Mad Magazine is a highly sophisticated, satiric commentary on virtually all phases of American culture and should not be overlooked as a literary source.

A way to attract and hold the attention of young children in the classroom is discussed. (CK)

Compares how the Carter and Reagan administrations are portrayed in Canadian editorial cartoons. Finds that the Carter administration was treated more favorably than the Reagan administration. (RS)

Appropriate cartoons in adult education can help learners relax and encourage flexible thinking. Cartoons must be carefully selected and should not be overused. (Contains 16 references.) (SK)

This article gives a brief biography of William Steig, one of America's best-known cartoonists and, later in life, a beloved children's author and illustrator. A major motion picture based on Steig's picture book "Shrek!" won the first Oscar in the category of best animated feature film in 2002. Steig passed away at the age of 95 in October, 2003.…

Manga has been growing rapidly in popularity with young readers in recent years. But to the novice, the form comes with a dizzying array of styles, and even a language all its own. This article provides a short glossary of terms that every otaku should know.

The author, a middle school art teacher, describes a sculpture project lesson involving Cone Heads (sculptures made from cardboard cones). Discussion of caricatures with exaggerated facial features and interesting profiles helped students understand that the more expressive the face, the better. This project took approximately four to five…

Based on a four-year study, "Manga High" explores the convergence of literacy, creativity, social development, and personal identity in one of New York City's largest high schools. Since 2004, students at Martin Luther King, Jr., High School in Manhattan have been creating manga--Japanese comic books. They write the stories, design the…

Radical change, a theory described in Eliza Dresang's 1999 book, "Radical Change: Books for Youth in a Digital Age," was developed in the mid-1990s. It serves as a lens through which to examine, explain, and ultimately, use contemporary literature for youth growing up in the Digital Age. It identifies changes in forms and formats,…

Comics and graphic novels are being incorporated into upper elementary and middle school classrooms based on the novels' popularity and ability to stimulate interest in voluntary reading. Their format--combining words and sequential images--may hold power for an even younger audience. As beginning readers struggle to decode new words in books,…

Are children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but normal-range intelligence, impaired on theory of mind skills measured by responses to abstract animations in the form of a computerized cartoon? Fifty-six cases and closely matched comparisons were tested. We rated verbal responses according to the length of their descriptions, their…

This paper reports a study assessing a new computer tool for cartoon storytelling, created by the authors for a target audience in the upper half of the English and Welsh Key Stage 2 (years 5 and 6, covering ages 9-11 years). The tool attempts to provide users with more opportunities for expressive visualisation than previous educational software;…

An extensive body of research claims that labels facilitate categorisation, highlight the commonalities between objects and act as invitations to form categories for young infants before their first birthday. While this may indeed be a reasonable claim, we argue that it is not justified by the experiments described in the research. We report on a…

It is common to encourage foreign-language learners to use their language outside the classroom and to read books and papers, listen to songs and watch films in the foreign language. One of the benefits which are thought to accrue from these activities is that learners can build good vocabularies. It has even been argued that casual exposure to…

The author taught information literacy skills courses at the University of Notre Dame and created active learning exercises including a pirate theme to simulate searching for buried treasure (information inside of databases). This article provides examples of cartoons, quotations, and humor used in both classes.