This unit is designed for advance ESL students in a high school setting. It is ideally implemented in classroom sizes of 30 students or less. Any more than this number and it becomes increasingly difficult to have productive in-depth discussions surrounding the book and its numerous thought-provoking themes. With the inclusion of striking visual images and speech bubbles, the comic book used in this unit provides a “handicap” of sorts and is therefore best taught towards the beginning of the general course.

 

The idea behind using a graphic novel stems from the fact that I find comic books to be incredibly refreshing and visually-stimulating. Oftentimes, people generalize them as lacking substance and, ironically enough, having copious issues to their names. However, as with any medium of entertainment, there are plenty of quality finds. As an avid reader of comic books, I immediately thought of the self-contained comic known as Daytripper for its universally understood messages, interesting cultural context, and stunning watercolor-inspired panels.  

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Therefore, not only is it my intent to expose students to a series that is well-worth their time, but I hold the belief that presenting them with Daytripper is beneficial as it’s an inherently easier way to introduce complexity in reading, as opposed to tedious novels without accompanying images.

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Because the graphic novel is composed of a total of 10 chapters (or issues), I propose a feasible unit that is 5 days long. During the course of this time, students will be focused on top-down learning, or the main ideas depicted in the Daytripper. Additionally, they will learn about the Brazilian background of the protagonist and be inspired to share their own traditions in an early lesson. They will also occasionally analyze pictures from certain chapters and creatively elaborate on their thoughts on the content.

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This novel is one of several thematically-centered texts that will be read during this year-long course. Other readings will include short stories, essays, and folktales. Since the course is designed to transition students from grammar-based discussion to having them construct their own ideas, readings are not full-length books. Through bite-sized texts, students will be able to develop critical reading and writing skills, such as summarizing, defining main ideas, exploring the use of literary elements, and enriching their vocabulary.