Amanda Parks
ENGL 409
Lesson One
Purpose: To introduce students to Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis by providing them with background
information on the history of modern Iran. This will enable them to better understand the major plot
events and themes of the book.
Preparation: Students will answer the question “What comes to mind when you think about Iran?” in
their journals. Afterward, students will read the Introduction to Persepolis and write down any terms
or concepts that they are unfamiliar with.
Procedure: After students have finished identifying unfamiliar terms or concepts in the Introduction,
they will put one or all of the terms/concepts on the board. Once all of the students have had a chance
to write on the board, the teacher will use the words to preview the BBC documentary, “The Last Shah
of Iran”, that the students will be watching. While the students are watching the documentary, they
will have a worksheet to fill out.
Assessment: Students will complete “The Last Shah Iran” worksheet and turn it in once it is finished.
For homework, students will answer the question “Does anything new come to mind when you think
about Iran since you have watched the documentary? Why or why not?”
Lesson Two
Purpose: To identify misconceptions, and the origins of those misconceptions, that many Americans
have about Iran. Students should also be able to think critically about their own misconceptions and
biases about other cultures.
Preparation: Students will be placed into groups of 3-4 to share their journal entries from the previous
day. These groups will also be used to facilitate small group discussions that will provide a segue into a
class discussion.
Procedure: In their small groups, students will answer the following questions. After the groups have
had time to discuss, bring everyone back together for a class discussion. Allow each group to share
their responses with the rest of the class:
 What was your response to the first question? Do you know where those responses came
from? In other words, why did you write what you did and where did your information come
from?
 How would you rate your knowledge of Middle Eastern history? How does it compare to your
knowledge of other world regions?
 Are there cases of discrimination against people of Middle Eastern heritage in our country?
Why do you think people discriminate against them?
Assessment: In their journals, students will be asked to do a one-page reflection on their small group
and/or class discussion in their journals.
Lesson Three
Purpose: To introduce students to the graphic novel as a literary genre. Students will become familiar
with important graphic novel terms. Students will also begin to examine the importance of visual
images when accompanied by text.
Preparation: Students will be given the worksheet “Graphic Novel Terms and Concepts”. Students will
also receive a copy of the first page of Persepolis that they will be able to take notes on.
Procedure: Once students have received their worksheet and a copy of the first page of Persepolis, the
teacher will review the worksheet. Students will be asked to point out any examples of the terms and
concepts that they notice on the first page of Persepolis, with teacher assistance.
The students will then be divided into groups of four. Each group will be responsible for
answering one of the following sets of questions:
 How many panels are there? How are the panels the same? How do they differ? Why do they
think the author made these choices?
 Read the captions on page 3. What does the reader learn from the captions? What is the
significance of this caption to the other captions on this page? What is the author
foreshadowing?
 How does the third panel compare with the other panels on the page? Why is it darker? What
does the darkness symbolize? What emotion is the author representing here? Is this
representation effective? What does it tell them about what will happen in the book?
 What does the reader learn from the speech bubbles in panels 4 and 5? What do the children
have to say about the veils? Why do students think they are saying these things? What do the
pictures show students doing with their veils? Why?
Once the groups have had a chance to discuss their questions, they will share their answers with
the rest of the class in a large group discussion.
Assessment: In their journals, students will reflect on the possible improvements and/or challenges
that this genre will represent for their reading. For homework they will read Persepolis pp. 1-25
Lesson Four
Purpose: To recognize how an author establishes a point of view and develop characters in their
writing. Students should also be able to analyze and the portrayal of various groups, societies, and
cultures in literature and other texts.
Preparation: Students will have read pp. 1-25 in Persepolis. At the beginning of class, students will
respond to the following prompt in their journals: “List three things we learn about Marji in this part of
the book. List three things we learn about Iran in this part of the book.”
Procedure: Once students have completed their writing, they will share their responses with a partner.
Once everyone has had time to share, each pair will have the opportunity to share their findings with
the rest of the class.
Students will be divided into groups of 3-4. Each group will be responsible for answering one of
the following classes. Once each group has had a chance to discuss their response, one member from
each group will convene with a member of each of the other groups to discuss their group’s response
to their group question:
 From the beginning, it is clear that Marjane has a unique relationship with her parents and
grandmother. How do they influence her and her relationship with the changing Iranian
society?
 Persepolis is a memoir based on Marjane Satrapi’s real life experiences. Are there any instances
in this part of the book when the voice of adult Satrapi is clearly separated from the voice of
child Marji? Where can these parts be found and how do you know that the voices have
become separated?
 What is Marjane’s attitude toward God and religion in this section of the book? What is
happening in the scenes where God disappears? How is this symbolic of what is going on in
Marjane internally at this time?
 What is revealed about the Shah in this part of the book? How is the portrayal of the Shah in
Persepolis similar and/or different from the portrayal of the Shah in the documentary we
watched?
Assessment: Students will fill out an exit pass with one thing that they learned from the representative
member of each of the other groups.
Lesson Five
Purpose: Students will experience gathering relevant information from appropriate internet sources by
completing a WebQuest. They will also define and describe major people, places, and events involved
in the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which will serve as background information for the next section of
Persepolis.
Preparation: Students will choose a partner with whom they will complete the WebQuest. The teacher
will direct the students to the class website, where there will be several different websites for them to
use to find their information.
Procedure: The teacher will hand out and go over the questions on the worksheet that the pairs will
complete together as they do their WebQuest Students will use the websites provided on the class
homepage to complete a WebQuest on the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Assessment: Students will turn in the completed WebQuest worksheet at the end of the class period.
For homework, students will read pp. 26-46
Lesson Six
Purpose: To check for student understanding of a very complex, but important part of the story.
Students will also analyze important writing tools that the author uses to enhance her story and evoke
important themes.
Preparation: Students will have read pp. 26-46 in Persepolis. Students will be divided into three groups,
one for each chapter of the previous night’s reading.
Procedure: Each of the three groups will be assigned a chapter from the previous nights reading. Each
group will be responsible for answering each of the questions from their particular chapter. Once each
of the groups has answered their questions, we will come together as a class, and each group will have
a chance to present their answers:
 “Persepolis” Questions
o How does Marji’s grandmother initially respond to questions about the past?
o How is the image of the Shah on the bottom of page 27 both symbolic and ironic?
o What did Marji’s father do every day that makes her mother so nervous? Why is this
activity strictly forbidden?
o Ironically, what happens when a second dead man is carried out on a stretcher during a
demonstration? What happens next that surprises Marji and amuses her family? What
do the widow’s actions show about the Persian people?
 “The Letter” Questions
o What causes Marji to feel so ashamed? Why? How is this realization connected to the
revolution?
o Who is Mehri? How does she come to join Marji’s family? How does Marji view
her?How does Mehri view Marji?
o What did Marji do for six months to help Mehri? Why? How did news of Mehri’s
clandestine affair reach Marji’s father? What was the outcome? Why?
o What happened on Black Friday? Why? What painful lesson did Marji learn?
o Identify the irony and symbolism in the picture on page 38.
 “The Party” Questions
o How does the Shah attempt to appease the people? Why did he fail?
o How had the U.S. changed its public policy toward Iran?
o According to Marji’s dad, why will the Middle East never have peace?
o Why do Marji and her friends want to attack Ramin? What two lessons does Marji learn
from her mother?
o Why does Ramin believe his father is not a murderer? How does his comment reflect
the attitude of other children?
Assessment: Students will reflect in their journals on any major similarities or differences that the
students found between what they learned during their WebQuest and what they read in Persepolis
about the Islamic Revolution.
Lesson Seven
Purpose: To show students how historical events affect our present lives and our country’s foreign
policies. Also, students will be able to analyze a newspaper article for underlying meanings and
examine one event from multiple points of view.
Preparation: Provide students with a copy of the New York Times article “Iran Offers ‘Dialogue With
Respect’ With the U.S.”. The desks/chairs will be arranged in a circle to facilitate a better group
discussion.
Procedure: We will read the article as a class. Once the article has been read, we will answer the
following questions as a class:
 What news prompted this article?
 Why would President Ahmadinejad make these remarks during a rally celebrating the Islamic
Revolution of 1979?
 From the third paragraph, what can you infer about the current relationship between the
United States and Iran? How was that relationship before the Islamic Revolution in 1979?
After the discussion, we will look at slides of photographs taken during the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Students will be invited to comment on anything that they notice. Afterward, students will receive a
“Stories of the Revolution” handout. In-class, students will be using what they have learned to write a
short piece of historical fiction inspired by one of the images they saw in the slides.
Assessment: Students will complete and turn in the “Stories of the Revolution” worksheet
accompanied by their short piece of fiction. For homework, students will read pp. 47-71.
Lesson Eight
Purpose: To check for student understanding of a very complex, but important part of the story.
Students will also analyze important writing tools that the author uses to enhance her story and evoke
important themes.
Preparation: Students will have read pp.47-71. Students will be divided into three groups, one for each
chapter of the previous night’s reading.
Procedure: Each group will be responsible for answering each of the questions from their particular
chapter. Once each of the groups has answered their questions, we will come together as a class, and
each group will have a chance to present their answers:
 “The Heroes” Questions
o According to Laly, where is her father Siamak? How does Marji respond to her friend’s
answer? What lessons does Marji learn about “truth”? How does the relationship
between Marji and Laly appear to change after they both learn the truth?
o Where had Siamak and Mohsen been for the last several years? Why? What united the
prisoners? Why?
o Comment on the images on page 51. Who led the training in torture practices? What is
Marji’s response to what she hears? According to Marji, what makes a hero?
o How has war corrupted the innocence of children like Marji? What ethical dilemma does
Marji face? What is your opinion of justice? Now that the revolution is over, what does
Marji decide?
 “Moscow” Questions
o What motivated Marji to tell lies about her father? What is your opinion of her
behavior?
o What does the reader learn about the status of women in Iran?
o What caused Anoosh to suffer most in life? Why? What is Anoosh’s primary motive for
sharing his story with Marji?
o How does Marji’s conflict from the beginning of the chapter reach a resolution? What
seems to be the underlying theme of this chapter?
 “The Sheep” Questions
o What is the significance of the title? How does it help to characterize the people of Iran?
o What was the reported outcome of the elections? How does Marji’s father explain these
results? What are the two possible consequences of the people ignorance?
o Why do Marji’s parents subject themselves to a political upheaval and refuse to leave
Iran? What is their opinion of those who left?
o How does Sartrapi carry the symbolism through this chapter? Discuss how the artistic
and literary elements on page 71 help to convey mood and theme.
Assessment: In their journals, students will reflect on an adult that has had a positive influence on their
life. For homework, students will read pp. 72-93
Lesson Nine
Purpose: To check for student understanding of a very complex, but important part of the story.
Students will also analyze important writing tools that the author uses to enhance her story and evoke
important themes.
Preparation: Students will have read pp. 72-93 in Persepolis. At the beginning of class, students will
respond to the following prompt in their journals: “List three things we learn about Marji in this part of
the book. List three things we learn about Iran in this part of the book.”
Procedure: Once students have completed their writing, they will share their responses with a partner.
Once everyone has had time to share, each pair will have the opportunity to share their findings with
the rest of the class.
Students will be divided into groups of 5-6. Each group will be responsible for answering one of
the following classes. Once each group has had a chance to discuss their response, one member from
each group will convene with a member of each of the other groups to discuss their group’s response
to their group question:
 What impact would the Islamic republic have on young women like Marji? What consequence
did women like Marji’s mom face if they fail to comply with the new fundamentalist guidelines?
What was the rationale for making the veil obligatory? How did the Fundamentalist woman and
man differ from the modern woman and man? What were considered to be clear symbols of
the West?
 Marji’s mother remarks, “There’s no place like home.” Considering the surprising news they
learn, how is this statement ironic? When was the last invasion of Iran? What was the reason
for this second Arab invasion? How does Marji respond to the news of the invasion?
 How does Marji reflect the common stereotypical thinking of other Iranians? How does Marji’s
dad cut through her propaganda induced thinking? What is the nature of the war as reflected in
the last frame on page 81? What attitude do Marji’s comments and behavior toward her
parents reflect?
 What is one of the ramifications of the nation’s political conflict? What criticism does Marji’s
mom make of capitalism? What confusing thing does she suggest as they leave the store? What
common attitude about refugees do the other shoppers express? Besides their possessions,
what else have refugee families lost?
Assessment: Students will fill out an exit pass with one thing that they learned from the representative
member of each of the other groups. Students will read pp. 94-117
Lesson Ten
Purpose: To check for student understanding of a very complex, but important part of the story.
Students will also analyze important writing tools that the author uses to enhance her story and evoke
important themes.
Preparation: Students will have read pp.47-71. Students will be divided into three groups, one for each
chapter of the previous night’s reading.
Procedure: Each group will be responsible for answering each of the questions from their particular
chapter. Once each of the groups has answered their questions, we will come together as a class, and
each group will have a chance to present their answers:
 “The Key” Questions
o Why isn’t Marji’s friend extremely concerned about the growing number of martyrs?
o How did the students try to ease the tension of a very serious situation? Why was
Marji’s generation so rebellious? What does the teacher blame?
o What injustices do the parents see in the educational system? Which restriction is
particularly ironic?
o Who does the government recruit to serve on the front lines of the war? How do they
persuade them? Can you think of another time when this practice has been used?
 “The Wine” Questions
o Where did people seek refuge? How did this environment also reflect the emotional
state of the people/country? Besides fearing for their own lives, what other thought
plagued families? How did the interior of their homes reflect the external changes that
were occurring? What two things did they need to protect themselves against?
o Why did Marji’s family continue to hold parties despite the danger?? What gives Marji
doubts about the notion of a “maternal instinct”?
o What two violations is Marji’s dad guilty of at the traffic stop? How does his wife
respond to the situation? What is a condition of their release?What story does Marji’s
grandmother use to stall the officers? What is she really planning to do? Ultimately, how
did they get rid of the officer?
 “The Cigarette” Questions
o What was Marji’s motive for breaking her parents’ rules? When else had she violated
their trust? What was Marji’s destination? What was its reputation? How was it able to
survive the regime’s repression?
o How would you describe the relationship between Marji and her mother? What
language does Marji use to describe her mother and her tactics? What lesson does Marji
learn that transcends time and space?
o What did the survival of the regime depend upon? What was the human cost of this
survival? How did the regime become more repressive?
o What was Marji’s symbolic act of rebellion? In what ways has Marji become an adult?
Assessment: In their journals, students will write a response to the questions “how do you know that
you are becoming an adult? Are there any specific examples you can provide?”