Central Connecticut State University
GRANTS & FUNDED RESEARCH
Internal Grant Proposal Cover Sheet
SUBMISSION DATE
October 14, 2015
PRIMARY FACULTY
APPLICANT
Catherine Kurkjian
DEPARTMENT
Reading
DESCRIPTIVE TITLE OF
PROPOSAL
Multimodal Picturebooks: Visual Literacy and the Promotion of
Critical Stance
Narrative
Faculty Co-Applicant(s)
n/a
Student Co-Applicant(s)
Please include Student ID# and status:
G- Graduate or UG- undergraduate.
Jamie Ritone
ID #30230363
TYPE OF
GRANT
Full-Time Faculty Development
(check one)
Part-Time Faculty Development
AMOUNT
REQUESTED

Faculty – Student Research
Curriculum Development
$940.80
PLEASE NOTE: The office of Grants and Funded Research implements a blind review
process. Please do not include your name or other identifying information on any page of
your proposal besides the cover sheet.
1
Picturebooks: Visual Literacy and the Promotion of Critical Stance
Narrative
In an informational age, meaning making goes beyond a traditional view literacy in which a mono
modal view of written language is privileged, which primarily consists of words, sentences and paragraphs
and written language conventions. This study is situated in a multimodal literacy framework (Jewitt, 2003)
in that meaning is negotiated across a range of semiotic systems as they present themselves together
through language, gestures and images across various modalities (visual, aural, somatic) in contemporary
literacy contexts (O’Halloran & Lim, 2011, n.p). It is argued that multimodal texts are more complex than
monomodal texts and require different range of cognitive strategies that go beyond a focus on written text
alone (Serafini, 2011).
In this study the picturebook is viewed as a bimodal text with the modalities of text and images
offering different kinds of information that work together to convey meaning (Nodelman, 1988). It is
intentional that the word picture and book are put together to convey its multimodal nature. Serafini
(2011) argues that picturebooks can be an effective entree with middle and high school students to help
bridge the gap between what is read both inside and outside of school. Serafini states that “as adolescents
begin to work more frequently with these {multimodal} texts in schools, teachers will need new
instructional strategies, vocabularies, and knowledge to support comprehension processes” (2011, p. 342).
Visual literacy plays a critical component of what is required to negotiate what Lapp (1999) refers
to as intermediality, or the negotiation of combined literacies involved in creating meaning and
communicating meaning in multiple modalities. Visual literacy is an integral aspect of 21st century skills
and are embedded and integral to a wide range of professional standards including The Common Core
Standards and the National Council of Teachers of English Standards/ International Literacy Association
Standards for the English Language Arts. Students need the opportunity to learn, explore and use visual
literacy skills in order to comprehend multimodal texts.
The purpose of this project is to research instructional methods that will encourage the
development of visual literacy strategies that will encourage a critical stance to what is read. Postmodern
books have the potential to increase awareness of visual and artistic aspects of texts and to convey to the
viewer/reader that the book is actually a work of art of fiction. These books encourage the viewer to take
an active stance by “looking for discrepancies, additional story lines and unexpected elements”
(Goldstone, 2004 p.201). Goldstone (2004) describes postmodern picture books as a new subgenre and
characterizes them as nonlinear, portraying multiple perspectives, encouraging an awareness of the artistic
process of book making. She indicates that these books have the potential to “shatter the readers’
expectations and demand active coauthoring, and raise questions about what is real” (p. 197).
Serafini (2014) supports this view of postmodern books when he states:
Postmodern picture books invite students to navigate non-linear structures and attend to the
various symbolic representations, literary codes and conventions in order to make sense of the
complexities inherent in these texts. Postmodern picture books distance readers from text, often
frustrating traditional reading expectations and practices, and position readers in more active,
interpretive roles forcing them to utilize a variety of interpretive strategies in order to make sense
of these complex texts. (n.p.)
Research shows “picture books can also be great resources for struggling readers. Text that is short
and relevant to teens' lives is captivating. The more students simply read, the better readers they will
become” (Tankersley, 2014, n.p). By using high quality picturebooks for this study, all students will have
the opportunity to become engaged with the text and illustrations in order to make meaning and develop
interpretations.
Objective and Goals:
The objective of this project is to conduct teacher research within the setting of my own classroom
to investigate ways to effectively teach a wide range of visual literacy strategies needed to comprehend,
2
interpret and evaluate and appreciate contemporary multimodal texts through the vehicle of the traditional
and postmodern picturebooks. To support this teaching a wide range of texts will be selected including
traditional picturebooks as well as ones that are postmodern with metafictive elements.
My goals as teacher researcher include examining effective differentiated instruction to address the
broad range of diversities within my 6th grade English Language Arts classes. This project will focus in
particular on accommodations that will support English Language Learners and struggling readers. More
specific my goals include finding methods that will support my students to:
1) develop a critical stance by viewing text as a metafictive object,
2) develop metalinguistic language to describe complex relationships between text and images, and
use of artistic, graphic and format elements of traditional and postmodern books, and
3) critically analyze and interpret the choices of author/illustrator regarding form and content of
books.
The research questions are:
1) What methods appear to positively impact student awareness of the relationship between text and
images?
2) What methods appear to positively impact my students’ ability look at an image and use
metalanguage to communicate understanding?
3) What methods appear to positively impact my students’ ability to analyze the elements of visual
grammar and design to comprehend multimodal texts using composition, perspective and visual
symbols?
4) What accommodations in methods appear to positively impact English Language Learners and
struggling readers (in the areas addressed in questions 1-3)?
Methodology:
This study will focus on 80 sixth grade students at a local, suburban middle school. The students
range in age from 9-11 and are of many different cultural backgrounds (Asian Pacific, Indian, Native
American, Armenian, Caucasian, African American, etc.). Within the context of my own class, I will be
working with a teacher candidate to develop and implement lessons, and to collect a wide range of data on
the impact of instruction in relationship to learning objectives. Instruction will span a five-week span of
time in which I will meet with each of my four sections for 200 minutes weekly. (See Unit Objectives
Appendix 2)
In order to evaluate the effectiveness of instruction during this research project, the teacher
researcher will collect many forms of quantitative and qualitative data. Students will participate in a preassessment where they will be asked to analyze a picture book after reading. Students will have an openended response where they can analyze the picturebook to the depth they find appropriate. During the
unit, students will be asked to blog responses after mini lessons, record small group conversations, and
participate in class read-alouds and models. The teacher and teacher candidate will collect record
conversations, field notes and adjust my lessons according to student need. The faculty member will serve
as a critical friend to the teacher, and she will help the teacher in her ongoing informal and formal analysis
of the data.
Data sources include pre and post assessment, student artifacts, work samples, teacher fieldnotes,
video and audiotapes, and focus groups. Parents will provide informed consent and will understand that
student privacy will be protected. The broad sources of data will be triangulated and examined across
research questions. The faculty member will blog weekly with me (teacher researcher) as I use my
findings to modify and accommodate to learners where needed.
Outcomes:
This study will result in a collaborative article that will be of interest to journals such as The
Reading Teacher, Language Arts and Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy. The study will be of
benefit to my students and to me as the Teacher Researcher. The findings of this research will be of
3
interest to those classroom teachers who are interested in promoting visual literacy and helping their
students to negotiate multimodal texts using picture books as a bridge to that end. A proposal will be
written to support presentation of this work at the Connecticut Reading Association’s (CRA) Annual
Conference to be held fall, 2016.
Timeline:
Planning, implementation and informal data analysis will span spring semester 2016, January
through April. Formal analysis and a draft of an article will be completed by May 2016. The article will be
refined and submitted to a selected Journal by August 2016. Additionally a proposal will be submitted to
CRA for presentation by August 2016. The Teacher Research plans to present an aspect of this work at the
Literacy Essentials Conference at CCSU April 2017.
Budget:
Funds awarded for this project will be used to purchase many different types of postmodern and
metafictive picture books for students to study with partners and in small literature circle groups.. If
funding allows I am requesting to purchase a digital audio recorders to collect data and or record daily
fieldnotes (two are available to me at the building level. (See Appendix 2, Budget Template).
References
National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School
Officers. (2010). Common Core State Standards. Washington, DC:
Jewitt, C. (2003). Re-thinking Assessment: Multimodality, Literacy and Computer
mediated Learning. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice.
Kress, G. & van Leeuwen, T. (2001). Multimodal Discourse: Modes and
media of contemporary communication. London: Arnold. Norris, S.
Lapp, D., Flood, J, Fisher, C. (1999). Intermediality: how the use of multiple
media enhances learning. 53(7), pp. 776-780.
Nodelman, P. (2004) “Picture Books and Illustration.” In. P. Hunt (Ed). International
Companion Encyclopedia of Children’s Literature. London: Routledge, 2004. 154-65.
NCTE / IRA Standards for the English Language Arts. (2015). Retrieved from
http://www.ncte.org/standards/ncte-ira.
O’Halloran, K. L. & Lim, F. V. (2011). Dimensioner af Multimodal Literacy. Video on Learning.
Number 10, September 2011, pp. 14-21.
Serafini, F. (2011). Expanding Perspectives for Comprehending Visual Images in
Multimodal Texts. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 342-350.
Serafini, F. (2014). Top ten list: Favorite postmodern picture books. Retrieved from
https://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/2014/05/24/top-ten-list-favorite-postmodern-picture-books-by-frank-serafini/
Tankersley, K. (2014). Literacy Strategies for Grades 4-12. ASCD.
4
Appendix 1
Whole Unit Objectives Plan
“Migrant Mother” photograph
 Students will develop metalanguage to
describe multimodal texts.
“Mount Williamson” photograph
 Students will recognize how the
background information about the
photographs changes the authors view or
Picturebooks by Chris Vans Allsburg-, The
feelings on a particular event (Media
Stranger, The Widow’s Broom- to model visual
Literacy in the K-12 Classroom, 2012).
images
 “Students will understand that those who
create visual images (such as photographs) A Sweet Smell of Roses
do so with a purpose in mind, using certain
techniques” (Media Literacy in the K-12
Classroom, 2012, p.44)
 Students will understand that in order to
“read” or analyze an image, the audience
(our students) must be able to understand
the purpose and recognize the techniques.
(Media Literacy in the K-12 Classroom,
2012, p. 44)
http://www.iste.org/docs/excerpts/MEDLITexcerpt.pdf
Art Theory and Criticism



Objective
Students will use knowledge of structures
and functions to intpret picturebooks.
Students will use what they know about
particular cultures and ideas to construct
their own interpretation of the
illustrations.
Students will complete a “noticingsmeanings-implications” chart (Serafini,
2011) to communicate their
understanding.
Texts Used
Black and White
The Three Pigs
The Invisible Boy
Madlenka
The Widow’s Broom
The Stranger
- culture and prior knowledge to influence
interpretation
Small group- student choice for noticings chart.
5




Students will identify objects in
illustrations (visual data) and connect it
with natural meaning from their own
experiences. (Serafini, 2011).
Students will be able to identify the basic
elements of visual art, explain why they
are used and how they influence
individual interpretations. (Serafini,
2013)
Student choice from small groups books provided
(see budget list)
Students will be able to recognize
elements of multimodal ensembles
(orientation, typography, borders, motifs
and shading) and use this vocabulary
appropriately when discussing
picturebooks (Serafini, 2013).
Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Book?
Students will go beyond the illustrations
to focus on the secondary or conventional
meanings of the illustrations.
Black and White
Model with: The Three Pigs, Extra Yarn, The Snowy
Day, Owl Moon, The House (refer back to from preassessment)
Picturebooks by Chris Vans Allsburg
The Three Pigs- space, placement of art is not
consistent
The House (class model)
Visual Grammar
Objectives



Text Used
Students will be able to recognize elements of visual grammar and determine how things are
represented (not just what is represented).
Students will understand that images are not just “neutral representations” of the world, but
instead incorporate the experiences and intentions of the author.
Students will analyze texts based on their
three metafunctions: representational,
interpersonal and compositional (Serafini,
2013).
The Paper Bag Princess (class modelrepresentational)
The Widow’s Broom- interpersonal
Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bag Book?- contact-gaze,
interpersonal
The Three Pigs- Point of View
Jumanji- Point of View, Perspective
The Three Pigs, Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Book?Perspective, foreground and focus (composition),
color and contrast (composition)
Journey, The Three Pigs, The Widow’s Broom, The
Man Who Walked Between the Towers, Picture
This!- framing, modality, salience (composition)
6


Students will analyze the use of visual
symbols and how they convey meaning
beyond the literal level (Serafini, 2011).
Black and White
Students will analyze the intertextuality
between traditional stories.
The Three Pigs- Weisner
Voices in the Park
The True Story of the Three Pigs- Jon Scieszka
The Three Little Pigs-
7
Appendix 2
Budget Template
Budget Item
Amazon.com
prices
Amt. cited on Justification
Amazon (cost
of used books
are quoted
whenever
possible)
Owl Moon- Jane
Yolen
10.09 x 12 =
121.08
Used for pre and post assessment
Chester’s
Masterpiece by
Mélanie Watt
7.99x 5= 39.95
used
Used for small group book discussions and application of strategies
related to critical stance, metalinguistic language, structural format of
the text, artistic elements, relationship of words and text, and
metafictive characteristics such as self referentiality, vying power
between author and character
Smoky Night- Bunting
and Diaz
7.99 x 5=39.95
Used for small group book discussions and application of strategies
related to structural format of the text and artistic elements,
relationship of words and text, and form and content
Madlenka- Peter Sis
8.89 x 5=44.45
Used for small group book discussions and application of strategies
related to structural format of the text and artistic elements,
relationship of words and text, and form and content
The Snowy Day- Keats
6.00 x 5=30.00
Used for small group book discussions and application of strategies
related to structural format of the text, artistic elements, relationship
of words and text, form and content
Journey- Aaron
Necker
9.11 x 5=45.55
Used for small group book discussions and application of strategies
related to structural format of the text, artistic elements, relationship
of words and text, form and content, and metafictive nature of text
including the vying the power between the author and characters
The Widow’s Broom
15.27 x 5=76.35
Used for small group book discussions and application of strategies
related to structural format of the text and artistic elements and
relationship of words and text and form and content
A Sweet Smell of
Roses by Angela
Johnson
16.30 x 5=81.50
Used for small group book discussions and application of strategies
related to structural format of the text and artistic elements and
relationship of words and text, form and content
The Invisible Boy by
Trudy Ludwig
9.79 x 5=48.95
Used for small group book discussions and application of strategies
related to structural format of the text, artistic elements, relationship
of words and text, form and content
Extra Yarn- Mac
Barnett
10.82 x 5=54.10
Used for small group book discussions and application of strategies
related to structural format of the text, artistic elements and
relationship of words and text
A Sick Day for Amos
13.73 x 5=68.65
Used for small group book discussions and application of strategies
8
McGee- Philip Stead
& Erin Stead
related to structural format of the text, artistic elements and
relationship of words and text
Black and WhiteDavid Macauley
14.21
Use for visual symbols, developing navigational skills for nonlinear
sequences, multiple narrators (point of view and perspective), and
metafictive characteristic of self-referentiality.
Voices in the Park
Anthony Browne
8.99 x 5 = 44.95
Use for visual symbols, developing navigational skills for nonlinear
sequences, multiple narrators (point of view and perspective), and
metafictive characteristic of self-referentiality.
Gorilla by Anthony
Browne
6.61
structural format of the text and artistic elements, related to structural
format of the text, related to structural format of the text, artistic
elements and relationship of words and text, form and content
The Man Who Walked
Between The Towers
by Mordicai Gerstein
13.46
Model for compositional metafiction, visual perspective, line, color,
design, and structural format of text, relationship of text and words,
form and content
The Three PigsWeisner
15.29
Use for intertexuality, and metafictive characteristics of selfreferentiality, structural format of the text related to structural format
of the text, artistic elements and relationship of words and text
The True Story of the
Three Little Pigs Jon
Scieszka and Lang
Smith
6.00
Use for intertexuality, (point of view and perspective) structural
format of the text and artistic elements, relationship between images
and text
The Three Little PigsMcNally
7.35
Use for intertextuality, structural format of the text and artistic
elements, relationship between images and text
Voice RecordersOlympus VN-7200
Digital Voice Recorder
(V404130BU000) (5)
147.45
For use to record small group conversation and discussion, one for
teacher use for field notes
Reading the Visual: An
Introduction to
Teaching Multimodal
Literacy
Frank Serafini, 2013
ISBN: 0807754714
34.95
For teacher resource throughout unit
Total Need
Total Request
940.80
9