Read the article about an event called Free Comic Book Day, and then complete the notes. For comic book fans everywhere, the first Saturday in May is one of the most important dates in the calendar. That's Free Comic Book Day, when comic book shops around the world give away free comic books to anyone walking into the store. Getting things for free sounds too good to be true, but for these shops, it's a way to attract new customers. Free Comic Book Day is an annual event that was established in 2002 and since then, over 12 million comic books have been given away. Every year, increasing numbers of shops take part and the day now includes a variety of activities from free writing workshops to book signings by famous writers. One shop that has been involved since the beginning is Champion Comics. The owner, Abeke Griffith, is a big comic book fan and is convinced that these books offer more than just a fun way to relax. 'When I was a kid I thought reading was difficult and boring, but one day I picked up a comic book. I was fascinated by the pictures and finished it straightaway. That was it - I was hooked! I definitely think comics can help struggling readers learn to love reading.' According to Abeke, being involved in Free Comic Book Day is great publicity for the range of comic books available in her shop. 'Many people think comics are only about fights between evil criminals and heroes, but there's so much more to them than that.' Not all the comic books in the store are given away, but there are usually around 50 free ones to choose from. On the day, Abeke also holds unique sales promotions, as do many other comic book shops. Abeke believes that giving away free comic books actually makes good sense. 'Every year, it creates a new generation of young comic book fans. In return, we make sure there are plenty of interesting things for them to do on Free Comic Book Day. Last year, we even organised a careers presentation given by a successful young artist working in the comic book industry. That was really popular so we'll be doing it again.' Abeke is also involved in the national committee that organises Free Comic Book Day, and sees it as a great opportunity to pick up business ideas from other shop owners across the country. Comic books aren't just attracting the attention of the business world, however. Teachers and psychologists are just some of the professionals that are starting to see the potential of comic books, which enable readers young and old to explore serious themes in a straightforward way. Recent research was carried out to examine what happens in the brain when people have to process pictures and text at the same time. One finding was that reading comic books actually improves people's ability to understand complex information. So with all these fantastic things available for free, when the first Saturday in May next comes around, why not check out what's happening in your nearest comic book shop? You are going to give a talk about Free Comic Book Day to your class at school. Prepare some notes to use as the basis for your talk. Make short notes under each heading. 10 Special events that are held in comic book shops as part of Free Comic Book Day: - giving away free comic books - . . 11 What shops gain from taking part in Free Comic Book Day: - . - 12 How people benefit from reading comic books: - . -

Answer:

Award 1 mark for each acceptable response, up to a maximum of 3 marks.
Acceptable responses are:
Special events that are held in comic book shops as part of Free Comic Book Day
1 (free) writing workshops
2 book signings / signings by famous writers
3 (unique) sales promotions
4 careers presentation
Award 1 mark for each acceptable response, up to a maximum of 2 marks. Acceptable responses are:

What shops gain from taking part in Free Comic Book Day
5 (new) customers / increased sales
6 publicity (for the range of comic books available)
7 new generation of (young comic book) fans
8 business ideas (from other shop owners)
Award 1 mark for each acceptable response, up to a maximum of 2 marks. Acceptable responses are:

How people benefit from reading comic books
9 (fun way to) relax
10 help struggling readers / learn to love reading
11 explore serious themes (in a straightforward way)
12 improves ability to understand complex information

Knowledge points:

Solution: