La Ropa Sucia...A Fotonovela

I recently came across an interesting site that I anticipate could be a meaningful tool for me to use with my ESOL (English to Speakers of Other Languages) students in the upcoming school year.  It involves using a comic strip style of writing called fotonovela  to tell a story.

As I learned from them: "A fotonovela is a comic strip that conveys a social message through pictures and text. A popular media form in Latin American culture, the fotonovela examines human relationships and social issues as represented in the lives of a group of fictional characters.

Fotonovelas have been widely used for educational purposes, often with the goal of bringing a public health message “to the masses.”  The comic book form is easily accessible and associated with fun, the text is simple, and the lesson is embedded in a melodramatic story. All of these qualities lend fotonovelas to creative uses in the classroom as well, with applications across the curriculum and appeal to a wide range of students."
 
Here's how this particular fotonovela is described in detail on their website:
" La Ropa Sucia is a fotonovela produced by ETV and designed to target both Hispanic and non-Hispanic teenagers; the title, which means “Dirty Laundry,” is based on the Hispanic adage, “La ropa sucia se lava en casa.” (“Dirty laundry is washed at home,” or “Don’t air your dirty laundry.”).

The purpose of La Ropa Sucia is to shed light on the issues facing Hispanic teens, such as racism, assimilation, and religious and sub-cultural division, as well as more universal issues such as poverty, domestic violence, access to healthcare and low self-esteem – issues that many teens may face.  By examining and dramatizing the distinctions and the similarities between cultures, La Ropa Sucia aims to increase cross-cultural empathy and awareness.

The story was conceived by Marycruz Figueroa, a first-generation American of Mexican and Guatemalan descent. She developed the project while she was an intern at ETV from Columbia College. La Ropa Sucia was funded in part by the Humanities Council^scand was produced with the support of the Hispanic arts organization Palmetto & LUNA. "

Check it out online by episode or print the pdf to share with others! They even have a site within their site containing info for Educators.

Since the content in this particular fotonovela is a bit more mature than what Big Brother and Little Sister are ready for at present, I may adapt this idea for them instead of showing them the entire story.  I was thinking of having pictures ready, or let them choose from magazine clippings and then allow mis hijos to dictate the story to me.  In years to come, they can write their own comments in the bubbles, and think of which pictures they want to use as well.  It seems like this may be a fun idea to try for both ESL and my at-home, Spanglish bebés. I really like this approach to storytelling!

Have you used such an idea? How else would you use them? What do you think about fotonovelas?