Spider-Man's web of literacy

Whether it was "Spider-Man" or "Archie," most Americans have fond memories of time spent reading comic books in their youth. The story lines were easy to follow, aided by colorful illustrations. Best of all, they were an inexpensive form of reading material, readily available at grocery stores or the five-and-dimes.

For many of those same reasons, some educators are using comic books to enhance the literacy skills of struggling readers and children with limited English proficiency — a move some skeptics say will only water down reading instruction.

Comic books shouldn't replace research-based reading programs. But if reading comic books — and creating one's own comic strips — render learning to read a more inviting exercise, why not?

Most adults who enjoyed reading comic books in their youth have likely advanced beyond the antics of Archie Andrews and the rest of the gang at Riverdale High. They read to perform their work, to use computers, to function as citizens and to read product instructions, a particularly helpful skill this time of year. Comic books weren't an end-all, they were a tool to hone literacy to the point it became possible to read great novels, nonfiction works and religious texts.

Should mainstream educators be alarmed at these practices? Lisa Von Drasek, children's librarian at the Bank Street College of Education in New York City, takes a pragmatic approach, according to a recent New York Times News Service article. "What we say is, "Whatever works."

The point is, whatever tools enable as many people as possible to become literate, all the better. This may become increasingly important as the demographics of the nation's schools include a growing number of students with limited English proficiency. Unlike public school classrooms of the past, educators teach students with vastly varied abilities. They need a variety of approaches to reach each of their students. If comics about the Fantastic Four or Jughead Jones can help students learn to read, their use as a teaching tool shouldn't be dismissed out of hand as "dumbing down" reading instruction. Rather, it should be viewed as another tool in the toolbox.