LessonPersepolis


 * Jessica Falkowski**
 * Alexandra Barbush**


 * Stage 1: Desired Results**


 * Established Goals:**

Essential content, literary elements and devices inform meaning Identify the use of bias, stereotype, and propaganda where present Essential content, literary elements and devices inform meaning Identify and evaluate essential content between and among various text types
 * Concept:**
 * Competencies:**
 * Concept:**
 * Competencies:**

Students will understand that it's normal while growing up for personality, beliefs and opinions to change. Our peers, culture and environment help to construct our identity, as well as our internal morals and values. What big events in a person's life can cause a shift of identity?
 * Understandings:**
 * Essential Questions:**

Students will know that the changes they are experiencing are completely normal and that their peers and friends are having the same experiences. Students will be able to observe their own identity changes and the effects that has on their own lives as they see Persepolis' Marjane change and mature.


 * Stage 2: Assessment Evidence**

Students will have class discussions and freewrites on how Marjane changes throughout the story and what factors cause these changes.
 * Performance Tasks:**

Students can draw the different stages of Marjane's identity and the steps she takes throughout the novel in a way different than how Persepolis already depicts her life.


 * Stage 3: Learning Plans**

- Introducing the theme of identity in their own lives before beginning the novel- what does it mean to them? how do they identify themselves? how do we introduce ourselves when meeting people for the first time? what do we want them to know about us off the bat to different people? By first introducing the theme to the students, they are able to find relevance in a story they my not immediately have connected to otherwise- about the Iranian Revolution. - Explore the history so they can gain a better understanding of the novel- show video clips of Iranian revolution, newspaper articles, etc. If students see first hand how the revolution really was, from the perspective of American citizens as well as Iranian citizens, they will be engaged and understand not only how important it was, but how scary and real. By seeing clips and primary sources, it puts them right in the action when they are reading the graphic novel. -Simulate the situations in the book- separating the boys and girls of the class, have women wear the veil, take away popular culture, etc. This will make the reality that Marjane had every day come out to the students. By being in her shoes, they will have a greater grasp of the culture of that time in Iran, including its hardships. Their culture is such a shock from ours, especially in the aspect of freedoms that it is important for them to understand WHY the revolution had to happen. -Have students map out how their opinions or interests changed from grade level to grade level. This puts the story back into their own lives- as Marjane changed from panel to panel, they have changed a little each year. With younger students, the focus could be interests and hobbies. With secondary level, students can explore their opinions, biases and values. -Through creative assessment, ie. drawing, informal paper similar to the mapping of their own identity in any format, we can assess students in a non-traditional way with a non-traditional text. Students could use the internet- facebook page highlighting the characters from the story and interacting with each other. Since it is a graphic novel and is more adaptable to the visual learner, it should be assessed in a way adaptable to all students.

This text can be related to any of the other texts we have studied in Teaching Reading and Literature to Young Adults. It can closely be related to //The Part-time Diary of an Indian-// both protagonists are middle-aged children, being forced to adapt to changes going on around them, some chosen and some not. Both deal with racial issues and cultural issues. This would be a good text to pair //Persepolis// with because it is a direct connection to our culture- and the Native Americans, something more relatable and better known by American students.