CHILDREN OF HEAVENLife in Iran is quite different from life in America. However, no matter how different a culture is, it always shares characteristics with other cultures because of their common humanity.

General Information on IranWikipediahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IranWorld Fact Bookhttp://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ir.htmlIranian Cultural Information Centerhttp://tehran.stanford.edu/

Use the Scavenger Hunt questions as a group activity.

READING STRATEGIES

Vocabulary - as the film is shown keep a word wall or bank of descriptive words suggested by what is seen in the filmJournaling – Students can record their thoughts and predictions on the film in journals. The film can be paused at significant junctures. Try not to do this in the first viewing as it is important that viewers are allowed to get into the film uninterrupted. Character Tracker – Students can choose a character to follow and create a timeline of actions by that character.Character and Plot maps – Use graphic organizers to chart personality traits of a main character.Narrative Literary Outline – Use attached format to have students analyze the film as they would literature. It is best if the NLO format has been used with short stories previously.Text to Self ConnectionsSCENE/EVENT:THIS REMINDS ME OFDescribe or Draw a SceneChoose a scene or event that you have a strong image of in your mind. Draw it or describe it and try to explain why this made an impression on you.

© HELLEN HARVEY 2006

AFTER THE FIRST VIEWING ACTIVITIES (FIRST 1/2 HOUR)Answers may written in journals.

Describe Ali and Zahra’s homelife.How is your life at home and school similar and different from Ali and Zahra’ life?

YOUR LIFE ALI AND ZAHRA’S LIFE

SIMILAR

© HELLEN HARVEY 2006

CHILDREN OF HEAVENA STORY FROM IRAN ABOUT FAMILY AND CHILDREN.

THEMES;FAMILY VALUESWORKING CLASS VALUESLIFE IN IRANMULTICULTURALISM

SUITABLE FOR GR. 5-12 (use of the words hell and damn)

CAST OF CHARACTERSMohammad Amir Najii Ali's Father (as Amir Naji)Amir Farrokh Hashemian Ali (as Mir Farrokh Hashemian)Bahare Seddiqi ZahraNafise Jafar-Mohammadi RoyaFereshte Sarabandi Ali's MotherDariush Mokhtari Ali's Teacher

Mohammad-Hasan Hosseinian Roya's FatherMasume Dair Roya's MotherKazem Asqarpoo Grand Father

Seyd-Ali Hosseini Ali's Friend

Majid Majidi celebrates the immediacy and essence of childhood in this delightful tale of a brother and sister who share a pair of shoes when the boy (though no fault of his own) loses his sister's only pair. Since their parents are too poor to afford a new pair, they keep it a secret, trading them off every day in a mad rush, jumping gutters and navigating the twisting lanes to their schools and back. Then the boy hatches a plan: the third-place prize in a student footrace is a new pair of shoes, and he's determined to take it. The plot may smack of a Disney film, but the direction couldn't be more different. The family scenes are delicately observed, and Majidi captures the spirit of the children perfectly: proud, emotional, petulant, sweet, and disarmingly sincere. The film has a Western-friendly framework without losing the naturalistic eye and lolling rhythm that gives the best Iranian films their richness. Even as he builds to the climactic footrace (quite unexpectedly turned into a nail-biting contest) the film continues to reveal a wealth of discreet surprises, culminating in a conclusion all the more resonant for its sublime delicacy. His efforts earned the film the honor of becoming the first Iranian feature to earn an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Film. --Sean Axmaker Amazon.com

More information on the film at Internetmoviedatabase.com© HELLEN HARVEY 2006

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. Describe how Ali loses his sister’s shoes.2. Why don’t Ali and Zahra tell their parents about the shoes?3. Why is Ali afraid to tell his father he lost the shoes?4. Describe the children’s home.5. What is Ali’s father chopping?6. Why is he angry?7. Describe the plan the children come up with, until the shoes can be found?8. Who has Zahra’s shoes?9. What happens when Ali and Zahra go to get the shoes?10. What does Ali’s father get at the mosque while serving tea?11. Describe the change in setting when Ali and his father go through the city?12. Why are there guard dogs, gates and intercoms in this part of town?13. Compare Ali’s life to that of the little boy.14. What are the father’s dreams for his new-found money?15. How do you know that Ali and Zahra’s parents love them?16. Why aren’t Ali’s parents there to see the race?17. What is ironic about Ali’s win?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONSHow are males treated differently than females?Is the poverty of Ali’s family different from the poor in America?What is the significance of goldfish in Iran?

© HELLEN HARVEY 2006

RELATED LITERATURE

Beastby Donna Jo Napoli, Rafal Olbinski

Persia's Brightest Star: The Diary of Queen Esther's Attendant (Promised Land Diaries)by Anne Adams,

Celebrating Norouz (Persian New Year)by Yassaman Jalali

The Seven Wise Princesses: A Medieval Persian Epicby Wafa Tarnowska, et al

Secret of the Seventh Gateby Hazel Spire

KiterunnerKhaled Hosseini

Funny in FarsiFiroozeh Dumas

Persepolis : The Story of a Childhood -- by Marjane Satrapi Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return -- by Marjane Satrapi

Related Films

The Day I Became a Woman

© HELLEN HARVEY 2006

IRAN SCAVENGER HUNT QUESTIONS

1. What countries surround Iran?___________________________________________________

2. What is the capital of Iran? ___________________________________

3. What was Iran originally called? _________________________

4. Who is the leader of Iran today? _________________________________________________

5. What was his political party?_______________________________________

6. Who is the religious leader of Iran? _____________________________

7. What is today’s population of Iran? _____________________________________________

8. What religions are practiced in Iran? ______________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

9. What is the official language of Iran? _____________________________________________

10. What is the national motto? _____________________________________________________

11. What is the importance of goldfish in Iran? __________________________________

12. Draw the Iranian flag and explain the significance of the colors and symbols.

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

© HELLEN HARVEY 2006

13. What is the Iranian currency?___________________________________________________

14. What is its value against the American dollar?___________________________________

15. What is the Iranian national debt? ____________

16. What is the U.S. national debt? __________

17. What are Iran’s natural resources? ________________________________________

18. What was Iran’s ancient name? ______________________________________________

19. What are the natural hazards in Iran? ________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________

© HELLEN HARVEY 2006

MAP OF IRANOn this map locate the capital of Tehran, , the countries that surround Iraq, other major cities and waterways.

© HELLEN HARVEY 2006