What makes a monster? This topic was part of 19th century Gothic fiction when Robert Louis Stevenson put pen to paper, but if you ask a fan of Marvel Comics, they may instead respond, “gamma…
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No Support – Now What?: Where to Turn and What to Do in the Face of a Less-Than-Supportive School Administration
In the spring of 2016, I had the opportunity to draft and present to my school district a class focused on the use of the Comics medium in the instruction and application of literary theory. …
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Teaching Disability Awareness With Disabled Comic Book Characters
One of the great things about school is that, just as students learn about different subjects, they also encounter different types of people from different walks of life. That being said, not every student has…
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Comics to Catwalks: Bridging High School Theatre and Pop Culture
When I started teaching at Temecula Valley High School in 2009, I was as new to the field as I could be. I’d scarcely had my teaching credential authorized before a position became available in…
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How Harry Potter Can Help Teach About the Salem Witch Trials
The Harry Potter books are all about a society of witches and wizards who inhabit a world adjacent to ours, and yet deliberately, wholly separate. That’s why it’s such a shock to Harry Potter when…
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Superpower your weekend with Rocky Mountain PBS at the 2019 PCC Kids’ Lab!
Please help us welcome first-time Kids’ Lab exhibitor Rocky Mountain PBS into the Pop Culture Classroom Kids’ Laboratory for 2019! Swing by their booth throughout the DPCC weekend to take a picture with Word Girl…
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Katie’s Korner: Graphic Novel Reviews for Schools and Libraries
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.”…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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’…
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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…
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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…