding of grammatical structures, by seeing them in the different texts, and by using them in both their written and spoken production. 3 – Learning how to extract meaning and the main ideas from texts. 4 - Creating their own narratives and storylines; for instance, using “muted” comics in which they can supply their own meanings. 5 – Improving communicative skills: by means of conversations, discussions and presentations, students will gradually get accustomed to the use of language and they will polish their use of spoken speech. 19 Personal and cultural development: 1 – The students will know, and be encouraged to know, written literary works in the shape of comics, which are a cultural asset on their own but can also be the first step towards the discovery of more complex works. 2 – The students will learn how to present their own point of view on some issues and to respect those of others while discussing or even opposing them. 3 – By using comics as a first step, the students will widen their cultural formation on diverse topics; topics that they can research in more depth if they wish for more information. 4 –Students will be confronted with a means of expression that they probably are aware of but may never have come into direct contact with before. Regarding the present legislation on education curricula, as stated in Orden EDU 362/265, the contents, evaluation criteria and learning standards that this proposal aims to fulfil are the detailed in the following table: Contents Evaluation criteria Learning Standards 1 - ORAL TEXT COMPREHENSION (LISTENING) -Comprehension strategies: Use of previous information concerning type of task and theme (p. 32252). Identify the general sense, essential information, main points and most relevant details in brief or middlelength texts (p. 32252) [The student] 1 – Understands the main points of recorded or spoken languages that include instructions or indications (p.32252). 20 -Communicative functions: Description of physical features of people, objects, places and activities (p. 32252) Accounts of past events, description of current states and situations (p.32252). -Syntactic-discursive structures: oral, elementary, common usage lexikon regarding personal identification, home and personal context, everyday activities, friends and family, employment, free time, sports, travel and holidays, health, education, shopping, food, transports, weather, nature and ICTs (p.32253). Be aware of and know the adequate strategies for the comprehension of the general meaning, main points and relevant details of the text (p. 32253). Distinguish the most important communicative function (s)of a text, its most common exponents and its discursive patterns (p.32253) 4 – Can comprehend, in an informal conversation, explanations or justifications of opinions and views o non varied issues of personal interest, as well as the formulation of hypotheses, expression of feelings and description of abtract topics (p.32253) 6 – Distinguish, with written or visual support, the main ideas and relevant information in presentations or talks (p. 32253). 2ORAL TEXT PRODUCTION (SPEAKING) -Production strategies: Planning: Conceiving the message properly, identifying the main ideas and basic structure (p.32254). Adequating the text to the intended reader, with the corresponding register and structure for each case (p.32254). -Production: Conveying the message in a clear and coherent way (p.32254). Using previous knowledge, and compensate deficiencies by means of linguistic or paralinguistic procedures (p.32254). Produce brief or middlelength texts, in formal, neutral or formal register (p.32254) Know how to use the most suitable strategies to produce oral texts (monologues or dialogues), with a clear and simple structure, making use of available resource (p. 32254). 1 – Gives brief and wellstructured presentations, with visual aid, on specific aspects of academic or personal topics, organizing information in a coherent way and clearly explaining the main ideas and answering questions from listeners (p.32254). 3 – Takes an active part in face-to-face conversations, on everyday topics as well in less common ones, in which he exchanges information and justifies opinions and views (p. 32254). 21 Sociocultural and sociolinguistic aspects (p.32255). -Communicative functions: -Communicative functions: Description of physical features of people, objects, places and activities (p. 32255). Accounts of past events, description of current states and situations, as well as future events (p.32255). -Syntactic-discursive structures: - Oral, elementary, common usage lexikon regarding personal identification, home and personal context, everyday activities, friends and family, employment, free time, sports, travel and holidays, health, education, shopping, food, transports, weather, nature and ICTs (p.32255). Keep a speech pace fluent enough to make the message understandable in brief or middle-length interventions (32255) 3 - WRITTEN TEXT COMPREHENSION (READING) -Comprehension srategies: Use of previous information concerning type of task and theme. Identification of textual type. (p. 32256). Ability to distinguish different types of comprehension: general sense, main information, core points). (p. 32256). -Communicative functions: Description of physical features of people, objects, places and activities (p. 32256). Identify the general sense, essential information, main points and most relevant details in brief or middle-length texts (p. 32256) Be aware of and know the adequate strategies for the comprehension of the general meaning, main points and relevant details of the text (p. 32256). 3 – Comprehends, in any format including online forums and blogs, facts and experiences, impressions and feelings, and narrations real or imaginary (p. 32256) 22 Accounts of past events, description of current states and situations, as well as future events (p.32256). -Syntactic-discursive structures: - Elementary, common usage lexicon regarding personal identification, home and personal context, everyday activities, friends and family, employment, free time, sports, travel and holidays, health, education, shopping, food, transports, weather, nature and ICTs (p.32257). Distinguish the most important communicative function (s)of a text, its most common exponents and its discursive patterns (p.32256) 7 – Understands the main features and the most relevant details of fiction texts and literary, contemporary, brief texts, in a standard variety of language (p. 32257) 4 - WRITTEN TEXT PRODUCTION (WRITING) -Production strategies: Use and coordination of general, basic competencies, in order to perform the task correctly (p.32257). -Production: Clear expression of the message, adapting it to models and traits of each text type (p.32258) Use of prior knowledge (established formulae, etc). (p.32258). Description of physical features of people, objects, places and activities (p. 32258). - Elementary, common usage lexicon regarding personal identification, home and personal context, everyday Write (in paper or in electronic device) brief or middle-length texts, coherent and with a clear structure, on everyday issues or less common ones, with informal, neutral, or formal register, using cohesive devices and ortographic conventions, and showing a reasonable control of expressions and lexicon (p. 32257). Know, select and apply the most suitable strategies to write brief or middle length texts (p. 32258) Show a proper control of syntactic structures and select the correct elements of cohesion and coherence in order to organize discourse in an effective way (p,32258) 3 – Takes notes with simple and relevant information on everyday situations and specific aspects of academic and personal contexts (p. 32258). 4 –He writes notes, messages, or brief comments, in any format, requesting or transmitting information and opinions (p. 32258). 5 – He writes, in a conventional format, brief reports, in which he provides information on an academic or occupational, describing situations, peoples, places, objects and places, narrating events in a linear sequence (p.32258) 23 activities, friends and family, employment, free time, sports, travel and holidays, health, education, shopping, food, transports, weather, nature and ICTs (p.32257). Aside from contents, evaluation criteria and learning standards, this proposal is also designed taking into account the competences described in the Real Decreto 1105/2014, among which those whose development and improvement is pursued are listed below: -Linguistic communication. -Learning to learn. -Social and civic competences. -Cultural awareness and expression. 4.3. Methodology The methodology of this proposal combines three different approaches. First, the communicative approach is used throughout the activities, which aim to encourage the students to produce (be it in written or spoken form), and to interact with others, to convey and receive messages, both among themselves and with the teacher (who will coordinate the students and facilitate situations that prompt communication: discussions, presentations, compositions, or even small talk within a class (which is useful as a warm-up). By doing this, they will learn to polish their performance and gradually correct their mistakes, as well as adequate their expression to different situations, with the teacher’s guidance and intervention (as the teacher is a valid interlocutor in activities, too). The activities also make use of Lazar’s (1993) three approaches (language-based approach, literature as content, literature for personal enrichment) although they are not used uniformly. While it could be said that language-based approach underlies the entire 24 proposal (as its main aim is the improvement of target student’ linguistic performance), it wanes in some activities in favour of the other two. When history-related comics are used, we are closer to the literature-as-content approach, while in other activities it is the third approach that is more favoured; for instance, presenting the students with cultures or cultural items they did not know, or allowing them to speak their minds and justify their views. Finally, the third approach is that presented in Gavigan and Tomasevich (2011), which offers ideas for including comics in English lessons and use them to foster literary knowledge and linguistic skills, some of which we used for our proposal (use of wordless comic for students to fill up, use of characters in comics as a base to create stories, self-identification of the students with the characters, etc.). 4.4. Selected materials As it was explained in previous sections, the variety of comics may nowadays seem staggering, especially for those who approach them for the first time. They have been already described here as gateways, and it would be fair to say that they are gateways to hundreds of places. They present some variety of themes and of language use, and they cover a wide temporal arc (from 1950s’ Peanuts to the contemporary Zits). As the proposal is structured around four sets of activities, each of them entails the use of a comic (or several). The comics used and the themes linked to them are, to some extent, arranged from easier to harder, from the short strips of the first activities to the more complex comics of the last ones. The grouping has been designed according to the kind of literary material (comics, in this case) used in each of them, with each set being given a general name, indicated below. Activities are not meant to be done in a row, or to have a strict continuity, but it is recommended to follow the order in which the sets are presented: -Set 1: Comic strips: Calvin & Hobbes (Bill Watterson, 1992), Peanuts (Charles Schulz, 2004), Baby Blues (Rick Kirkman & Jerry Scott, 2020) 25 -Set 2: Teenage years: Zits (Jerry Scott & Jim Borgman, 2017) -Set 3: Other cultures: Persepolis, (Marjane Satrapi, 2004) -Set 4: History: Maus: A Survivor’s Tale (Art Spiegelman, 1991) Last Day in Vietnam (Will Eisner, 2000) As for the selection criteria that guided the choice of materials, two have already been mentioned: content and purpose. There are, however, some other criteria, such as those presented by Lazar (1993): background of the target students, both cultural and literary, and their linguistic proficiency. Once we work with these guidelines in mind, the choice of materials for the lessons should not, in all probability, be hindered by aimlessness. Since our target group is mainly composed of students aged 14-15 (nonbilingual section), it is evident that their linguistic performance forces the teacher to leave aside some potential materials; while comics are usually deemed as easy reading, it is not uncommon to find works that could pose a challenge even for university students: not only complex works such as Alan Moore’s Watchmen or Bryan Talbot’s Luther Arkwright (mentioned earlier), but also apparently more accessible comics like American Sunday comics from the 20s and 30s, which, albeit short, use a characteristically American variant of English, with many linguistic feature that are now heavily outdated. Such works would probably by an ill-informed choice for a fourthgrade English class in many cases, although the case may be that they could be useful for a very specific purpose (study of English linguistic variation, for example). It could be objected to this proposal that one of the comics it includes (Zits) uses a somewhat colloquial register, something that is usually not advisable. Nevertheless, only 25% of activities use material from Zits, a comic whose colloquial language is considerably mild, and it rarely uses difficult slang. Regarding the other comics included in the activities, their linguistic difficulty is quite reasonable for the target students: more condensed messages in the comic strips, more complex in those in the last two sets. Cultural and literary background is a relevant aspect too, as students may find some literary works too far away from them (both in space and time) to actually profit from their use. It is necessary, however, to point out, as Lazar (1993) notes, that texts from unknown or remote cultures/countries (remote from the point of view of the 32 Activity 6 – The right questions Timing: 40 minutes Materials: computer, projector, Zits comic strip Class management: as usual. The teacher projects the strip in Figure 5 for the class to see. Then he asks the students to share their experiences. Have they ever been asked any of those questions by their parents? On what situations? Are parents the same in the US and in Spain? The teacher encourages the students to try to take their parents’ point of view and to share experiences. He may also play the part of a parent to act out hypothetical situations and elicit more responses from the students. Figure 5 – Zits strip. Activity 7 –Your life in comics Timing: 30 minutes Materials: computer, projector Zits comic strips used in activity 5. Class management: as usual 33 The teacher shows the students some Zits comic strips (he may use those from activity five or pick new ones). He then asks the students to write a brief composition (150-250 words) on the following topic: What kind of comic book character would I be? As the title suggests, the composition should be written using conditional tenses. Students may use the strips shown in class as a base or may create a character from scratch (see appendix for examples of Zits strips). Activity 8 –Time Timing: 5 minutes (instructions) + homework (due the following week) + 15 minutes (debate) Materials: Zits comic strips Class management: as usual (core of the activity is to be done at home). The teacher hands out two Zits comic strips (figures 6 and 7). The common topic of both of them is the passage of time, and the transition from childhood to the teenage years. He then gives instructions to them: they have to write a composition (350-500 words) on those topics, from a personal point of view: how they think they have changed, how they feel now compared to then, things that they have learned, etc. Compositions will be handed back in the following week, and once they are corrected, the teacher will select some ideas he considers apt for debate and present them (anonymously) to the class for a brief discussion. Figure 6 – Zits strip 34 Figure 7 – Zits strip. 4.5.1. Set 3 – Other cultures Activity 9 – Getting to know Iran Timing: 10 minutes Materials: computer and projector Class management: as usual. The teacher, as a warm-up, asks the students what they know about Iran. He lets them talk freely, simply gathering information during the first minutes. Afterwards, he intervenes more actively, trying to clear the misconceptions on the issue (for instance, some people includes Iran among the “Arab countries”, when they are Persian and have a distinctive language, etc.). The teacher then introduces the reading that they do in the following days. Activity 10 - Persepolis Timing: homework + 30 minutes Materials: excerpt from Persepolis, paper sheets. 35 Class management: as usual The teacher hands out copies of an excerpt of M. Satrapi’s Persepolis, and gives instructions to the class: they have to read it for the next week and write a short composition (about 250 words) taking into account about the events depicted in that excerpt (the 1978 -79 Islamic Revolution in Iran, as seen by a little girl), but with a change in the point of view: they have to imagine how they would feel if that happened in today’s Spain. Activity 11 – Interview to Marjane Satrapi Timing: 10 minutes (listening) + 10 minutes (note-checking) Materials: computer, speakers, and projector. Class management: students arranged in groups of 3-4 people. The class listens to a brief interview with Marjane Satrapi, author of Persepolis, available at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9onZpQix_w During the interview, students should take notes about the main points mentioned by the author. Once the two listenings are finished, the teacher will allow five minutes for groups to check their notes and put them in common, and decide whether they agree or not with the issues presented by Satrapi. Activity 12 - Discussion Timing: 25 minutes Materials: notes from activity 11 Class management: students arranged in groups of 3-4 people. Using the notes taken in the previous activity, the groups will take turns describing any of the topics presented by Satrapi and stating whether they agree or not (it may be the case that there are different opinions inside one group, which is not a problem at all).Students are expected to back and justify their views. 36 4.5.1. Set 4 - History Activity 13 - Vietnam Timing: homework + 15 minutes Materials: excerpt from Last day in Vietnam Class management: as usual. The students are handed out copies of the short story Last day in Vietnam, taken from the homonymous comic. The teacher asks them to read it at home for the following lesson, and prepares a small quiz for them to fill, to see if they have properly understood the story. This quiz should not have very direct questions, but rather more oblique ones: students should be able to deduce things from the short story, and not only be asked about the mere facts in it. For example, students should be asked What is the narrator’s job? or Who are the three men the helicopter picks up from the jungle? (questions whose answers are insinuated in the story) rather than What is the name of the base they are going to? (which is explicitly stated). Activity 14 – What would you do? Timing: homework + 50 minutes Materials: excerpt from Maus, notes Class management: as usual. The teacher hands out copies of the third chapter of Maus, which details the increasing difficulties the main character, a Jewish man from Poland, faces when trying to outsmart the Nazis, during the beginning of the 1940s. Students are asked to read it for the following week, and the teacher poses some questions: what would you do in his place? How would you keep one step ahead of the Nazis? Would you run away, go into exile, fight back? Considering these questions, students have to think about what they would do if faced with such a situation. They are expected to answer with some degree of reasoning; they must describe a plan of action, a clear purpose, and justify it. The students may ask each other questions about what they say, and the teacher may do so too, but should give priority to the students interacting with each other. They are 37 allowed to bring notes taken while reading the excerpt of Maus, to aid themselves while presenting their answers to the class. Activity 15 – War report Timing: homework Materials: excerpt from Last Day in Vietnam Class management: as usual Students are handed out another excerpt from Last Day in Vietnam. This time is the story The Periphery, which depicts the life of war journalists in Vietnam. The teacher asks them to write a short composition, 150-200 words, in which they must act as if they were war correspondents. They are encouraged to do some research on the war and write their composition as if they were a new dispatch. The teacher should suggest them to think about the kind of readership they are going to write for (military, civilian, national, foreigner), and how that may affect the content and style of their writing. He may also provide them with some basic information about Vietnam War so the students have a basis to work with. The composition is handed in two sessions later. Activity 16 – Final Timing: 40 minutes Materials: none Class management: students speak in turns throughout the session, in groups of 23 people. For this activity, students are asked to form groups of 2-3 people (the teacher may let them choose classmates or do it randomly). They are asked to reflect on the activities of this proposal, to note down their impressions and suggestions and to tell the rest of the class about them, following turns. They do not have to stand up in front of the class. This activity is intended to be a way for the teacher of having some feedback on the activities, and it is also a chance for students to express their opinions on the matter. The teacher should ask the students to justify their views, whether positive or negative; they should do more than simply pointing out which activities they liked or not. 38 5. Conclusion It is in the best interest of the students that literature be included in English (or other language) lessons. This does not mean that literary materials are completely bereft of setbacks: they may be a liability in some occasions, especially when the selection process is not done properly; a process whose importance has been emphasized enough throughout this dissertation. Disadvantages, however, are in this case bound to be swiftly overcome by benefits, and benefits of a varied nature, for literature may be as useful for students’ linguistic proficiency as it is for their culture or their personal development. Devoting a little time to a proper selection process will be definitely worth any teacher’s time. Regarding the role of comics in the teaching of English, even the advocates of their inclusion should admit that they too may pose some problems (it is not infrequent to hear that comics will drive students away from proper literature) again, these pale when compared to the benefits. As discussed in the previous pages, comics may play an important role as gateways to other cultural tokens (and this does not deny their own status as a cultural item); they should coexist, not replace them. It is important to notice, too, that comics possess a code of their own, a very characteristic blend of image and text that may prove valuable for the development of comprehension and symbolic skills. Lastly, we cannot leave aside the fact that comics (like the rest of literature) may be quite enjoyable to read and work with, and this should be kept in mind by teachers and learners alike. This dissertation presents but a very small sample of what can be done with comics in the English classrooms, and aims to show some basic uses concerning the matter: just as comics can be used to introduce the students to a country and its culture, they can be used to do the same with historical figures and events, or scientific knowledge. On the other hand, some of the activities presented here are meant to be a stimulus for students to create and to develop their linguistic skills, be it by modifying the stories they read in comics, or inventing their own. 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