Embedded Files
Activity 1: How Graphic Novel Elements Impact Visual Storytelling
Activity 1: How Graphic Novel Elements Impact Visual Storytelling
To launch the unit on Persepolis, this lesson invites them to read a text-only and image-rich selection of the first chapter of Persepolis.
Objectives:
This lesson encourages students to actively experience how adding different visual elements impacts their understanding and interpretation of a story and serves as a precursor to the graphic novel tools - such as camera angle, negative space, emanata, dark/light contrast - that they will need to familiarize themselves with in order to read and evaluate the images in Persepolis.
Procedure:
Step 1:
In small groups, students will first be given the text-only version of the first chapter, as if it were written in prose.
They should read and annotate what they notice and turn to their group members to discuss their thoughts (sample discussion questions are provided below). Their small-group discussion will be followed by an in-class share-out; the teacher will mark down some of the students' observations on a white board or poster paper.
Step 2:
Students will repeat this process again, only this time the teacher will distribute the first chapter of Persepolis in its original graphic novel form.
After students read and annotate, they should discuss with their group how their interpretations changed with the addition of images (sample discussion questions are provided below). The small-group activity will be followed by a whole-class discussion where the teacher has students share out their responses.
Step 3:
This activity will then lead into an introduction to graphic novel terminology.
The teacher will pass out a graphic novel terms/concepts sheet (provided in the "Graphic Novel Resources" section above, but also linked here), assign each group a specific concept/term, and have the group work together to find examples of their term in the first chapter of Persepolis.
Comic Book Terminology.docxStep 4:
The lesson will culminate in a mini presentation by each group, where they prepare to teach the class what the term means and how they think it is being used to convey a message in the examples they have identified in the chapter.
For text-only and image-rich discussion questions, click here.
Activity 2: Visual Juxtaposition in Persepolis
Activity 2: Visual Juxtaposition in Persepolis
This lesson introduces students to the concept of visual juxtaposition, which is when two opposing images or ideas are presented in a single frame.
Objectives:
The objective of this lesson is to strengthen students' visual literacy skills by providing them with more advanced practice on how to interpret images for messages that may not be obvious at face-value. Identifying the messages laden in images will not always simple or straightforward; in many cases, an image can have two meanings, one of which might be more overt than the other.
Procedure:
Step 1:
The teacher will first introduce students to the concept of visual juxtaposition by presenting them with an image and having them apply their knowledge of juxtaposition to the photo; in small groups, they should analyze the photo and talk through what they notice (the teacher can use any image of their choice, but an example with guiding questions are provided below).
Their small-group discussion will be followed by a whole-group discussion and the teacher will mark down some of the students' observations on a white board or poster paper.
Step 2:
The teacher will then transition to Persepolis and distribute excerpts from the graphic memoir to the class. Students should have access to all the excerpts, but the teacher can assign one specific excerpt to each group and instruct them to analyze it for examples of visual juxtaposition (sample excerpts are provided below).
For more guided practice, the teacher can also choose to analyze one excerpt together with students before they begin working in their individual groups.
Step 3:
Once each group has had time to analyze their excerpt, they will take turns briefly presenting their findings to the class.
Activity 3: The Blind Spots of Perspective
Activity 3: The Blind Spots of Perspective
While Satrapi shares her own perspective on the revolution, she also offers the points of view of friends and family members, who, given age and experience, see the revolution through a different lens.
Objectives:
The objective of this lesson is to invite students to think about how point of view is dependent on the position that one occupies. Satrapi oftentimes is conflicted about how she should feel about the revolution, and this is largely due in part to the contradictory opinions she is exposed to. Whether it's from people in her family, who are revolutionaries and activists against the Islamic Republic, or speeches by the Ayatollah she sees on TV and teachers at her school, who condemn Western decadence and promote extreme Islamic values, each of these opinions are informed by a subjective set of ideological beliefs and experiences.
Procedure:
Step 1:
In small groups, students will be given an excerpt from Persepolis where Satrapi offers her opinion on the changes taking place in Iran after its transition to an Islamic Republic ("The Veil" is an ideal chapter to use). They should read and annotate what they notice, and turn to their group members to discuss their interpretations.
Their small-group discussion will be followed by an in-class share-out; the teacher will mark down some of the students' observations on a white board or poster paper.
Step 2:
After students have analyzed Satrapi's perspective, they will then turn to excerpts that offer other perspectives on the state of events in Iran; each group can be given a different point of view to analyze (examples include Satrapi's parents, her grandmother, Uncle Anoosh, her schoolteachers, or speeches on TV given by leaders of the Islamic Republic). Students will read the excerpts and analyze how the narrative changed with the addition of a new perspective.
Step 3:
Once each group has had time to analyze their excerpt, they will take turns briefly presenting their perspective to the class and share what new insights it offered into the revolution.
Assessment of Student Learning
Assessment of Student Learning
Since so much of Persepolis is about navigating the different factors that influence worldview, the following two assessments engage students in the process of critically thinking about perspective, albeit in different ways. Whereas one directly assess for visual literacy proficiency, the other is a more self-reflexive examination of the forces shaping students' own positionality.
These assessments do not necessarily have to be assigned directly after reading Persepolis; they could serve as potential avenues that students may want to take for their final curriculum project.
Assessment #1: Reinvent the Narrative
Assessment #1: Reinvent the Narrative
Although Persepolis is primarily told from Satrapi's perspective, she also offers insights into the perspectives of numerous family members whose points of view and life experiences affect the way she views herself, her country, and its regime.
For this project, students will select one secondary character and recreate a chapter from Persepolis told from that character’s perspective. Potential choices include, but are not limited to, Mr. Satrapi, Mrs. Satrapi, the grandmother, Uncle Anoosh, and Mehri, the family maid.
Students should create at least three pages of original comic book art and text and have at least four narrative techniques (dialogue, reflection, description, and pacing) and four visual elements (contrast, splash, camera angle, and arrangement/space) to develop their character's point of view. This is how the teacher may assess for visual literacy development.
In addition to the chapter, students should submit a double-spaced 1-2 page reflection.
Some questions to consider for the reflection include:
What chapter did you choose to rewrite and in what ways did your character’s perspective change the narrative of that chapter?
What visual elements or narrative techniques did you use to create this change?
How might a reader's understanding of Iran and the revolution be different after reading your chapter?
Assessment #2: How Am I Who I am?
Assessment #2: How Am I Who I am?
In order for students to really understand how knowledge is shaped by the limits of their perspective, they should be given an opportunity to reflect on their own values and how those values were formed. In this project, students will walk through their journey of identity-formation in the form of a graphic novel.
Their story should discuss at least one influence from their lives that has informed their worldview. What they choose is entirely up to them, but some examples of social influences include gender, religion, politics, family, literature, television, and the news.
Students should have at least three pages of original comic book art and should incorporate at least four narrative techniques and four visual elements into their story.
In addition to their story, students should submit a double-spaced 1-2 page reflection.
Some questions to consider for the reflection include:
In what ways did the graphic novel conventions you chose (address all of them!) best help convey your story of identity?
What have you learned about yourself, your worldview, and how knowledge is constructed since reading Persepolis and putting together this project?
Resources for Graphic Novel Creation
Resources for Graphic Novel Creation
To create their graphic novel, students can either use the blank set of comic strips listed under "Graphic Novel Resources," or check out one of the following websites:
Storyboard: https://www.storyboardthat.com/storyboard-creator
Make Beliefs Comix: https://www.makebeliefscomix.com/
Pixton: https://www.pixton.com/
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