Using Graphic Novels to Empower Dyslexic Learners

Presented by Michelle Luhtala, Library Department Chair, New Canaan High School (CT); Nancy Disterlic, Dyslexia Specialist, Keller Independent School District (TX); and Tuan Nguyen, Library Consultant, Mackin Educational Resources

Sponsored by Mackin Educational Resources

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Closed captioning will be added to the recording within 2 weeks of the live presentation. Get a CE Certificate for this edWebinar Learn more.

Graphic novels empower learners with a wide range of abilities, including those learning English, those developing reading skills, and those learning to read with dyslexia, among others. In this edWebinar, presenters Nancy Disterlic and Tuan Nguyen emphasize how this empowerment helps transition students by utilizing the medium’s strength in picturing vocabulary, sequencing thoughts, predicting, and inferencing with minimal print distractions, until they bridge their print confidence.

Join us to learn how students with dyslexia develop storytelling skills that will transfer into writing competencies. This recorded edWebinar is of interest to teachers and librarians of grades 6-12.

About the Presenters

Michelle Luhtala, Library Department Chair at New Canaan High School in Connecticut, was one of five school librarians named as a “Mover and Shaker” by Library Journal in 2015. She is the winner of the 2011 “I Love My Librarian” Award and the Library Association’s 2010 Outstanding Librarian Award. The New Canaan High School Library won AASL’s National School Library Program of the year in 2010. Follow Michelle on Twitter @mluhtala.

Nancy Disterlic graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Arts in early childhood development and from Dallas Baptist University with a Master of Arts in teaching (multisensory instruction). She taught in Keller ISD for 12 years in both elementary and high school, as a classroom teacher, dyslexia therapist and special education teacher for students with autism. She is a Certified Academic Language Therapist, Licensed Dyslexia Therapist, and a member of the Academic Language Therapy Association. She enjoys serving districts and students to help them develop the skills to become independent and confident. She offers a new perspective for teachers working with students with dyslexia.

Tuan Nguyen received his master’s in library science from the University of North Texas and is a library consultant for Mackin Educational Resources. While in library school, Tuan helped co-found the Texas Library Association’s Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List, the first state library association-sanctioned graphic novel recommended reading list for 6th – 12th grade. Later, Tuan also co-founded the Little Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List which serves kindergarten to 5th grade. He has written multiple educators’ guides for graphic and highly illustrated novels and has presented many professional development workshops (American Library Association annual conference, Texas Library Association annual conference, the San Diego International Comic-Con) on the importance of visual literacy and utilizing graphic novels in education.

Closed captioning will be added to the recording within 2 weeks of the live presentation.

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For nearly 40 years, Mackin has provided library and classroom materials for grades K-12 with access to 18,000 publishers, and more than 3.5 million printed titles and 3 million digital titles. From MackinVIA, the free, multiple-award-winning digital content management system, to their Maker Education, Classroom, and Professional Learning divisions, Mackin is the most complete choice for your print and digital educational resources.