{"id":4383,"date":"2023-03-19T10:01:48","date_gmt":"2023-03-19T15:01:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/?p=4383"},"modified":"2025-01-04T19:18:56","modified_gmt":"2025-01-05T00:18:56","slug":"teaching-persepolis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/teaching-persepolis\/","title":{"rendered":"Teaching Persepolis: 5 Tips You Need to Plan Your Unit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Persepolis <\/em>is an award-winning graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi that tells the story of her childhood in Iran during and after the Islamic Revolution. It is a powerful and thought-provoking work that offers a unique perspective on Iranian culture, history, and politics. If you plan on teaching Persepolis <\/em>in your classroom, here are some tips that can help you create a successful learning experience for your students.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Not sure if this is the novel for you and your class? Check out this blog post to learn why you should teach Persepolis<\/em>!<\/a><\/strong>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking for no-prep teaching resources? Save time and grab my complete Persepolis Unit today!<\/a><\/strong> If you want to check out a lesson planning calendar for some inspiration, here’s my FREE Persepolis pacing guide.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

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Teaching Persepolis Tip #1: Build Lots of Background Knowledge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before I could create my Persepolis <\/em>unit, I had to do a lot of learning myself. It took me a long time to feel competent with the historical and cultural context of the novel.<\/strong> Give your students a helping hand by breaking it down for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Persepolis <\/em>is set against the backdrop of the Iranian Revolution and the subsequent Islamic Republic of Iran. To help your students understand the complex political and cultural landscape of this period, provide them with some historical context. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luckily, there are a ton of helpful resources out there! Documentaries, articles, or books can help students understand the social and political climate of Iran during that time. Supplemental resources will give your students a deeper understanding of the events and themes portrayed in Persepolis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I start my Persepolis <\/em>unit with a simple slideshow that breaks down the basics of the Iranian Revolution<\/a>.<\/strong> (It also generally introduces the novel, the author, and other important ideas.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also have my students do a WebQuest that focuses on the revolution, the veil, and Islam<\/a>.<\/strong> When students understand these topics, they can spend more time focusing on Persepolis’s story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This Persepolis Introduction<\/a> covers basics like the novel genre, author information, and lots of background on the Iranian revolution.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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This WebQuest has students research Islam, the veil, and the Iranian Revolution.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Teaching Persepolis Tip #2: Embrace the Graphic Novel<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the unique aspects of Persepolis <\/em>is its format as a graphic novel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Illustrations, in addition to text, help your students engage with the story. They also help your students understand–and empathize–with the characters more deeply.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use this to your advantage and incorporate visual analysis activities to help students understand the importance of imagery in storytelling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before we start reading Persepolis<\/em>, I spend some time diving into the graphic novel genre with my students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my How to Read a Graphic Novel Lesson<\/a>, I discuss with students the unique features of graphic novels. <\/strong>In this lesson, I share tips for analyzing comic book panels. Students also label the parts of a graphic novel and interact with some very basic comics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout the unit, students will have to analyze Satrapi’s illustrations–not just her words–to understand the story. Each panel provides more opportunities for students to practice their graphic analysis skills. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of the unit, I have students create their own comics<\/a> as a summative assessment.<\/strong> It’s a fun activity that forces students to really think about how they can use text and images together to tell a simple story. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taking the time to really learn about graphic novels will help your students down the road.<\/strong> Not only will you be able to introduce them to more, but they’ll be better equipped to analyze images on their own. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This How to Read a Graphic Novel Lesson<\/a> is the perfect intro to any graphic novel unit.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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In this Comic Book Memoir Project<\/a>, students will create a short comic about a real moment in their lives.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Teaching Persepolis Tip #3: Make Connections to Current Events<\/h2>\n\n\n
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This Persepolis Introduction covers basics like the novel genre, author information, and lots of background on the Iranian revolution.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The historical events of Persepolis, while recent in the context of human history, will feel very far away for your students–historically and geographically. Help make the text feel relevant by connecting its events with today. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the Iranian Revolution occurred in 1979, the consequences of it are still being felt today. In fact, the Iranian protests that began in 2022 (and are still occurring at the writing of this post) are arguably the direct result of that original revolution. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I use an activity that asks students to compare and contrast the protests in Iran in 1979 and 2022. <\/a>Afterward, students write a short response. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You could also watch news reports or watch interviews from 2022 to help students understand Persepolis’s <\/em>relevance to today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n