Persepolis and graphic novels in the classroom

Since Josh gave such a lovely summary of Persepolis, I don't feel the need to belabor it too much. The first item that came to mind when I read the introduction was, "Gino (the history teacher on my team at school) would LOVE this book!" My students study ancient cultures in 7th grade and they focus on the seven themes of culture and various cultures, like the Persians, that existed in the Ancient World. The graphics of tyranny on page 11 cracked me up since I collaborate several essays with history class and read all about these cultures. This novel brought a new perspective to me as a teacher! Although not all of the graphics are appropriate for middle school, I'd love to pick and choose some of them to accompany English/history essays.

We've already spent a good amount of time dissecting the graphic novel and its purpose in the classroom, so I want to spend some time writing about the article. I marked down a few items as I read:
1. "We were intrigued by the status of graphic novels among adolescents" (19). Me too! That's all that I had next to that one. =)
2. "When we attempted to strike up conversations about these works, students seemed reluctant to discuss them, perhaps because it would disclose a literary form belonging to their generation" (19). I was pleased that the teachers had taken notice of student interests, which is really half the battle anyway.
3. "We did not discuss the ending, which was left up to the imaginations of the student writers" (20). This is extended thinking, which is what Anne and I both found we missed in reading graphic novels where the ending is provided.
4. "When we noticed that students overused the word said in their dialogues, we present a lesson called Said is Dead..." (21). LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this idea and I feel the need to email the authors of the article to get a copy of this lesson! I bet they send it to me, too.
5. I starred the box on page 22 titled Graphic Novels and Picture Books Used As Writing Prompts because my students complete daily writing prompts and offering them a scene or picture to write about would be a great change of pace for them. Same skill with a twist of variety.
6. Student excerpts reminded me of something I've used as a filler activity titled "Pass Back Stories." I give a certain amount of time and a prompt to begin with. Students write for a few minutes, then stop mid-sentence and pass their stories to another person. Students keep adding to the various stories until they receive their own back again. This sort of "free writing" activity goes over really well with middle school, provided that I remind them that there are boundaries in their writing, for example, killing off a friend for laughs is not acceptable. *sigh*
7. The culminating activity of the picture book on page 23 is similar to the culminating activity we're doing now - my students analyze literary elements and devices in children's picture books, and finish with a culminator where they create their own. I loved the idea of snapping a photo of the author and including an "About the Author" page - I may try this next week.
8. "The use of these forms of popular culture and media afforded us a space to provide students with instruction on the craft and mechanics of writing" (24). Student interest + modeling + hands-on activity + clear expectations = RESULTS! Go figure...