STUDENTS FROM TWO MUSEUMS MAGNET SCHOOLS TO SHOWCASE THEIR ORIGINAL GRAPHIC NOVELS AT MIAMI INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR

Forty-four students from two Miami-Dade museums magnet schools each created their own graphic novel, thanks to inspiration from Venezuelan artist Edwin Villasmil. Their novels will be on sale during the Miami International Book Fair, Friday, Nov. 13 – Sunday, Nov. 15, at booth number 103 in Section F.

The student artists, comprised of 24 fifth-graders from Bryan Elementary and 20 6th-8th graders from Shenandoah, worked with Villasmil during four workshops. The theme of their graphic novels was “It’s a Wonderful World.”
           
Today, librarians and book fairs around the nation are recognizing the value of including materials published in comic-style format in their library collections. This format is now being acknowledged for its contribution to the development of both visual and verbal literacy.
           
The museums magnet forges strong partnerships with local area museums and cultural institutions in Miami-Dade County. Museum educators work side-by-side with classroom teachers, interfacing the standards-driven curriculum with the objects and artifacts in their respective museums, as well as visiting historic buildings and sites throughout the county. This integrated curriculum, focusing primarily on object- and project-based learning, emphasizes problem solving, communication, exploration, invention and inquiry through on-going visits to their museum and cultural partners, which include: Dade Heritage Trust; Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA); Haitian Heritage Museum; Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens; Historical Museum of Southern Florida; Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami; Miami Art Museum; Museum of Science; The Wolfsonian-FIU, and Coral Gables Museum.

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