Korean Job Discussion Forums

mokpochica · Joined: 21 Jan 2003 Location: Ann Arbor, MI

I've been trying to find some books to get my middle school kids interested in reading in English. Today I found the suggestion of 'Captain Underpants' on another site and it seems like a perfect start.

Has anyone had success in class with other fun books or magazines (comic, fiction, whatever) that they can share here? Anyone with Captain Underpants experience?

Hotuk · Joined: 10 Jan 2003

I didn't know there was a kids' book named "Captain Underpants". But thanks for bringing it to my attention. It makes a FINE nickname for a certain message board friend of mine.

(*files "Captain Underpants" away for future use...*)

Rand Al Thor · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Location: Locked in an epic struggle

http://www.scholastic.com/captainunderpants/arcade.htm

Almost exactly what I picture a certain user to look like Wink

rasta man · Guest

I'll be brief, so we don't get too far off topic. great pic rand. Can we get this as an avatar for a certian poster here who drives me nuts?

Zyzyfer · Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2003 8:30 pm Post subject:

I was about to ask about comic strips, myself. I started a special class after school at my school, so I'm trying to spice it up over the normal classes, and I bought a Snoopy comic strip book for the last ten minutes, to discuss and look at simple dialogue.

I'm wondering what other comic strips out there seem like good ones...most of them are way too sarcastic to make much sense, i.e. Calvin and Hobbes.

Suggestions?

The Lemon · Joined: 11 Jan 2003

Yeah, I don't want to hijack this thread either, but it's almost too good to be true. Smile

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mokpochica · Joined: 21 Jan 2003 Location: Ann Arbor, MI

I've seen a lot of Peanuts strips in stores here--even with some Korean translation. They seem pretty straightforward. And I think Garfield would be good too.

Silly me...Snoopy is Peanuts. Hmm...how about 'Family Circus' or 'B.C.' ( I think that's the name anyway). The Korea Times has comics too...and their supplemental 'English cafe' section sometimes explains the comics.

Rand Al Thor · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Location: Locked in an epic struggle

comic strip

check it out. It takes a little while to load.

riley · Joined: 08 Feb 2003 Location: where creditors can find me

Back in the US, the ol' captain was a crowdpleaser for boys. The book series is at Bandi & Luni's in COEX.
As a different suggestion, I have taken comic strips and whited out what they say and make the kids add words. Sometimes this was really funny, sometimes not. Usually I made it into a competition, i.e. if they could make me laugh I would give them a prize. It encouraged them to do better.

mack the knife · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: standing right behind you...

there's a whole series of great books with titles like "Mr. Bossy" and "Mr. Tall" and "Miss Shy"....maybe you know the series....

the level is perfect for, say, a fifth grader with decent english skillz....

panthermodern · Joined: 08 Feb 2003 Location: Taxronto

I have seen the Captain Underpants series and I, personally, would never use them in the classroom. Why?, because I find the "soft-core toilet humor" to be, well offensive is the wrong word, but, simply stupid.

I find controling kids in class hard enough without enouraging them to make more bathroom jokes.

I use (sometimes) old Richard Scary books, picture books of Paddington Bear and sometimes even Winnie the Pooh.

I, again, personally view Captain Underpants as being almost insulting towards children for thier low humor content.

In my experience if you treat kids with respect and give them some credit for thier intelligence and do not tolerate immature behavior, generally they respond and behave in a civilized manner.

If you give kids material to study which is of "low humor" and encourages the same expect to have them jab thier fingers up your .....

CYA

panthermodern

Zyzyfer · Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2003 12:19 am Post subject:

That's right, Garfield! Thanks mokpochica and Lemon.

panthermodern · Joined: 08 Feb 2003 Location: Taxronto

Long quote from CNN.com

Many teachers don't appreciate the books' accounts of devilish pranks and smartypants back-talk. "Students want to mime that behavior, instead of being on task," said Roberta Hepp, a first-grade teacher in Weatherford, Texas. "It's very counterproductive for a teacher."

One elementary school in Naugatuck, Connecticut, even banned the books last February after school leaders claimed it was inspiring mischief in fourth-graders.

How does Pilkey respond to such complaints? "I usually just cup my left hand into my right armpit and pump my right arm up and down, creating a lovely flatulence noise," he said'

Does not the wolrd of EFL in Korea have enough lovely flatulence noises ...

MrTESL · Joined: 17 Mar 2003 Location: Canada

I reckon it depends on the class and the size, but I'm surprised you could get a class of middle school kids to be interested reading anything in English, no matter what it was.

I tried Dagwood once, but it went down like a lead balloon. After that I just gave up on comics in the classroom altogether.

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Cheap, fast TESL certification - http://members.rogers.com/tesl/

weened · Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2003 2:46 pm Post subject:

I used the first book in the series once and it was a struggle to keep my students' attention. Placing the appropriateness of the content aside, the series is not a comicstrip. It is text-driven with a few pictures scattered about the book. Needless to say, I became El Capitan in order to make the time more fun for the kids. I wouldn't recommend it unless you have very young students with a high reading level. The vocab is such that only older students understand and the humor of the story is pretty much lost on them. The two boys in the story write their own comic strip (Captain) and I was able to use this example to have my students write one.