Well...its been several days since I read the news from Kak Fadzleen's blog. And yes, novels will still be around for the new lit component but its gonna be a bit different. Well, its presentation will be very different since it'll be graphic novels.
So far, the graphic novels that are set for Form 1 will be Black Beauty, Journey to the Centre of the Earth and The Boscombe Valley Mystery. Seems like the graphic novels are a re-make from the classic novels which I believe were great novels I read for leisure while I was at school. And I should add that there will also be novels set for the other forms as well (they just haven't got to the announcement part yet I suppose).
Hence, I have been frantically (yes, I am very 'kalut' and would easily go to my frantic mode) looking for information on graphic novels. Funny thing is, everytime i google 'graphic novels' the results will show more on comics. So, I've been wondering, what is the difference of graphic novels and comics??Hurm...so I read this.
After reading the article, I can't say I gained as much info as I wanted but, for starters, I guess it was enough. If I understand right, comics is a reading material which doesn't have heavy themes like graphic novels and the storyline in a graphic novel is more complex than in comics. In my personal opinion, as a person who read comics, I don't really see that much difference in both. So, I guess I have to wait to get into an actual school and getting my hands on the book itself (sure I can get the reference books from bookstores but I'm more interested to see how the text looks like...I've already heard it has low quality...).
Owh, and I believe I should also mention that so far, I'd say most of the articles I have read on graphic novels states that they are suitable to be used for children who are unmotivated towards reading or have difficulty in reading. Sure that's the case in schools nowadays. But do we really need to introduce such light reading for the English text?I read English comics and I dare say, its not much reading but more of enjoying the storyline. I personally would opt for teenage novels Diana Wynne Jones and also Roald Dahl. They're language in their books are easy to understand and also enjoyable (not as heavy as The Pearl, which I, as a person who doesn't really take reading as an all time hobby).
But, that's just me. I'm still hoping that the change in the lit component would be for the best.
P/s: Still looking for information on how graphic novels can be used to teach English in the classroom. I'll post more entries on it if I do find more info.
I've only found one book for the lower secondary literature component which is:
Here are two books i found for the upper secondary:
Chuah, C. H. (2010). Poems, short stories and drama (Form 4 and Form 5). Shah Alam: Marshal Cavendish (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.
