Use these activities to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity. 

Make your Own Graphic Novel

The novel’s author, Marjane Satrapi, combines her coming-of-age story with a historical overview of the revolution in Iran; however, rather than simply recounting her experience in a traditional chapter-book format, she illustrates her story in the form of a graphic novel. In this sense, readers are able to simultaneously read as well as view different vignettes from her life in Iran surrounding the revolution.

For this activity, you will select a historical event you remember from your childhood and retell the facts through a graphic novel. You can either draw the images yourself or find images online, and the final product can be a physical book of drawings or collage, or it can be a slideshow or other digital production. Remember to focus on the most important themes of the event, and be sure to explain both the historical event as well as your memory of it.

• First, select a historical event you remember happening in your lifetime. It can be something you witnessed yourself or remember hearing about. Consider both positive and negative events that have influenced your life in some way.