Comic Books That Teach Mathematics Bridges Banff The Banff Centre Banff, Alberta, Canada July 28, 2009 Bruce Kessler Western Kentucky University

Background keithbendis.comwww.ideakentucky.com

Background keithbendis.comwww.ideakentucky.com

Background keithbendis.comwww.ideakentucky.com

Background keithbendis.comwww.ideakentucky.com

“Math” Comic Books had not really been done the way that I wanted to do it (Plusman, Larry Gonick, Calvin & Hobbes, Foxtrot, etc.) goal was to create comics with embedded mathematics appropriate for 3 rd – 6 th grade students assembled my “team”  two art professors, Matt Tullis & Jeff Jensen  student, Annie Erskine  elementary school principal, Mary Evans (and crew)  education professor, Janet Tassell secured a small internal WKU grant –$4,000 “Operation Comics” was born currently have three issues (one double issue, two regular- sized), on display in the Art Exhibits area.

Characters – Wonderguy Professional superhero Extremely strong, but no powers that defy the laws of physics Relies primarily on his strength as a solution to all problems Not necessarily the sharpest tool in the shed Has a secret identity Origins unknown (to anyone else but me!)

Characters – Claire and Dillon members of the academic team at Best Elementary School Befriended by Wonderguy in the first issue Wonderguy continues to enlist their help in the following issues via wrist communicators Always the true heroes of the stories.

Characters – Principal Willoughby Usually plays a small role in the stories, but a very important one – she will typically pull Claire and Dillon into her office if they need to help Wonderguy There are hints that she knows Wonderguy’s secret identity She is dating a big guy with blonde hair (with a white stripe), known only as “Big Guy” She also knew the origin of the villain in issue #1

Villains – Captain Confusion (#1) Very intelligent inventor, who is seeking revenge for an embarrassing slight at an academic team competition from his childhood Invented a “stasis bubble” system and “confusion gas” Extremely condescending to others, and personally resents the attention heaped upon Wonderguy

Villains – The Shape Master (#2) Lazy janitor at the government research facility in their town Gets fired from his job While leaving the building, he attempts to sabotage some equipment, and gets “zapped”, changing his molecular structure Can assume different shapes, mostly geometric in nature, but they are always blue and always have the same volume

Villains – The Cheetah (#3) Geneticist, seeking funding from the leadership at the government research facility to create super-fast soldiers When they refuse, he has to experiment on himself Has the speed of a cheetah, but must rest between bursts Not a real “bad” guy – he is trying to show he is better than Wonderguy to get the attention of the government scientists

Describe the reaction of the students when first receiving the Math Comic Books… (100% Excited) “The students were very excited about getting to read a comic book. They would ask when we could read the comics again.” “The students were happy to welcome a change of pace in class. They laughed a bit a the superheroes, but were able to predict the role the various characters would have after scanning the first few pages. Most students eagerly volunteered to read a role each time we used the books.” “The students were extremely excited to see comics and even wondered why we were using comics in math. The students like the characters.” Teacher Feedback on Student Reactions

What impact on student learning of mathematics did the Math Comic Books have on your students? Please provide examples…(100% of teachers state students enjoyed comic books) “The students loved learning from a comic – it made them realize they could find math in places they didn’t expect to find math.” “The students were excited about math class when the comics were involved. The algebra concepts were hard to grasp.” “Reviewing rules of divisibility helped improve student scores on reducing fractions. 73% of students scored above a 90% on the quiz, while the remaining 27% scored at least an 80%. Earlier in the year only 42% scored above a 90%, and an additional 0% were above 80%”. Teacher Feedback on the Impact on Learning

“I think it helps because the characters fully explain it. Instead of reading it out of textbooks, we can ‘listen’ to a conversation about the subject. And the students enjoy it, which makes them want to learn.” (5 th ) “Claire and Dillon are smarter than Wonderguy and that builds our self-esteem.” (4 th ) “I liked the comic book because it made math fun.” (4 th ) “It was funny! Keep making the comics!” (4 th ) “I don’t read comic books because I think they are boring, but this one was really exciting. Now I want to keep reading the math comic books.” (4 th ) Student Feedback on the Use of the Comics in Class

Wonderboy Wondergirl Student Suggestions – Sidekicks Student Suggestions – Villains Dr. Division – “He can divide anything with the snap of his fingers.” Numerical Ninja – “He throws ninja stars with no end, because numbers don’t end.” The Angry Angle – “He angles his body to dodge anything Wonderguy throws at him.” Graph Granny – “Confusing people with incorrect graphs and charts.” Cool Boy Thought Girl

If you would like to make suggestions, or obtain copies of “Operation Comics”,... PDF versions of the comics are available online. works.bepress.com/bruce_kessler/ in the “Books” section I am planning another print order in early August. Issue #1: ≤ $10 Other issues ≤ $6 Acknowledgements Line art – Annie Erskine, Alex O’Keefe, Missy Pitcock Teachers – Cathy Willoughby, Melissa Zimmer, David Baxter, et al. Principal – Mary Evans

Comic Books That Teach Mathematics

works.bepress.com/bruce_kessler/