Students explore human nature through the story of a young girl coming of age during the Iranian Revolution, and the challenges she faced during this violent, turbulent time.
We continue our year-long study of the relationship between power and human behavior with Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi’s graphic memoir about coming of age during the Iranian Revolution of 1979. Satrapi’s simple black-and-white drawings belie the complexities of this award-winning text, which has been translated into many languages and read by millions of adults and teens. In this memoir, the reader gains insight into this significant historical event through young Marji’s eyes, learning about the human impact of political upheaval and the ways that people resist repression in large and small ways.
In addition to reading Persepolis, students will read an excerpt from Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics and grapple with abstract concepts around this deceivingly simple genre. Students will complete the unit by reading several essays and articles that address the contentious issue of Muslim women’s headscarves, learning about different ways that this article of clothing has become highly politicized.
In this unit, students will continue to develop their ability to conduct research and create presentations. In the first writing task, students will work on identifying reputable sources, pulling relevant information from those sources, and presenting that information in a way that is clear and compelling to their audience. These presentations will address different aspects of Iranian history, culture, and current events, and are paired with relevant sections of Persepolis. Students will conclude this unit by reflecting and writing on transformative experiences from their own life.
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Book: Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi (Pantheon, 1st edition, 2004)
Book: Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art by Scott McCloud (William Morrow Paperbacks, reprint edition, 1994)
Video: “Rick Steves' Iran” by Rick Steves' Europe (YouTube)
Video: “Majede Najar: Why I wear a hijab” by TEDTalentSearch (YouTube)
Article: “Why do Muslim women wear a hijab?” by Caitlin Killian (The Conversation)
Article: “I was forced to wear a hijab. It wasn't liberating” by Soutiam Goodarzi (The Spectator)
Article: “France's 'Burkini' Bans Are About More Than Religion or Clothing” by Amanda Taub (The New York Times)
Assessment Photo: “Excerpt from graphic novel, Art Spiegelman's "Maus: A Survivor's Tale," 1986.”
Assessment Photo: “Excerpts from 'Persepolis 2': Slide 3”
Assessment Photo: “Excerpts from 'Persepolis 2': Slide 4”
Assessment Photo: “Excerpts from 'Persepolis 2': Slide 5”
This assessment accompanies Unit 4 and should be given on the suggested assessment day or after completing the unit.
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“Rick Steves' Iran” — 00:00–17:30 and 32:38–38:00
RI.8.1
Explain significant aspects of Iranian history and culture, drawing evidence from a video.
Informative Writing
W.8.2
W.8.2.b
W.8.8
Conduct research on an assigned topic, identifying and pulling information from reliable sources.
Informative Writing
W.8.2
W.8.8
SL.8.5
Create a PowerPoint presentation and appropriately cite sources.
Informative Writing
W.8.2
W.8.2.a
W.8.2.d
W.8.2.f
W.8.8
Logically organize the information in a presentation and include all required components.
Informative Writing
W.8.2
W.8.8
SL.8.4
SL.8.5
Present PowerPoints using appropriate volume, eye contact, emphasis, and pronunciation.
Understanding Comics — pp. 2-9 and 30-37
RI.8.2
Determine McCloud’s central ideas and explain how he develops them through images and examples.
Persepolis pp. 3 – 17
RL.8.3
Explain how specific incidents impact and reveal aspects of characters and setting, and describe how Satrapi communicates this through text and images.
Persepolis pp. 18 – 32
RL.8.3
Explain how specific incidents impact and reveal aspects of characters and setting, and describe how Satrapi communicates this through text and images.
Persepolis pp. 33 – 46
RL.8.3
Explain how specific incidents impact and reveal aspects of characters and setting, and describe how Satrapi communicates this through text and images.
Persepolis pp. 47 – 61
RL.8.3
Explain how specific panels and text work together to depict events that reveal aspects of characters and setting in Persepolis.
Persepolis pp. 62 – 79
RL.8.3
Explain how specific incidents impact and reveal aspects of characters and setting, and describe how Satrapi communicates this through text and images.
Persepolis pp. 3 – 79
RL.8.2
RL.8.5
Determine the most significant events in Persepolis and place them on a timeline, and use that to discuss the overall structure of the text.
Persepolis pp. 80 – 93
RL.8.3
Explain how specific incidents and lines of text impact and reveal aspects of characters, and describe how Satrapi communicates this through text and images.
Literary Analysis Writing
Persepolis pp. 94 – 110
RL.8.2
W.8.1
Write a short essay explaining how Satrapi develops a theme over the course of Persepolis.
Persepolis pp. 111 – 125
RL.8.4
L.8.4.a
L.8.5.a
Determine the meaning and connotations of words, phrases, and figures of speech using context clues from text and images, and explain their impact on meaning and tone.
Persepolis pp. 126 – 142
RL.8.3
Explain how specific incidents impact and reveal aspects of characters and setting, and describe how Satrapi communicates this through text and images.
Persepolis pp. 143 – 153
RL.8.2
Determine themes in Persepolis and explain how Satrapi develops them over the course of the text.
“Majede Najar”
“Why do...”
RI.8.2
Determine the central idea of both a text article and a video and explain how the author/speaker develops each.
“I was...”
RI.8.5
RI.8.6
Determine an author’s point of view and explain how she responds to conflicting viewpoints.
“France's 'Burkini' Bans...”
RI.8.6
Determine an author’s point of view and explain how she responds to conflicting viewpoints.
Socratic Seminar
Persepolis
Socratic Seminar Guide
SL.8.1.c
SL.8.1.d
Engage in a Socratic Seminar with classmates, posing questions that draw connections between own ideas and classmates’ ideas.
Narrative Writing
Persepolis
W.8.3
W.8.3.a
Identify the features of a strong personal narrative and begin to craft own narrative.
Narrative Writing
W.8.3
W.8.3.b
W.8.3.c
Add transitional phrases and compelling dialogue to narratives.
Narrative Writing
W.8.3
W.8.3.e
Craft a strong concluding paragraph and share stories with classmates.
2 days
Assessment
“Excerpt from "Maus"”
“Slide 3”
“Slide 4”
“Slide 5”