Gender Queer: A MemoirPublished by: Lion ForgeWritten by: Maia KobabeIllustrated by: Maia KobabeColors by: Phoebe KobabeISBN: 9781549304002Ages: 13+ Review “Having a nonbinary or trans teacher in junior high would have meant the world to me.”…
Submit, Submit, Submit! Or, Why You Should Submit to the 2019 EGL Awards Program.
All of us at Pop Culture Classroom (PCC) are so excited to be celebrating a new year and the 2nd annual Excellence in Graphic Literature (EGL) Awards! Submissions are open NOW through February 15, 2019,…
The Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards 2018 Winners
Sitting on stage as part of the Excellence in Graphic Literature (EGL) Awards ceremony last year, I experienced a lot of different emotions. On the one hand, I was really excited by all the energy…
Katie’s Korner: Graphic Novel Reviews for Schools and Libraries
Otherworldly Izkaya Nobu Volume 1Published by: Udon EntertainmentWritten by: Natsuya SemikawaIllustrated by: Virginia NitouheiISBN: 9781772940671Ages: 13+ Review I first heard of Otherwordly Izakaya Nobu this past October at New York City Comic Con. Only an…
Using Deadpool to Teach Narrative Voices (1st & 2nd person, etc.)
We are all storytellers! And yet, many people—young and old alike—feel intimidated at the prospect of sitting down and writing a short story, novel, or comic book script. That’s understandable! Writing is fun, but it’s…
Exhibitor Applications for PCC Kids’ Lab 2019 Now Open!
The Pop Culture Classroom Kids’ Lab is back and better than ever for Denver Pop Culture Con 2019 (May 31-June 2, 2019), and we are excited to announce that the application for the PCC Kids’…
Katie’s Korner: Graphic Novel Reviews for Schools and Libraries
Son of Hitler Published by: Image Comics Written by: Anthony Del Col, Geoff Moore Illustrated by: Jeff McComsey Format: HC, Color, 192 pages, $24.99 ISBN: 9781534302242 Ages: 16+ Review Did Adolf Hitler have a…
Using Han Solo to Teach “The Hero’s Journey”
Teaching writing is more than stringing together words. Stories have a structure. Good stories have a beginning, middle, and end. Great stories teach us something about life and ourselves. Timeless stories; those that affect generations…
How Can I Get My Kids Started Making Their Own Comics?
Visual literacy—the ability to interpret and create visual images—is an important 21st century skill. Kids are exposed to imagery from the internet, video games, television, film, and advertisements every day, and it is important that…
Librarians: Use Comics To Connect With Young Readers!
In the 1930’s, when American comics first made the jump from newspaper strips to comic books, they were a smash success with young readers. The synthesis of images and text in a juxtaposed narrative was…
Using Comics to Teach Math!
Teaching math is an art. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I’ve been doing it for 31 years, and I’m here to tell you that if you’re in front of a classroom in…
3 Ways to Use Comics & Superhero Movies to Teach Science
By bringing pop culture into our classrooms as educators, we’re all trying to do the same thing – increase student engagement. But there’s another “e” that we need to be worried about as well: empowerment.…
The Bechdel Test: Why It’s Important For Students
Representation matters! It’s more than just a hashtag—it’s a fact. When children (and adults) fail to see characters who remind them of themselves represented in the media they consume, they often feel unimportant or invisible,…
Why You Should Read Comics With Your Students
If you haven’t already figured it out, this blog is a place for teachers to explore new and innovative ideas about teaching with texts that they might, otherwise, not consider “academic” in a traditional sense.…