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Hello fellow teamliquidians(?)!
I am a grade 6/7 teacher and I am looking for some manga that my Language Arts (aka English) class could read. Some of the manga that I read are Naruto and Bleach (both are slow moving, but I am still addicted  ). I have read Death Note (awesome!).
Some criteria that I am looking for are:
-nothing dark, gory, or obscene
-age appropriate (ie no sexual content)
-length would have to be reasonably short (although this is not a necessity)
-the manga story would lend itself to discussion about issues that are relevant to their lives (I can adapt any good manga, so this is not totally required)
-good quality writing and plot
I know that this is asking a lot. But I don't have the time to search through the zillions of mangas to find something that may fit. Ergo I am asking you. I appreciate any and all help!
 
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one piece is probably good for their age
actually probably ont
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What is your reasoning behind making them read Manga?
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On September 08 2009 09:01 Saracen wrote:
What is your reasoning behind making them read Manga?
dude wants to read manga at work.
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dragon ball (american version) and maybe show them full metal alchemist O.o
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Have you cleared this with your superiors? I find that most of the more meaningful manga are filled with death, sex, general mindfuckery, etc. Most of the manga that are popular enough to get translated into English have a lot of fan-service and violence.
Even One Piece has some not-so-child friendly material in it.
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United States24691 Posts
Oh this is a good idea... I should do this!
You might want to start by figuring out what genre of manga you want to use... and then we can make suggestions from there. You've already ruled out some genres by requiring it be school appropriate.
edit: why manga for a language arts class, though? The English of manga is usually produced by translators/editors who are not the best authors for students.
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Have you tried having them read, you know, books?
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On September 08 2009 09:06 Antifate wrote:Even One Piece has some not-so-child friendly material in it.
Noooooooooo Stork's innocence will be ruiiiiiiiiined!
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United States24691 Posts
On September 08 2009 09:08 Pyrrhuloxia wrote:
Have you tried having them read, you know, books?
Chill. It's obvious this teacher is trying to come up with something new/creative in school and such condescending and foolish comments like that are not appreciated.
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On September 08 2009 09:09 Pyrrhuloxia wrote:Show nested quote +On September 08 2009 09:06 Antifate wrote:Even One Piece has some not-so-child friendly material in it. Noooooooooo Stork's innocence will be ruiiiiiiiiined!
there was some crazy shit going down, there was like a crazy soap lady and she was kinda naked, but u don't see anything.... but yeah
...there is also a crazy homosexual that can turn into other people
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Yotsuba.
It's a great slice of life manga. Hell, it is THE slice of life manga that revolves around an eccentric girl named Yotsuba and her everyday happenings.
Also Azumanga Daioh.
These two would be great since they sort of subtly teach you the different aspects of everyday Japanese life and culture.
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thedeadhaji
39489 Posts
try to find something that ends in one episode with about 50 pages. Can't thinkof good examples off the top of my head b/c most of what I read doesn't fit your criteria, but it's prolly teh best bet.
ie the pilot for one piece (romance dawn?) etc.
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you could read gintama if you like that sort of thing
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Although I don't want to come in sounding very pessimistic, this sounds a bad plan. Lots of children at this age are going to want to 'grow up' and look down to manga. Most will garner the same response as reading Shakespeare etc. Additionally, this could be a BIG problem with some of the parents. Early in the anime marketing scheme, anime was marketed as "HELL YEA, THIS SHIT IS HARDCORE." Lots of adults from that era are really not going to be too fond of their children reading that "violent, pornographic" manga. Granted, it's a nice idea to brighten up the boring classroom routine, but I think your efforts would be better of spent trying to get them to read 'young teen' books.
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I wish I had a teacher like you...
On September 08 2009 09:16 Caller wrote:
GTO
No, because that manga is full of uneducated teens trying to commit suicide because of one little problem. Also the manga suggests to children that sex and gangs are 'good'.
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On September 08 2009 09:32 xForbidden wrote:I wish I had a teacher like you... No, because that manga is full of uneducated teens trying to commit suicide because of one little problem. Also the manga suggests to children that sex and gangs are 'good'.
bleh i already knew about all that crap in 5th grade
whippersnapper these days
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On September 08 2009 09:19 icemac wrote:
Although I don't want to come in sounding very pessimistic, this sounds a bad plan. Lots of children at this age are going to want to 'grow up' and look down to manga. Most will garner the same response as reading Shakespeare etc. Additionally, this could be a BIG problem with some of the parents. Early in the anime marketing scheme, anime was marketed as "HELL YEA, THIS SHIT IS HARDCORE." Lots of adults from that era are really not going to be too fond of their children reading that "violent, pornographic" manga. Granted, it's a nice idea to brighten up the boring classroom routine, but I think your efforts would be better of spent trying to get them to read 'young teen' books.
I know it doesn't answer the OP, but I agree with this post.
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bleh i already knew about all that crap in 5th grade
whippersnapper these days
Sadly, you are very right. But you don't want this poor teacher to get sued by the students' parents. ;D
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pokemon is like the only manga without violence.
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United States47024 Posts
I'm surprised no one from TL Go has suggested Hikaru no Go (EDIT: especially since micronesia has already posted in this thread).
No violence, age appropriate, is a coming-of-age story that sort of fits in around the 6th-7th grade age, and is decently written. It's a bit on the long side, though.
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I support Yotsuba and Hikaru no Go. Both are pretty good and meet your criteria pretty well I think, although relating Hikaru may be a tad more difficult than Yotsuba.
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hikaru no go is a good one in my opinion too, you might also be able to make them play go with it
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Doraemon
Sooooooooooooooooooooo cute >_>
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xxxholic or Tsubasa chronicles I think would be the best fits.
They do have fighting and the like, but its very toned down, and have alot of underlying themes to them that you could possibly discuss.
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On September 08 2009 09:49 TheYango wrote:
I'm surprised no one from TL Go has suggested Hikaru no Go (EDIT: especially since micronesia has already posted in this thread).
No violence, age appropriate, is a coming-of-age story that sort of fits in around the 6th-7th grade age, and is decently written. It's a bit on the long side, though.
Hikaru No Go is just awesome i like the show as well for some reason.
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On September 08 2009 09:09 micronesia wrote:Show nested quote +On September 08 2009 09:08 Pyrrhuloxia wrote:
Have you tried having them read, you know, books? Chill. It's obvious this teacher is trying to come up with something new/creative in school and such condescending and foolish comments like that are not appreciated.
Dude they aren't gonna read books outside of school these days so why make them read what they are likely to read outside of school?
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United States24691 Posts
On September 08 2009 10:15 Pyrrhuloxia wrote:Show nested quote +On September 08 2009 09:09 micronesia wrote:On September 08 2009 09:08 Pyrrhuloxia wrote:
Have you tried having them read, you know, books? Chill. It's obvious this teacher is trying to come up with something new/creative in school and such condescending and foolish comments like that are not appreciated. Dude they aren't gonna read books outside of school these days so why make them read what they are likely to read outside of school?
So in education according to Pyrrhuloxia:
English class is for reading books. Every day students read books. Creative activities that assist in the pursuit of language arts improvement without using books are not allowed to be explored because students never read books anymore.
Your viewpoint is very flawed for so many reasons I don't even want to get into it...
If you are not so much saying 'books only' as you are saying 'why manga' then that's a different issue.
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I recommend Liar Game, but I'm not sure if its too dark or not(no blood, gore or violence but is people deceiving other people). It provides a very nice look at physcological issues with human nature. Note that the manga is not finished, incase this is a problem.
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I will also agree with Hikaru no Go. The anime was excellent and as far as I can tell, definitely fulfills your requirements.
Another I would recommend is Nodame Cantabile. Very popular drama manga about following one's dream in music. It is light hearted and I don't believe there was much (if any) sexual content.
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l10f
United States3241 Posts
Hikaru no Go is good, but Prince of Tennis is a lot better. But then.. Liar Game owns both of them, if you don't mind a manga that's still going on.
But then Liar game has a homosexual person in it. I'm not against it but might not be appropriate for the kids.
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Manga for English Class?
Why weren't you my teacher?
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Planetes by Makoto Yukimura. short, only 4 volumes, well written. A little terrorism and explosions though (but 6th grade? come onnnn.)
I'm not sure how big Hikaru no go would be since Go is probably foreign to pretty much all American kids. Plus it's pretty long, but I guess kind of cyclic :u
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myanimelist.net
^ good source. beck, nodame cantabile, and hikaru no go are good
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On September 08 2009 10:26 beefhamburger wrote:
I will also agree with Hikaru no Go. The anime was excellent and as far as I can tell, definitely fulfills your requirements.
Another I would recommend is Nodame Cantabile. Very popular drama manga about following one's dream in music. It is light hearted and I don't believe there was much (if any) sexual content.
omg nodame is perfect
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School rumble, obviously. With references to school and growing up, and bloody hilarious.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_Rumble
Have a looksee and think about whether it falls into your plans. Naruto and Bleach are good...at the start. Utter crap because the people just keep getting stronger and stronger, I totally stopped updating myself on them.
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here is a shortlist of what my sister (13) have already read. (*) = what I recommend
Funny :
Dragon Ball (*)
Dr Slump (*)
Gon
City Hunter
Epic/adventure :
Yuyu Hakusho (* because Hiei rox)
FMA
Dragon Quest (FLY in Europe)
Kyo
Shaman King
One piece
Think :
The walking man (*)
Welcome to the NHK (*)
Hikaru No Go (*)
Gunmm (* but kinda violent)
Akira (* but kinda violent)
Ghost in the Shell
Monster
20th century boys (*)
Death Note
Sport :
Slam Dunk (*)
Real (*)
Noritaka
Drama :
Hana yori dango
Blue (*)
X clamp
I's
Video Girl Aï
DNA²
and finally, if you are looking for one-shot manga, here is a good selection :
Dengeki
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On September 08 2009 09:46 FragKrag wrote:
pokemon is like the only manga without violence.
? there is totally violence. Also Ash is always lookin' at Misty's goods and I'm pretty sure he gets propositioned by Gary's sister in the first issue (manga is better than the anime lol  ) so there was sexual content fo sho.
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On September 08 2009 10:21 micronesia wrote:Show nested quote +On September 08 2009 10:15 Pyrrhuloxia wrote:On September 08 2009 09:09 micronesia wrote:On September 08 2009 09:08 Pyrrhuloxia wrote:
Have you tried having them read, you know, books? Chill. It's obvious this teacher is trying to come up with something new/creative in school and such condescending and foolish comments like that are not appreciated. Dude they aren't gonna read books outside of school these days so why make them read what they are likely to read outside of school? So in education according to Pyrrhuloxia: English class is for reading books. Every day students read books. Creative activities that assist in the pursuit of language arts improvement without using books are not allowed to be explored because students never read books anymore.Your viewpoint is very flawed for so many reasons I don't even want to get into it... If you are not so much saying 'books only' as you are saying 'why manga' then that's a different issue.
Lol because one argument is clearly everything I think about English education. English classes are indeed the epicenters of literary canon formation and I've read a lot of mangas and indeed like them but I've yet to find any that aren't surpassed by at least 500 books (or I guess I will say "works" so that you don't hang up on "books") that are probably of more educational benefit.
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konadora
Singapore66170 Posts
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You don't really have a lot of choices as i am sure you are not allowed to use scanlations. Go to your local library( or the one in your school) and ask the librarian. There is usually manga there and the librarian may also read manga (my highschool one did looolll). I am also certain you dont want to go with the mainstream anime/manga because most kids would have already watched/read it on the internet/tv.
Emma: Victorian romance, =] can get them ready for Shakespeare (i hate Shakespeare)
Any "Adachi" creations(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsuru_Adachi), look under series: the newer ones are pretty comical and interesting once you get used to how he illustrates stuff. I wouldn't recommend the older ones though, as they are too "last-generation".
"salad days": composed of many small first love stories. They are usually pretty short.
and... practically every other non-shojo manga I can think of are composed of sex, violence, or unsuitable themes such as gambling/scamming/twisted-ideologies (Liar game[incomplete btw], Deathnote... etc.).
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On September 08 2009 12:38 kiykiy wrote:
You don't really have a lot of choices as i am sure you are not allowed to use scanlations. Go to your local library( or the one in your school) and ask the librarian. There is usually manga there and the librarian may also read manga (my highschool one did looolll). I am also certain you dont want to go with the mainstream anime/manga because most kids would have already watched/read it on the internet/tv.
I assume this is an American grade school so I doubt many of them would be that into anime/manga. Most of them probably don't get that much exposure to it at that age.
And as for finding hard copies of manga, Barnes and Noble has a decently sized manga section. They have a lot of the mainstream ones and a good number of ones of lesser notoriety.
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It might be a bit advanced for that kind of age group but Liar Game is pretty good in terms of teaching logical thinking, with a good plot and characters.
Could be a good segway into game theory/psychology/statistics too haha
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Uh, for 6/7th graders....
Maybe Kimi no Todoke? It's not available in English, as far as I know, but it's a good way to talk about the social lives of students as they get older. Maybe it's a bit early to talk about relationships, but the major theme is about building friendships.
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On September 08 2009 12:42 beefhamburger wrote:Show nested quote +On September 08 2009 12:38 kiykiy wrote:
You don't really have a lot of choices as i am sure you are not allowed to use scanlations. Go to your local library( or the one in your school) and ask the librarian. There is usually manga there and the librarian may also read manga (my highschool one did looolll). I am also certain you dont want to go with the mainstream anime/manga because most kids would have already watched/read it on the internet/tv.
I assume this is an American grade school so I doubt many of them would be that into anime/manga. Most of them probably don't get that much exposure to it at that age. And as for finding hard copies of manga, Barnes and Noble has a decently sized manga section. They have a lot of the mainstream ones and a good number of ones of lesser notoriety.
I actually live in Toronto/Ontario, Canada, if tv still worked the way it used to 7 years ago, there are Tons of animes on TV.(first google result: http://www.animeontv.com/tv.htm).
Also: I would suggest considering showing some ghibli movies. I lent my cousin, an ESL(second language) teacher at a public school, some of the movies and they absolutely loved it.
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full metal alchemist has like 26 episodes of 30mins.
LAIN is also sweet but a little heavier. only <15 episodes too.
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United States24691 Posts
On September 08 2009 12:23 Pyrrhuloxia wrote:Show nested quote +On September 08 2009 10:21 micronesia wrote:On September 08 2009 10:15 Pyrrhuloxia wrote:On September 08 2009 09:09 micronesia wrote:On September 08 2009 09:08 Pyrrhuloxia wrote:
Have you tried having them read, you know, books? Chill. It's obvious this teacher is trying to come up with something new/creative in school and such condescending and foolish comments like that are not appreciated. Dude they aren't gonna read books outside of school these days so why make them read what they are likely to read outside of school? So in education according to Pyrrhuloxia: English class is for reading books. Every day students read books. Creative activities that assist in the pursuit of language arts improvement without using books are not allowed to be explored because students never read books anymore.Your viewpoint is very flawed for so many reasons I don't even want to get into it... If you are not so much saying 'books only' as you are saying 'why manga' then that's a different issue. Lol because one argument is clearly everything I think about English education. English classes are indeed the epicenters of literary canon formation and I've read a lot of mangas and indeed like them but I've yet to find any that aren't surpassed by at least 500 books (or I guess I will say "works" so that you don't hang up on "books") that are probably of more educational benefit.
Your original statement implied that you believe that only books should be read in class. Excuse me for thinking that this summed up your beliefs...
Again I have no problem with you feeling like the manga may not lend itself to this type of purpose, but you really should find out exactly what the teacher wants to do first. There could be good reasoning.
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On September 08 2009 12:33 konadora wrote:
Welcome to the NHK
looolololololol
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Some of the books in the Phoenix series are amazing, though they might be slightly too mature (violence as a subtheme, questionable morals). Yotsuba and Doraemon are both excellent 'intro' choices for that age, I think.
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Anything by Mitsuru Adachi? H2? Cross-game, whatever
Probably Yostuba would be okay too, I'd look into some shoujos (furuba lol) but most of these have art styles... unappealing to the broader audience (aaand sometimes get sexual)
yup, and Doraemon kicks ass for this purpose. Actually, there is a kickass edition of "Learn English with Doraemon" published in Vietnam rofl (looks something like this)
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Manga has absolutely zero purpose in an English class, where in god's name are you teaching? This is like teaching Harry Potter or a Stephen King book in a general English class. Fine and dandy if it's fiction writing, but it has absolutely no business being taught in English.
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United States22883 Posts
On September 09 2009 04:38 Hawk wrote:
Manga has absolutely zero purpose in an English class, where in god's name are you teaching? This is like teaching Harry Potter or a Stephen King book in a general English class. Fine and dandy if it's fiction writing, but it has absolutely no business being taught in English.
Maybe. I think it depends on the level of his students. If this were 8th grade, I'd agree with you wholeheartedly. There might be some deeper elements in the art work, but all you're getting with manga is basic story telling.
I don't know about you, but I didn't get into anything with much depth until 8th grade. I don't remember most of what I read before then, except To Kill a Mockingbird and I know I didn't understand it for anything other than its basic story. I might have ready Redwall and Night then too, but again I don't think I read them as anything deeper than the first level, which manga is fine for.
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6th grade is early enough for teaching to kill a mockingbird beyond the basic story. I know I did Shane in 6th grade. I think we also did To Kill a Mockingbird and Fahrenheit 451. The Island of Doctor Moreau was in there but that sucked. I think we also did Tarzan but that also sucked.
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On September 09 2009 09:16 Pyrrhuloxia wrote:
The Island of Doctor Moreau was in there but that sucked.
Nah this book is cool >.< ( lol hyena-pig )
And Fahrenheit is awesome too.
Btw i think 6th grade is a bit early for those two books.
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United States22883 Posts
On September 09 2009 09:16 Pyrrhuloxia wrote:6th grade is early enough for teaching to kill a mockingbird beyond the basic story. I know I did Shane in 6th grade. I think we also did To Kill a Mockingbird and Fahrenheit 451. The Island of Doctor Moreau was in there but that sucked. I think we also did Tarzan but that also sucked.
Really? I did Fahrenheit 451 in 9th grade, after doing Aeneid/Macbeth in 8th grade (different schools.)
Obviously there's the component of understanding racism = bad, but the first time I read To Kill a Mockingbird I completely missed most of the themes besides racial injustice, or that the book itself is a bit racist.
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I did a lot of books (Mockingbird, Outsiders, Catcher, etc etc etc) early, but I was still in the smart classes through middle school
I still think that it makes a hell of a lot more sense to wean kids up towards the classical canon stuff (even if you don't particularly like the canon) because it's higher level stuff, it challenges you to think and will more than likely expand your vocabulary, give you exposure to classical writers and so on. Manga isn't much more than a comic book. Does it have story elements, morals and all that jazz? Yeah. But it's completely limited when compared to a traditional book.
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I appreciate all the comments/suggestions/critiques. Thanks for all of you who helped, I really appreciate it and I will look into the suggested manga.
In my initial blog post I didn't explain why I wanted my students to read a manga. Here are some reasons I came up with:
I think English class should be fun and I am trying to make it into something that I would be interested in.
As I read the requirements listed by the educational governing body, I see more and more that students are to view different types of works. Manga will not be the focus medium of study. It will, however, supplement other novels that the class studies throughout the year.
Students, and all people, learn best when they do something they enjoy. My students are interested in reading manga.
Studying the right manga can allow students to develop good reading habits if properly supported and encouraged. Such as activating prior knowledge, forming images, determining what's important, summarizing/synthesizing, making connections, inferences, predictions, asking questions, setting goals, etc (pedagogy terminology).
All manga that will be read in class will be pre-read by me. I will approach my principal before I introduce the manga to the students and ask her of any pressing concerns. I will also preface the manga before it is read ensuring that the students realize that the school may not support the actions/thoughts/themes of the manga. The class will engage in critical thinking about any harder hitting subjects.
Edit: I just want to say thanks again! I do appreciate all the help! Many of you are way to generous and for that I am fortunate.
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have you considered light novels?
spice and wolf! and melancholy of haruhi suzumiya
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If I was still in 5th grade and you made us read Prince of Tennis, I would try to kick your ass
but I think Slam Dunk is a very solid one to pick. Basketball and non-retarded DRAMA stuff
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I like how people suggested Manga that obviously has nudity or is very age inappropriate. Like Welcome to the NHK or Monster.
Personally I don't really know what to suggest, your requirements are kind of vague. You really should give us examples of what is too gory. Also what would be considered "sexual content" or "dark". Lastly it is hard to suggest something because most manga series are really long or have very few English releases.
As an example I would recommend 20th Century Boys but there is only 4 English volumes out and I don't know what your limit on violence is (there is people who are shot and stabbed in it). There is a bunch of other manga I could suggest but I'm not sure what your guidelines are exactly.
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EPT
