Comic Book Science in the Classroom

A new experiment in Maryland has students and teachers using comic books as learning tools. The program illustrates an ongoing debate: do teachers give students a challenge, or offer less difficult material that is more likely to spark their interest?

The books are meeting with mixed reviews among fifth-graders at at Lisby-Hillsdale Elementary. As 10-year-old Hunter Haag said of the difference between regular books and graphic novels, "it's kind of good about not having pictures, because you get a chance to make it up in your mind."

But some students say neither comic books nor adventure books can compete with their first passion: video games.

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