Brian Selznick's Marvel-ous Multimodal Novel: Exploring Images and Words with Eighth Grade English Students

Furthermore, a multimodal approach to analyzing and comprehending text embraces the equality of all modes of communication and representation (Jewitt, 2009; Kress, 2010). [...]in a multimodal middle grade novel, image and design elements are as valuable as written language. Because the novel celebrates multimodality and the importance of all communicational and representational modes, we decided to veer away from assigning an extended written response or essay as the concluding task. [...]the multimodal nature of the tasks assigned enabled a wider range of students to express their ideas and showcase their talents. [...]including this multimodal novel as part of the core English curriculum validated the kinds of reading in which some students engage outside of school.