Graphic Narratives as Teaching Tools

Classroom Activities

Representation of Iran in Western Media

Use this activity to introduce the unit, assess students’ prior knowledge about Iran, and introduce them to the PACTT analysis strategy (See Teaching Strategies.). You will need these materials: Printed photographs from recent news coverage on Iran (enough for each pair of students to have one image); digital or print copies of the news articles that correspond with each photograph; and Rick Steves’ Iran travel documentary.

Day 1: Arrange students in pairs. Display the news photos on a board space. Ask each pair of students to select one image from the display. Student pairs will answer these questions about their selected image: 1. What do you think is happening in this photograph? 2. Where do you think this photograph was taken? 3. Do you think this photograph represents its subject positively or negatively? Why? Then, students will read their photograph’s corresponding news article and complete a PACTT analysis for the photograph. (You may need to model a PACTT analysis for the whole class before allowing students to do this in pairs.) Draw a vertical line down the middle of the board; write “Negative Representation” on the left side and “Positive Representation” on the right side. Ask each pair of students to hang their photograph under the category they think is the best fit. Briefly discuss students’ reasoning for their choices.

Day 2: Play select excerpts of Rick Steves’ Iran . The segments featuring Tehran (approximately the first twenty minutes of the documentary) would work well for this activity. Students should complete a PACTT analysis of the documentary based on what they watched. Discuss students’ PACTT responses and ask them  what techniques or choices Steves makes in his documentary to create a more positive representation of IranAs an exit ticket or exit discussion, ask students to answer the following question: Why do you think the news media’s coverage of Iran is predominantly negative while Rick Steves’ representation is positive?

Islamic Revolution Timeline Puzzle and Inquiry Questions

Complete this activity before students begin reading Persepolis. Students will collaborate to create a photo timeline of the Islamic Revolution. The objectives are for students to identify the key events of the Islamic Revolution, discuss causes and effects of the Revolution, compare the representation of events in two different texts, and create inquiry questions about Iran and the Revolution that they will seek to answer as they read Persepolis. You’ll need these materials: a large teacher-created timeline of key events surrounding the revolution (See my suggested timeline under Content Objectives: The Iranian Revolution of 1979 (a.k.a. the Islamic Revolution.); printed photographs from the Iranian Revolution with photo captions separated from the photos (See Steinzova and Greer’s “In Pictures: Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution” in Resources.); a large workspace on the board or wall to post the timeline and corresponding photos; a video excerpt of the 2012 film Argo (See Bowerstick’s “Argo 2012 Opening Scene” in Resources.). Before the lesson, shuffle the images and label each one with a different number (1, 2, 3, etc.), shuffle the captions and label each with a letter (A, B, C, etc.), and create an “answer key” that identifies the correct image-caption combination and the correct order of images to allow you to easily give students feedback on their progress as they complete the puzzle.

Follow this procedure for the activity:

Day 1

1. Display the photos in random order on a board space. (You will also need the enlarged timeline of events on a board space. If your classroom is small like mine, you’ll likely have the events and the photos on the same board space. Inform students that the photos are not in the correct order and that their job is to work together to arrange them in the correct order on the timeline.)
2. Distribute the captions to students in random order. Depending on class size, some students will work in pairs on a caption, or some students might receive more than one caption.
3. Ask students to find the photo from the board that is the correct “match” for their caption and take that photo back to their seat.
4. Display and/or read the match answer key aloud and ask students to make corrections to their matches accordingly, so that each image has the correct caption.
5. Now that students have the correct images and captions, ask them to place them in the correct order on the timeline.
6. Once students have made their final answers, use your answer key to tell students which images were placed correctly, and which were not. Ask students to rearrange their images until they have the correct order.

You could also modify this activity for small groups. Or, tech-savvy teachers might create a digital version that students could manipulate on computers.

Day 2

1. The class timeline should be displayed for reference.
2. Show students the opening segment of the 2012 film Argo (approximately the first five minutes). The animated summary of the history leading up to the 1979 invasion of the US embassy in Tehran makes an interesting comparison to the class photo timeline of the Revolution. Ask students to complete a PACTT analysis of the film segment. (This step could also be a homework assignment.)
3. Lead students in discussing these questions about the film’s representation of events: a think-pair-share strategy would work well here.
   1. Argo is an American film. What aspects of the representation of events and people appeal to an American audience? (Students might observe the comic book style depiction of some events, the emotional appeal created by people oppressed by an extravagant ruler, the idea of a people overthrowing that oppressive ruler in pursuit of freedom, the conflictingly negative representations of the Iranians who stormed the US embassy.)
   2. What events or details does the film segment leave out or what questions does it leave unanswered? (Students might observe that the film doesn’t reveal what new government comes to power following the revolution; they might wonder why the Iranians invaded the US embassy.)
   3. How might these events be narrated differently if they were told from another perspective, such as from the perspective of one of the Iranians who stormed the embassy?
4. Ask students to record and share questions they have about the Iranian Revolution or Iran during this time. Students could record their questions on sticky notes and display them in the classroom. Students should look for answers to these questions as they read Persepolis. Possible questions include Why did an Islamic government rise to power—is this what Iranians really wanted? Why did the Iranians seem to have hostility towards the United States? What was life like for Iranians after the revolution? How did people get the courage to revolt against a king (shah) who was that oppressive?

Women’s Perspectives on the Veil

This activity could be used as a pre-reading activity to foster discussions about women under the Islamic Republic or in conjunction with students’ reading of Satrapi’s first chapter, “The Veil.” The objectives of this activity are for students to identify reasons some people wear the veil and to consider a variety of perspectives on this topic. Start the conversation by showing students images of various types of veils used to cover a woman’s body, such as those worn by practicing Muslims—the hijab, chador, niqab, and burqa (See IstiZada’s “Muslim Veil and Hijab Types” in Resources). Your images could also include Amish or Mennonite women in head coverings to illustrate that this practice of covering one’s hair is more universal than we at first might think. Then, ask students to brainstorm reasons why women might wear these types of coverings. This part of the activity could take the form of collective brainstorming in which the teacher records student answers on the board.

Next introduce the 2010 CNN News Debate: “French Niqab Ban Debate between Hebah Ahmed and Mona Eltahawy” (See muslimah1210 in Resources.), which aired after the French government banned face coverings, including the niqab and burqa, in public places. Hebah Ahmed argues that France’s law is a violation of women’s liberty, while Mona Eltahawy argues that this law protects women’s freedom.⁸³ As students watch the video, they should take notes on a T-chart on each side of the debate—PRO (in favor of banning the niqab and burqa) and CON (against the ban). Then, ask students to share who they think “won” the debate and why.

Connect this activity to Persepolis by asking students to participate in a think-pair-share revolving around this question: "What is Marjane Satrapi’s perspective on the veil in Persepolis? How does the situation of women in 1980s Iran compare or contrast to the situation of Muslim women in 2010 France?” Students should consider the level of personal choice women have in their clothing, the abrupt life changes caused by their countries’ governments, the motivations of the governments, the different societies in which these regulations occur, and the dominant religions practiced in each country. See “Muslim Veil and Hijab Types” on the Resources page for a helpful non-Western perspective on the veil and a great assortment of positive representation of veiled Muslim women and girls in popular media.⁸⁴

Graphic Novel Conventions Jigsaw (Using Understanding Comics)

This activity corresponds with the information under . The class will engage in a “jigsaw” style activity in which each group of students reads a different excerpt of Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics. They will present their understanding of the graphic novel conventions to the class and explain how Satrapi uses those conventions in Persepolis. I recommend using this activity after students have read pages 1-46. This placement allows students to use what they have read as examples of the conventions and then use their understanding of graphic narrative conventions to comment on Satrapi’s craft and its connection to her content as they read the rest of the memoir.

Follow this procedure:

1. Arrange students into six groups and assign each group one of the following six topics from Understanding Comics: Icon (McCloud, pages 24-37); Gutters, Panels, and Closure (McCloud, pages 60-69); Transitions (McCloud, pages 70-82); Time Frames (McCloud, pages 94-104); Representing Emotions and Sensations (McCloud, pages 118-137); and Word-Picture Combinations (McCloud, pages 152-161).
2. Ask students to read their assigned excerpt and create a poster that displays the following information: definitions of relevant terminology in their assigned excerpt (i.e. icon, panel, gutter, closure, transition types, etc.); an excerpt from Persepolis that illustrates the terminology; an explanation of how Satrapi uses the relevant conventions to communicate a message or create a desired effect in that excerpt.
3. Groups could present their material and analysis to the class or students could participate in a gallery walk activity to learn about the other techniques.
4. Follow up with an assessment that requires students to apply their understanding of these conventions to future chapters of Persepolis.

Summative Assessment: Creating a More Balanced Perspective on Iran

Students will select a significant person, place, event, idea, belief, or philosophy represented in Persepolis. Examples include people or groups, such as Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Islamic authorities and spokespeople, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (Guardians of the Revolution), Iranian martyrs, Iranian political dissenters, Iranian children, or members of Iran’s working class; events or moments from the Iranian Revolution or the Iran-Iraq War; philosophies or religions, such as Shi’a Islam or Marxism; or elements of Western pop culture. They will create a visual, such as a poster or Power Point presentation that compares the representation of this event in Persepolis with its representation in at least two other texts, such as news media, film, documentaries, art, or popular media. The texts students select should feature different perspectives on their chosen topic. Their presentations will reflect on the contexts, intentions, and biases that influence each representation, as well as how the representations influence readers’ perceptions by perpetuating a bias/stereotype, combatting a bias, or helping to balance readers' perspectives. Students could present their work as a live presentation in front of peers or as a museum-style exhibit that others could peruse.