Although not necessary, an introduction to graphic memoirs and the history of Iran as it relates to the plot of Persepolis can help orient students in their reading.
Below are guides for possible ways to introduce Persepolis to students that are easily adaptable to content and Pathway.
Themes of Persepolis include:
The goal is to get students to probe the nature of the graphic novel format chosen by Marjane Satrapi to tell her story.
Ask students to turn to the diptych on page 102 - depicting young soldiers exploding on the battlefield in the upper panel and Marji and her friends dancing in the lower panel. Ask students to describe the illustrations. Then ask questions along the lines of
Create pairs (can also work as a small group) of students. Using similarly graphics-heavy page of the text - pages 15, 42, 61, 71, 77, 89, 95, 235, 245, 250, 281, 290, 305, 309, and 329 - and discuss these same questions. Have the students confer, note one another's thoughts, and then share with the class.
The following question may be used as a prompt for discussion posts or an out of class written assignment: "Based on what you’ve heard from the different groups, why do you think Satrapi might have utilized the graphic novel form to tell her story?”
Pathway Connections:
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Pathway Connections:
See more info at link
Selection from Persepolis 2 by Satrapi with discussion questions. Themes of this selection include: adolescence, teenagers, and parent relationships.
Provide and review the Graphic Novel/Comics Terms and Concepts sheet (at link below).
1. Drawing Characters - Have students refer to the upper-right panel on page 8 of Persepolis, which offers an iconic version of God as an elderly, bearded wise man. Contrast page 8 with page 11. Ask students what they notice about the human faces: How are they different from the image of God? Ask students to talk about why they think the author has chosen to represent the figures in this way and what the significance is to the story.
Examine the bottom panel on page 9. What do students notice about the faces in this panel? What do they think the figures here represent?
2. How the Story is Laid Out - Have students look at the following examples of different layout elements:
Think/ Pair/ Share or Small Group Prompts:
Possible Homework/ Written Assignment: Students should read "The Water Cell" (pages 18-25) and use sticky notes to identify as many graphic elements as possible. On a separate sheet of paper, they should list these elements and link them to the (a) character of the narrator, (b) the role of religion, (c) the political realities of the time period, or (d) the narrator's family relationship as appropriate.
Pathway Connections:
See link for more details
This strategy is adapted from "The Model for Interpreting Art," developed by Linda Friedlander, Curator of Education at the Yale Center for British Art. 22 This exercise will be dual purpose. Students will learn how to read pictures and develop their visual literacy through this exercise, and they will also deal with their perceptions of culture. The point of this activity is to get the students talking about their perceptions, their interpretations, and their misconceptions. For the first activity, we will use images from the Islamic Revolution.
The objectives for this lesson are that students will gain a stronger understanding of the Islamic Revolution by looking at and analyzing images from this time period.This lesson will come before the reading of Persepolis. The students will look at images and explain what they see, then they will explain what is happening, and then they will explain how they know what is happening or they will ask questions about what they don't understand. I will use the BBCs "The Islamic Revolution- -In Pictures" as a resource to implement this strategy. 23 This is a nine-picture slide with different images from the Islamic Revolution.
Pathway Connections:
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Persepolis can be paired with with other works - videos, historical events, poetry, writing, speeches, etc. - students can explore themes as they relate among different historical events, cultures, and narrative formats. Assign students to compare and/or contrast Persepolis with various other works including those at the CommonLit link (below).
Pathway Connections:
See link for more details
This lesson will take place toward the end of the unit, after the students have finished reading Persepolis. The objective is for the students to grasp a deeper understanding of selected frames in the story and to articulate that understanding in writing and also verbally. Through this activity, students will practice visual literacy skills. The students will be required to choose a panel or series of panels from the text, and they will write an essay on the effect of the images and Satrapi's use of the illustrations to add meaning to the text. The students will focus on the techniques used in the illustration such as shading, pattern, repetition, contrast, size, etc.
The students will be given class time to choose an image or series of images to analyze. They will write a short essay on the effect of the images. After students have completed the writing assignment, they will partner with a classmate who has completed the task as well. They will share their observations with each other.
Pathway Connections:
See link for more details
Persepolis can be paired with with other works - videos, historical events, poetry, writing, speeches, etc. - students can explore themes as they relate among different historical events, cultures, and narrative formats. Assign students to compare and/or contrast Persepolis with various other works including those at the CommonLit link (below).
Pathway Connections:
See link for more details
You are able to show the film for student or class view only if you have a copy of the DVD or other tangible format. If you would like to borrow the film from the library you can - each library has copies of the Persepolis DVD for you to borrow and show.
You CANNOT SHOW A STREAMING COPY OF THE FILM in your class even if you have a subscription to it.
The film I want to show is on Netflix. Can I stream this through my Netflix account in the classroom?
Subscription services such as Netflix and Amazon have very detailed membership agreements that may forbid the streaming of subscribed content in a classroom or other public venue. When you agree to the terms of membership, you enter into a contract and the terms of that contract trump any applicable exception in copyright. Therefore, if the membership agreement with Netflix prohibits the showing of the film in a classroom, you are bound by the terms of that agreement even if the face to face teaching exception would otherwise allow it. We encourage instructors who plan to show films as part of their class, particularly when the class is taught online, to investigate the availability of films through Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and other subscription or short term rental streaming services and to require their students to access that content on their own through their own subscription or account.
From https://guides.uflib.ufl.edu/copyright/video
Animation vs. Live Action
Going Beyond the First Book
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