Graphic Novels as Cognitive and Creative Support for Emergent Literacy Learners: Integrating Multimedia Components into the Traditional and Innovative Emergent Literacy Learner Instructional Environment

Artistic endeavors creatively support the conceptual and cognitive literary needs of emergent literacy learners, through the innovative integration of graphic novels into the literacy learning environment. Not only do graphic novels support the learner's understanding of contextual representation, but concerns related to the learner's cognitive load are enriched through the conceptual framework of understanding through instructor-designed complementary visualizations. Comic books are growing up, with a more complex literary structure that supports the needs of emergent readers. At this point in the graphic novel's development, the term "graphic novel" is captivating reading enthusiasts as a potential enhancement within the field of emergent literacy learners. Graphic novels propose a graphic interface through which to communicate, with a primarily visual mode supporting the emergent reader's understanding of the contextually-enhanced story line. As we move from the Information Age towards the Cognitive Age, the emergent literacy learner must develop an understanding of not only textual representations of information, but must also develop a cognitive understanding of graphic representations of information that also integrate semiotic support for societal and cultural levels of literacy. At the same time, instructor-developed graphic novels enhance the learner's needs to visualize components of information, while learnerdeveloped graphic novels offer creative outlets through which to utilize graphic situations that allows the development of a conceptually appropriate story.