Picture Writing

Classroom Activities

Activity One: "Gallery Walk Through 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. The students will also be utilizing their visual skills by interpreting images based on their own prior knowledge. The students will gain an understanding of their own perception of these events. They will understand that their perceptions are molded by their experiences. They will compare their interpretations of the images with the captions and then will understand when they misinterpreted information based on lack of knowledge. 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. Later, the students will look at each picture with the caption included, and the students will find out what is really happening in each image. They will discuss how we interpret images based on prior knowledge and how prior knowledge can skew the reality of what is actually happening. (The class will do this exercise a few times using illustrated frames from Persepolis and other forms of Islamic art.)

To begin the activity, I will post the nine pictures on the walls all around the classroom, and I will number each one. The students will break into groups of three or four and will have a pen and a notebook with them. I will ask they to say only what they see. I will walk around the room and make sure the students are not interpreting yet; they should be discussing only what they see. They will stay at each picture for two minutes, and the first time around the room, they will take notes as well. I will ring a bell, after two minutes, and they will rotate to the next photograph. The second time around the room, they will interpret each photograph. I will ask them explain what is happening in the photograph. For the third and final lap around the room, I will place the caption that explains and fits with each photograph right next to the image. This time around the room, the students will read the caption, and then they will discuss how their interpretation of the image was different from the reality of what was actually happening. The lesson will close with a written self-reflection on the experience of completing the activity. The self-reflection will act as a self-assessment.

Activity Two: "Digging Deeper into The Revolution Through Literature Circles"

This activity will take place over two days and can be used multiple times throughout the reading. This lesson will facilitate student-led small group discussion. Students will be put into groups of six, and each student will have a particular role. See above to the "Classroom Strategy" section for specific role assignments. The objective for this lesson is to get students talking about the material and responding to each other's opinion.

After reading the assigned section of text, the students will prepare for their literature circle role as their homework. The class will be broken into groups of six, and the students will sit in circles around the room. For the first literature circle, we will focus on the reading from the introduction to page 32. This section covers the chapters, "The Veil," "The Bicycle," "The Water Cell," and "Persepolis." The group leader will keep the group on task and will guide discussion by asking questions. The group leader might ask questions like, "What does the veil symbolize for Marjane?" or "Why is the Shah overthrown?" The students will respond to questions and will share their role assignment with their group. The article finder will bring a copy of the non-fiction article he or she found based on the assigned reading. The group will read the article and will discuss its relation to the reading. Each student will share his or her specific role and findings. The students will be assessed by their participation in the group. They will also assess themselves and each other at the end of the lesson through written reflection.

Activity Three: "Reading Pictures"

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.

This activity will take place over three to four class periods. 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. Once students have finished their written analysis and shared their analysis with a partner, they will give a short presentation to the class that communicates their analysis. I have access to a document camera in my classroom, so the students will project the images or series of images onto the Promethean Board. They will give a five-minute verbal presentation to the class of their analysis. The students will be assessed by their ability to discuss the images in relation to rest of the text.