English 9 - Heid Reading for Implicit/Explicit Detail

OBJECTIVE Students will speculate on the significance of the explicit and implicit details in a piece of literature in order to draw comparison between seemingly disparate elements of the work. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.3 Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1.A Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.A Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas. Background

While they may look like books with pictures, comic books are actually part of a separate medium of communication. A medium (plural, media) is a way of conveying information and includes its own rules, including a standard method of delivery. Text-based media, short stories and novels for example, use the printed word as their means of delivering a message; visual art, such as a painting, relies on the relationship between color, shadow, shape, and even texture to convey an idea to the viewer. In much the same way, the Comics medium utilizes the interplay of printed words and still images to carry a message. Comics may borrow means of communication from other media, but the presence of both visual and print-based stimuli means that the viewer must remain aware of how both the textual and the graphic and contribute to the bigger ideas of the work. It is likewise important to recognize that the Comics medium, just like other media, varies greatly in genre, subject, and style. Superhero comics such as Batman: Year One make up but a portion of the medium’s sum total content – it’s due to their success during the medium’s formative years and the endurance of their stories in the youth markets that the public tends to view the Comics medium as synonymous with the superhero genre. Regardless of whether its prevalence in pop-culture is truly reflective of the medium at large, a well-crafted comic book has just as much literary merit and analytical potential as a well-crafted work in any medium.

Product

You will work in several settings and with various media to answer the leading question: “How does Frank Miller use implicit and explicit characterization - in both text and images - to draw comparisons between the two central narratives in ‘Batman: Year One’?” Assessment of the skills developed by this project will include a final written, various prewriting and brainstorming activities, and contribution to our class discussions.

Process

• introduction to Comics medium via “Understanding Comics”, initial reading of “Batman: Year One” • class discussion/react to work, collaborative discussion of various elements of the story • return on the group discussion, prewriting of written analysis • composition of written analysis

English 9 – Heid Formative Assessment Rubric

4: Demonstrates Mastery 3: Demonstrates Proficiency 2: Approaching Proficiency 1: Needs Additional Practice

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CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

Student seeks out details from the text that are relevant to their argument and articulates their relevance in a way that is insightful, thorough, and moves beyond mere summation. Student reasonably extrapolates implicit meaning to make their point more specific while not straining credibility.

Student seeks out details from the text that are relevant to their argument and articulates their relevance thoroughly and with some insight. Student’s analysis addresses their central point and successfully draws connection between this point and the author’s words.

Student seeks out details from the text that are relevant to their argument and articulates their relevance. Student’s analysis may occasionally leave implicit details unstated but its conclusion is visible with some consideration by the reader.

Student finds details from the text but does not always articulate their significance or relevance to their argument. Details from the text may be cited without further analysis or be relegated to summation without additional insight on the part of the student.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.3 Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.

Student demonstrates nuanced consideration of character development over the course of the text. Student includes examples of both explicit and implicit characterization from various points in the text and discusses how they demonstrate character development as well as what that development means for the work as a whole by connecting it back to the work’s bigger ideas.

Student demonstrates a consideration of character development over the course of the text by including examples of both implicit and explicit characterization. Student uses the included textual examples to demonstrate growth in the characters and may occasionally consider how that growth ties to a larger idea within the work.

Student demonstrates occasional consideration of character development over the course of the text. Examples chosen for analysis demonstrate character growth but are not always framed in detail by the student, and only seldom or slightly connect to a larger message within the work.

Student’s analysis does not address instances of either implicit or explicit characterization or otherwise does so in a way that does not include consideration of the story’s bigger ideas. Analysis does not include a discussion of the significance of the author’s characterization choices nor how they affect the story and/or other characters.

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CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1.A Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.

Student’s writing clearly introduces their argument in a clear and concise statement, and includes sufficient supporting detail to prove their claims. Student integrates details into their own writing with skill and variance, relying not on rigid structure but on the flow of their syntax and paper’s structure.

Student’s writing clearly introduces their argument in a clear and concise statement, and includes sufficient supporting detail to prove their claims. Student’s integration of supporting details is sufficient and demonstrates a thoughtful, if structurally rigid, understanding of the material.

Student’s writing introduces their argument and provides sufficient supporting detail, though that detail may be occasionally muddled in its presentation and analytical link to the student’s own ideas. The structure of the student’s argument is not always clearly defined and the argument itself may suffer as a result.

Student’s writing introduces their argument, but that argument remains less than clear or lacks sufficiently linked supporting detail. The structure of the student’s paper may be lacking or occasionally deviate into tangent, damaging the coherency of the argument.

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CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.A Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas.

Student offers nuanced and thoughtful discussion of the work that moves into a discussion of the work’s implications in real-world concerns. Student is able to respond to and adjust their own perceptions of the work in response to points raised by their peers and collaborates to arrive at a common interpretation or simultaneous possible meanings.

Student offers nuanced and thoughtful discussion of the work that is considerate of the author’s greater thematic concerns and occasionally considers how those concerns might apply to the world in which the work was written. Student is accepting and considerate of the perspectives of their peers and works to integrate them into their own interpretation.

Student is able to articulate the author’s intent and thematic concerns occasionally, very seldom considering the work’s relevance to the world in which it was written. Student’s examples are sufficient for discussion but do not reach far beyond the work’s boundaries as literature, and student may struggle to revise their own thinking in the face of their peer’s contrasting or contradictory views.

Student very seldom articulates relevant detail to the work’s greater thematic concerns and does not consider the work’s connection to the larger world. Student may be disengaged from discussion or otherwise have little of substance to contribute.

English 9 - Heid Reading for Implicit/Explicit Detail

LEADING QUESTION: How does Frank Miller use implicit and explicit characterization - in both text and images - to draw comparisons between the two central narratives of ‘Batman: Year One’?

In our initial readings of Batman: Year One, we should be focused on finding examples of characterization and character development that is both implicit (unspoken or alluded to) and explicit (blatantly stated or shown). The goal will be to show that the author uses characterization, whether outright or subtly, to show similarity between the stories of Lt. James Gordon and Bruce Wayne. In the space below, record your observations of characterization and character development over the course of Batman: Year One. Remember that we are working with the Comics medium, so we must pay attention not only to text (what is said), but also to image (what is shown). We you record your findings in each section, be sure to note the page number and panel number (from the top-left, as you would read a book) so that we can more easily discuss the sections as a class. Note page and panel as (x.y), where the first number is the page and the second is the panel:

“Gotham City. Maybe it’s all I deserve, now. Maybe it’s just my time in hell.” (1.1) Following each section, consider the development of the characters – both as individuals on their own journeys, and together as characters put to work by the author to a common end. Questions follow each section of this visual guide; use them to steer your discussion of how the characters have developed and how they compare to one another. Part 1: “January 4”

What is said/shown What it means (characterization)

Implicit or Explicit?

Lt. J

ames

Gor

don

Said: “Gotham City. Maybe it’s all I deserve, now. Maybe it’s just my time in hell.” (1.1)

Lt. Gordon feels guilty for something, so much so that he feels he “deserves” time in a place he describes as “hell”.

Implicit

Summing Up Part 1

In terms of personality, is there anything that ties to

the two central characters together?

Beyond the

external and material, is there any

way that they are different?

Is there any

way that the two central characters’

differences (internal or external) make

them similar?

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Part 2: “February 12” / “February 21” / “February 26”

What is said/shown What it means (characterization)

Implicit or Explicit?

Lt. J

ames

Gor

don

Summing Up Part 2: How has does

each character appear to have changed in the

month between Parts 1 and 2, and what

can be inferred about what happened to them or what they

have been doing as a result?

How have

Gordon/Wayne’s goals developed or

changed since Part 1, and what does this suggest about their

development (or lack of development) as

characters?

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Visual/Thematic Similarity in Batman: Year One

Working in the Comics medium for the first time can take some adjustment, and at first you might find yourself reading the works primarily and only looking at the pictures as an afterthought. It’s important to remember,

however, that the composition of a comic book page is a deliberate act by both the writer and the artist: the writer picks the words with precision just as the artist draws the actions and characters with a purpose in mind.

Consider the these two panels without the words. What can we infer about the characters from what we see (their

surroundings, the color, their posture, the placement of people and objects around them)?

Part 3: “March 11”

What is said/shown What it means (characterization)

Implicit or Explicit?

Lt. J

ames

Gor

don

Summing Up Part 3: In what ways

do the events of “March 11” end the

character arcs of Lt. Gordon and Bruce

Wayne?

How do the events of “March 11”

leave the character arcs open for further

development?

How have both Gordon and Wayne developed

similarly across their two narratives?

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One Final Look: Character as told through image in Batman: Year One Consider these two panels – the final time we see both Lt. Gordon and Bruce Wayne during the events of “March 11”. Keep in mind that the art, as well as the text, is a deliberate storytelling technique put to work by the author/artist; these two images

should give us an idea of the culmination of both characters’ development just as much as words could.

Given the context in which both scenes take place, what do these moments in time

reveal about each man’s motivations, goals, and characterization? Are they at all similar, or wildly different? What might take place for each in the months to follow?