“Classroom Connections” aligns Classroom Standards with comics, graphic novels, manga, and picture books that students will want to read. All titles are available in Comics Plus.
What makes a good citizen? Or a community member? What about a global citizen? The answer is our civic ideals.
These beliefs and values come from our experiences, culture, and knowledge of the world. For example, we might believe that everyone has a responsibility to vote, to serve as a juror, volunteer in the community, or be knowledgeable about past and present policies that affect our lives as citizens.
So, how can we be good citizens? It’s our civic practices.
Our civic practices are the things we do or the ways we participate to fulfill the civic ideals we have determined will deepen our relationships with others and make an impact on our lives and on the common good.
Making the connection between ideals and practices is a form of knowledge acquisition. Teaching students to be good citizens starts in kindergarten, where we work to create a mutual understanding of expectations of participation at school. They learn to consider others’ needs, and to take action when something is wrong or needs attention. These forms of civic participation remain with us throughout our lives, often becoming more abstract and, maybe, less relevant to our everyday needs — but they still require knowledge and action.
We build knowledge by studying the present and the past, engaging in debates, researching local issues, and examining global controversies. We learn to identify where ideals and practices are mismatched, and with more knowledge, we are filled with the confidence to be fully engaged citizens.
The NCSS Theme: Civic Ideals and Practices instills in learners the importance of being an active citizen who is informed and understands the influence of individuals, groups, and institutions. Recognition of our stated ideals of civic duty and expectations of citizenship, and the reality of the discrepancies we see in the news — from the past, and around us today — illuminates the work that needs to be done by engaged, knowledgeable citizens.
Our K-12 engagement specialists have selected titles from our Black History, Black Voices list that honor the achievements and accomplishments of African Americans and other members of the African diaspora, including biographies of outstanding examples of civic ideals and practices, and engaging fictional stories featuring characters who may or may not embody ideal citizenship.
Young Readers
Ana & Andrew: A Day at the Museum by Christine Platt and Sharon Sordo (ABDO)
NCSS Theme: Learners will understand the theme of civic ideals and practices helps us know how we can have influence on how people live and act together.
Follow siblings Ana and Andrew as they receive a surprise visit from their grandmother to visit the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC. As a family, Ana and Andrew learn about important achievements and contributions of African Americans, including civil rights leaders, athletes, and soldiers. Ana is attracted to the dolls on display, Andrew likes the old sports team uniforms, and their parents appreciate the history of food and other achievements.
Sharon Sordo’s illustrations employ a warm, inviting style that seamlessly combines realistic scenes with expressive characters, utilizing soft color palettes and precise linework to create visually stunning images on every page. Her artwork helps bring the museum visit to life for young readers, balancing authentic details with cheerful images that celebrate both family and African American history.
A Day at the Museum is a great starting point for exploring civic ideals and practices, which help readers understand how we influence each other through our deeds and actions, and how we learn to live and act together. Students will connect with this theme by discussing how Ana and Andrew discovered the important civic ideals at the museum, such as freedom, dignity, and the achievements of African Americans.
Activity: Ask students to create a collaborative poster highlighting the various civic ideals showcased in the museum exhibits, including the efforts of famous leaders and athletes, to demonstrate their understanding of key details in the text. Students will be interested in discussing ways they can participate, even at a young age, in their community and school by showing respect, cooperation, and making positive contributions, just like the people Ana and Andrew learned about at the museum.
Readers can enjoy more Ana & Andrew adventures as they explore the achievements and contributions of African Americans in Martin’s Dream, Summer in Savannah, and A Walk in Harlem, among several others in the series.
📚Also consider: Common Core ELA Literature Standard. Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
- Comics Plus Collection(s): Elementary, Children’s Public Library, All-Access for Schools, Full Collection
Riding to Washington by Gwenyth Swain and David Geister (Cherry Lake)
NCSS Theme: Learners will understand key practices in a democratic society include civic participation based on studying community issues, planning, decision-making, voting, and cooperating to promote civic ideals.
Gwenyth Swain explores the impact of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s speech at 1963’s March on Washington through the eyes of Janie, a fictional young girl traveling to D.C. by bus with her father to attend the March. During the trip, Janie witnesses racial injustices such as the segregation of customers in restaurants and restrooms. At one point, she finds the courage to convince a young gas station attendant to allow Mrs. Taylor, one of the black travelers in the diverse group, to use the “whites only” restroom. While listening to Dr. King’s speech, Janie understands why her father wanted to attend the event and realizes the value of their participation in the march and standing up for what’s right.
David Geister’s illustrations beautifully evoke the historical setting and emotional depth of the March on Washington, using realistic details to create expressive characters that immerse readers in the journey. He successfully captures the intensity of the atmosphere and experiences of those who gathered for Dr. King’s speech, emphasizing both Janie’s individual experiences and the larger themes of courage and unity.
This book is an excellent resource for emphasizing the importance of civic engagement and collective action in addressing community issues.
Activity: Use Janie’s experiences to guide the discussion on what civic participation looked like during the 1963 March on Washington. Encourage students to draw or write about ways they or their families can participate in or support a cause that matters to them today, such as attending a community event, writing to a leader, or helping to organize a school project that promotes fairness or kindness. This activity helps students understand that individuals, regardless of age, can get involved in civic life to make a positive impact on their community.
📚Also consider: Common Core ELA Literature Standard. Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.
- Comics Plus Collection(s): Elementary, Children’s Public Library, All-Access for Schools, Full Collection
Middle Grade
Hope!: A Story of Change in Obama’s America by Eric Stevens and Nick Derington (Capstone)
NCSS Theme: Learners will understand key practices involving the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and the exercise of citizenship; e.g., respecting the rule of law and due process, voting, serving on a jury, researching issues, making informed judgments, expressing views on issues, and collaborating with others to take civic action.
Anton Fox is mad at the world and his math teacher! He believes there is no way out of his situation and decides to vandalize his high school. Working through the judicial system, Anton is assigned community service, during which he realizes that each of us plays an essential role in our community.
With layouts combining comic book panels that embellish Stevens’ traditional prose, readers have the best of both worlds to experience Anton’s story, as Derington’s realistic imagery and a focus on emotion and body language convey the characters’ feelings and attitudes. Students will be able to discuss the importance of respecting the rule of law, the entitlement of due process, and the consequences of Anton’s actions.
Activity: Ask students to create a cause-and-effect chart that tracks Anton’s actions and attitudes. Share images and stories of Barack Obama’s presidential inauguration in 2009 to provide background knowledge and compare and contrast with the fictional version in the story. You can also follow up with research on ways that students can collaborate with volunteers and organizations in their community to make an impact on everyone’s life.
📚Also consider: Common Core ELA Literature Standard. Compare and contrast a fictional portrayal of a time, place, or character and a historical account of the same period as a means of understanding how authors of fiction use or alter history.
- Comics Plus Collection(s): Elementary, Middle School, Children’s Public Library, Teen Public Library, All-Access for Schools, Full Collection
Athletes Who Made a Difference: Jesse Owens by Blake Hoena and David Shephard (Lerner)
NCSS Theme: Learners will understand concepts and ideals such as: individual dignity, liberty, justice, equality, individual rights, responsibility, majority and minority rights, and civil dissent.
This graphic biography spotlights Jesse Owens’ historic achievements during the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany. An African American sprinter and long jumper who challenged racial barriers and shattered records in track and field, readers learn how Owens won four gold medals in the 100-meter, 200-meter, 4×100-meter relay, and long jump events, overturning Adolf Hitler’s plans to showcase Nazi superiority.
David Shephard’s artwork highlights both action and emotion through lively, colorful images of essential moments in Owens’ life. He emphasizes movement and dramatic events, using bold lines and expressive characters to engage readers and make the story accessible, while supporting themes of perseverance and social justice.
Activity: Use Jesse Owens’ story to help students understand what it means to exercise citizenship by discussing how he stood up for himself, protecting his individual dignity and rights to overcome racial discrimination. After reading and engaging with the book, students can research the historical context of the 1936 Berlin Olympics and analyze Hoena’s structure and organization of the barriers Owens faced. As a culminating activity, students can collaborate to design posters or write short essays on how personal actions and perseverance can contribute to and influence justice, equality, and respect for rights within their community.
Jigsaw reading groups to share how others in the Athletes Made a Difference series modeled individual dignity, responsibility, equality, and more.
📚Also consider: Common Core ELA Informational Text Standard. Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and to the development of the ideas.
- Comics Plus Collection(s): Elementary, Middle School, Children’s Public Library, Teen Public Library, All-Access for Schools, Full Collection
Teens
WindMaker Vol #1 by Roye Okupe, Sunkanmi Akinboye, and Toyin Ajetunmobi (Dark Horse)
NCSS Theme: The importance of becoming informed as the basis for thoughtful and positive contributions through civic action.
Inspired by African mythology, the WindMaker takes place in the fictional Atala, where legends tell of an ancient hero who will appear and save the nation. Unbeknownst to him, Bo, the loyal head of security for the newly installed president, is that reincarnated hero. He lives in the new president’s inner sanctum and is unable to see the corruption, and the extent to which it has led the country into civil unrest. Through his friends and recurring encounters with the president, Bo realizes he must stand up to the dictator that the president has become and save Atala.
Sunkanmi Akinboye and Toyin Ajetunmobi’s artwork is full of color and emotion. Their backgrounds are simple, with solid colors, while the characters’ expressions provide details, and the action scenes are full of movement. Each chapter break includes background information about the African legend of the WindMaker, and the larger universe in which Atala is located.
Read more about Atala and other nations in Okupe’s multi-dimensional YouNeek YouNiverse with E.X.O., Iyanu, and Malika.
Activity: This is a notable humanities text that can encourage ELA and Social Studies teachers to collaborate on activities. The longer text is an engaging read with opportunities to discuss intriguing themes such as loyalty, responsibility, and power in the ELA classroom, which can be continued in the Social Studies classroom, focusing on our commitment to stay informed about the actions of our elected leaders and the outcomes of global events. Brainstorm with students to determine ways citizens can contribute through civil action that supports democratic ideals and practices.
📚Also consider: Common Core ELA Literature Standard. Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
- Comics Plus Collection(s): Middle School, High School, Teen Public Library, All-Access for Schools, Full Collection
X: A Biography of Malcolm X by Jessica Gunderson and Seitu Hayden (Capstone)
NCSS Theme: The theme of civic ideals and practices helps us recognize where gaps between ideals and practices exist, and prepares us to work for social justice.
A graphic biography about the life and legacy of Malcolm X, Jessica Gunderson explores his troubled youth through his time as an influential spokesman for the Nation of Islam, highlighting his shifting views on race, justice, and brotherhood. The story covers his split from the Nation of Islam and shows the threats he faced, while focusing on themes of transformation and social impact, covering his pilgrimage to Mecca, where he gained a broader understanding of racial unity.
Seitu Hayden’s artwork is dynamic and expressive, employing bold linework and clear character expressions, keeping the action and emotion as the focal point of each panel. Her illustrations portray historical settings and character transformations, providing visual context for key events, including Malcolm’s childhood, activism, and pilgrimage.
Activity: This book is an excellent resource for highlighting the gaps between ideals and practice. Have students examine how Malcolm X’s life illustrates the tension between America’s stated ideals — such as liberty, equality, and justice — with the realities of racism and discrimination depicted in the biography. Students can examine specific scenes to draw connections between the series of events in his life, analyzing why the author included them and how they impact our understanding of his legacy in ongoing civic issues and practices.
📚Also consider: Common Core ELA Standard. Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and developed, and the connections that are drawn between them.
- Comics Plus Collection(s): Middle School, High School, Teen Public Library, All-Access for Schools, Full Collection
Vickie Blankenship and Stella Bromley are Engagement Specialists for LibraryPass, as well as school librarians and educators with extensive experience in librarianship at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Both bring expertise in professional development and educator training, working with school districts nationwide. They have presented locally, regionally, and nationally on best practices for collection development, library programming, and classroom pedagogy. Active members of their state library associations, they are dedicated to fostering a love of reading in students and educators alike. They share a passion for connecting readers with the “just-right” book and believe that reading takes many forms, whether it’s traditional print books, comics, graphic novels, or manga; as long as readers are engaged with a book, their love for reading will grow.
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