1. The pictures
The pictures in Manga aren't just to look nice. They aid in students' understanding of the story, but reading the pictures themselves is a separate skill that students gain by reading Manga. They have to bring prior knowledge to the novel and combine that with everything that's happening in the pictures in order to understand the story fully. It takes more than you'd think.
2. Students Will Feel Valued
So many students feel that their teachers don't appreciate their opinions or what they read outside the classroom. By using Manga, students will recognize your effort to incorporate what they like and they will be more willing to do the work you're asking of them. You have to give a little to get a little, even as a teacher.
3. The Language
Obviously, being Manga, the whole text from the play won't be there, however, what is used is pretty much the actual text. Students can still see the Elizabethan language that was used, but with the smaller amount, they will be able to understand and digest it better.
4. Appeal to Students
Many students struggle to find motivation to read Shakespeare because they have a hard time finding it to be relevant to them. If Shakespeare is presented in Manga rather than just as the original play, students will be more likely to read it and enjoy it, therefore, finding it to be relevant. The more they read and enjoy, the more they will see similarities between the story and themselves.
5. It Looks Like Present Day
The language that the characters are speaking is clearly from the original play, but the characters look like they live in the present. It's the best of both worlds - past and present. Seeing the two tied together in the book will allow students to tie the two together as they read
6. New Learning Opportunities
By using a new type of text in the classroom, teachers can get creative about the projects and assignments they use to go along with the book. Students could create their own strip for their favorite scene or write out in words how a certain set of pictures helped them understand the text. Reading a novel in it's own right allows creativity in the classroom, but using Manga opens up another set of doors.
7. Students Will Learn More Than They Know They Are
It's a sneaky way for students to absorb skills they don't even realize they're absorbing. To them, it may just be the first enjoyable reading experience they've had in school, but to you as the teacher, it's satisfying to know that they'll be learning every time they crack the cover. They will become engrossed in the story and very possibly, have a different perspective than even you have heard before.
8. Spark Interest in Other Classics
Because this type of text is one students are more familiar with and enjoy more, they will get engaged in the storyline and this could spark more of an interest for them in reading other classics or even trying Shakespeare in it's original form. The goal is to get them to really read and introduce them to a variety of texts and subjects. Manga is one more way to do that.
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