English Language Arts6-8
Finding Evidence in a Graphic Memoir
By Jonathan M.
A short student handout for 8th graders that teaches them to locate and cite evidence from *They Called Us Enemy*, using both the words and the pictures of this graphic memoir. It builds close-reading skills, visual analysis, and the habit of supporting claims with specific details, and it includes a key-terms box (panel, gutter, speech bubble) to ground the vocabulary.
Customize for your classroom
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Use this as a launch for a unit on graphic memoir, either before students begin the book or during the first few chapters, in a single 45-minute block or as a short warm-up across two days.
- Discussion question: Why might George Takei have chosen to show a moment in pictures rather than only in words, and what does the image add that the text alone would miss?
- Scaffold for struggling readers: Pair them with a partner, and have them first identify one panel, then one speech bubble, and only then write a claim about what it reveals before adding a citation.
- Extension for advanced students: Ask them to compare how the gutter (the white space between panels) creates time jumps or emotional pauses, and to write a paragraph arguing which technique is most powerful.
- Estimated time: About 10 minutes to read the guide and key terms, plus 20 to 30 minutes of guided practice finding and citing evidence.
English Language Arts6-8
Finding Evidence in a Graphic Memoir
By Jonathan M.
A short student handout for 8th graders that teaches them to locate and cite evidence from *They Called Us Enemy*, using both the words and the pictures of this graphic memoir. It builds close-reading skills, visual analysis, and the habit of supporting claims with specific details, and it includes a key-terms box (panel, gutter, speech bubble) to ground the vocabulary.
Customize for your classroom
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Use this as a launch for a unit on graphic memoir, either before students begin the book or during the first few chapters, in a single 45-minute block or as a short warm-up across two days.
- Discussion question: Why might George Takei have chosen to show a moment in pictures rather than only in words, and what does the image add that the text alone would miss?
- Scaffold for struggling readers: Pair them with a partner, and have them first identify one panel, then one speech bubble, and only then write a claim about what it reveals before adding a citation.
- Extension for advanced students: Ask them to compare how the gutter (the white space between panels) creates time jumps or emotional pauses, and to write a paragraph arguing which technique is most powerful.
- Estimated time: About 10 minutes to read the guide and key terms, plus 20 to 30 minutes of guided practice finding and citing evidence.