“I don’t really want to draw younger me, very specifically. Maybe I can be like a shadow figure.”
9th Grade writers, readers, and thinkers began their final project for the fifth unit of World Lit, addressing central themes of resistance and rebellion through a study of memoir. Last week, they read Persepolis (Marjane Satrapi), a graphic memoir with the Iranian Revolution as its backdrop. Shared thematic units across World History and World Lit enabled students to develop their understanding of the historical events portrayed and bring rich context to their analysis of Satrapi’s craft. In addition to short, creative exercises designed to hone their “small moment” writing, students learned about voice and irony using mentor texts.
Maybe I can be like a shadow figure.
For their final project, they will create a mini-memoir of an event from their lives and then write an artist’s statement reflecting on their own craft, citing evidence and analyzing its purpose and impact. This week, students selected a memory or series of events from their own lives, as well as the media through which they will evoke the memory. They storyboarded, using various digital and physical tools to begin assembling their visual memoir, from family photos, to digital and hand-drawing, to AI image generators.
Next week, they’ll share their final product and their analysis of their work, demonstrating proficiency in competencies like, “I can support and explain my ideas with persuasive evidence, relevant contextual detail, and logical commentary.” And, “I can use storytelling techniques to craft and develop narratives that convey the significance of real or imagined experiences.” Using what they’ve learned so far about point of view, conflict, character, and imagery, students are poised to tell a powerful story about themselves.