To help educators and librarians select graphic novel materials to fit into their Common Core Standards curricula, Diamond Book Distributors (DBD) has created the Diamond Graphic Novel Common Core List.
“Diamond is a firm believer in graphic novels as legitimate teaching tools,” said Kuo-Yu Liang, DBD’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “With the Diamond Graphic Novel Common Core List, we hope to help educators and librarians get ahead of the curve of this new initiative, while enjoying some great stories and art.”
Arranged by grade level, the Diamond Graphic Novel Common Core List offers 101 graphic novels from DBD publishers that will fit into a Common Core curriculum, along with resources including Library Classifications, Subject Headings and Core Standards which apply to each book. The list is intended both as an aid to educators and librarians and to show that Diamond supports the Common Core Standards as an effective tool to prepare students for the learning challenges ahead. The list was created by Diamond Book Distributors and library/education consultant Ellen Myrick, President of Myrick Marketing & Media.
“One of the keys to the Common Core State Standards is the attention given to a variety of text types. These can be great levelers in the classroom, especially effective for differentiated teaching,” says Myrick. “Graphic novels are perfect for visual learners and 101 Graphic Novels for the Common Core Classroom provides teachers with tools to identify and utilize these compelling resources. Graphic novel experts and teachers suggested and selected the titles for inclusion, highlighting those titles that can be used as informational texts, those based on the literary canon, and award-winning, critically-acclaimed works.”
Developed by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers-in 
collaboration with educators and experts, the Common Core Standards are designed to provide a clear, universal framework so that children across the country can compete at the same level.
The list will be unveiled at the American Library Association Annual Conference June 28-July 2 in Chicago, IL, and will be continually updated, with new titles and information. To see the Diamond Graphic Novel Common Core List, visit www.diamondbookdistributors.com/commoncore.
To find out more about Diamond’s overall commitment to fostering the use of comics and graphic novels as education tools, visit www.diamondbookshelf.com.