A. Introduction: How to Read a Graphic Novel (10 minutes)

• Review the appropriate learning target relevant to the work to be completed in this section of the lesson:

“I can read a text in graphic novel format.”

• Invite students to spend a couple of minutes looking over Maus I: A Survivor’s Tale either independently or with an elbow partner.
• Prompt students to Think-Pair-Share:

“Have you ever read any other graphic novels? If so, what were they, and how are they different from other book formats?” (Responses will vary.)

“What are some reasons authors might choose to use a graphic novel format?” (Responses will vary, but may recognize that telling a story in pictures and words is compelling for the reader; the visual aspect of a graphic novel helps draw readers in; the pictures become a critical aspect of the story and enhances how emotions or events are conveyed, etc.) 

“Why do you think the author of Maus I decided to write his story as a graphic novel?” (Responses will vary, but may reference the importance of pairing illustrations with text to tell a powerful story. The graphic format helps make the serious and important subject matter accessible to more readers.)

• Direct students to the Graphic Novel Format anchor chart, and working together, begin to record important aspects from the discussion on the chart.
• Tell students that a graphic novel uses text and illustrations in a graphic format to tell a story. Remind them that most of the books they read in previous modules relied solely on text to construct a narrative. In this new anchor text, Maus I, the author uses graphic elements (panels, frames, speech/thought bubbles, color, contrast, shading, perspective, etc.) in a sequential way to tell the reader a story. The interplay of the text and illustrations can be a powerful way of evoking a story in a reader’s mind. Other books they have read, such as the novel Summer of the Mariposas, also portray speech, thought, contrast, and perspective—but through description and text dialogue, rather than through the interplay of text and illustration.
• Explain to students that there is a lot to pay attention to when reading a graphic novel, and it is important to have a clear understanding of how to read a graphic novel. This will help the class locate sections of text accurately and discuss portions of the text easily together as a group.
• Have students turn to page 5 and look at the first image at the top of the page.
• Tell students:

“Each page is made up of several panels. Each panel is a single drawing on the page. It is usually defined in a box by a border.”

• Ask students:

“How many panels do you see on page 5?” (There are five panels, and although the first is larger in size, it is still only one panel.)

• Tell students:

“To read the graphic novel, it is important to know which way to progress sequentially across the page.”

“Just like reading a book, you start on the upper left hand side of the page. You will read the sequence of panels that go across in the first row to the right, and then proceed down to the next row, which you read across to the right, and then proceed down to the next row.”

• Ask students to count how many rows they see on page 5. (There are three rows.)
• Make sure students are clear on the left-to-right, top-to-bottom process of reading a graphic novel page before moving on.
• Tell students:

“When discussing the book, we might refer to the panels by number in order to locate images and text easily. For example, on page 6 there is a close-up image of Art's father wearing glasses.”

• Direct students to put their finger on this image.
• Ask:

“What panel number would this be?” (This would be panel 3. The reader counts across the first row, encountering two panels, then going down to the second row, encountering this panel, which is the third panel.)

• Tell students:

“When it comes to dialogue in a graphic novel, there are many things readers need to note. For example, a caption is a tool in a graphic novel that gives the narrator a voice.”

“A speech bubble shows the dialogue. The character speaking is usually indicated by the tail of the speech balloon.”

• Direct students to work with a partner to identify the captions, speech bubbles, and tails on pages 5 and 6.
• Pause to field any clarifying questions on the terminology and process for reading a graphic novel.
• Explain that in addition to the conventions of how to read a graphic novel, there are additional aspects of the text they will have to pay attention to in Maus I that are different from a traditional novel.
• Prompt students to brainstorm, answering the question:

“What additional things will readers need to pay attention to when reading a graphic novel?”

• Circulate as students discuss, listening for important features and aspect of graphic novels. Refer to the Graphic Novel Format anchor chart (for teacher reference), as needed.
• Discuss with students the importance of the following features:
• In graphic novels, readers have to pay attention to the visual representations as well as the written text.
• In graphic novels, the dialogue is seen as well as read (as in a traditional novel), so the reader will have to pay attention to visuals like facial descriptions, background images, etc. to get the full meaning.
• In graphic novels, the writer can use imagery to suggest more meaning, give hints, or provide more details than just words alone can do (like the use of mice and rats in Maus I).
• Direct students to the Graphic Novel Format anchor chart once again, and working together, record additional aspects from the discussion on the chart.
• Direct students to the Work to Become Effective Learners anchor chart, and ask students to Think-Pair-Share:

“How will you work toward this habit while reading this graphic novel?” (Responses will vary, but may mention that they will practice perseverance as they read a new type of text and work through challenges that arise from reading a text that is different from others they have read in the past.)

• With students’ support, record the meaning of graphic novel (a story that is presented in sequential illustrations), panel (a single drawing on the page of a graphic novel), caption (brief text over or under a picture that describes the picture or explains what the people in it are doing or saying), speech bubble (a circle containing the words someone says in a graphic novel), and tail (the pointed part of the speech bubble that indicates the person speaking) on the domain-specific word wall, with translations in students’ home languages. Write synonyms or sketch a visual above the word to scaffold students’ understanding. Invite students to record these words in their vocabulary logs.
• Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning targets.

C. Read Maus I, Chapter 1 (15 minutes)

• Direct students to turn to page 9, the beginning of chapter 1 in Maus I.
• Repeated routine: Follow the same process as with previous lessons for students to read chapter 1 of Maus I, using the Text Guide: Maus I (for teacher reference). Instruct students to read the chapter independently and support struggling students as needed. If students do not finish reading the chapter within the allotted reading time, distribute Synopsis: Maus I, Chapter 1 to each student to review the key details from the chapter. Then have students identify the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary, reflect on their reading as they choose, and record the gist on sticky notes using the following resources as appropriate: vocabulary logs and Work to Become Ethical People anchor chart.
• Gist: Vladek tells his son, Art, how he chose to marry Art's mother. 
• Direct students' attention to the Work to Become Ethical People anchor chart, and review respect and empathy as needed.
• Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning targets.