How to Study a Graphic Novel Teaching Guide and Student Study Guide

This generic How to Study a Graphic Novel unit is designed for Senior English and Literature classes and provides explicit instruction in analysing graphic novels as complex literary texts.

The unit supports students in understanding how visual and written elements work together to create meaning, with a focus on language features, visual conventions, and text structures unique to the form.

Suitable for use with any prescribed or chosen graphic novel, this resource includes clear teacher guidance and student-facing materials that scaffold analysis, interpretation, and written responses.

What’s Included:
A teacher guide with which elements to teach
A student study guide for revision and independent learning
Explicit instruction on analysing language features in graphic novels (dialogue, narration, symbolism, motif)
Analysis of visual and structural features, including panels, gutters, framing, colour, perspective, and sequencing

The files are provided as PDFs for flexibility as teachers use different formats in their classrooms. You can:
• Convert to PowerPoint: Upload the PDF to PowerPoint (File → Open) and it will automatically convert to slides.
• Use in Google Slides: Upload the PDF to Google Drive, right-click, and open with Google Slides.
• Use digitally or print: Upload the PDF to your LMS (Google Classroom, Canvas, etc.) or print it for handouts.
You could also use Canva to upload the PDF and convert and save as a PowerPoint.