A powerful, high-interest teaching unit for They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, designed for Year 9–10 English classrooms. This resource uses a compelling graphic memoir to build advanced skills in comprehension, visual literacy, and critical analysis while engaging students with a significant historical context.

Through structured lessons and interactive activities, students explore how images and words work together to shape meaning, while developing confidence in discussion, interpretation, and analytical writing.

What’s included
A full teaching unit with clearly sequenced lessons
Theme analysis (identity, injustice, racism, resilience, belonging, power)
Character analysis (George, his family, authority figures and broader community)
Graphic novel conventions (panels, gutters, framing, vectors, salience, colour, symbolism)
Language features and techniques (dialogue, narration, tone, visual symbolism)
Context exploration (Japanese American incarceration, civil rights, historical perspective)
A dedicated student study guide on how to analyse a graphic novel (step-by-step support for visual and written analysis)
Kineasthetic learning activities
Discussion questions and comprehension checks
Writing scaffolds for analytical paragraphs and extended responses

How to Use
Convert to PowerPoint: Upload the PDF to PowerPoint (File → Open) to automatically convert into editable slides
Use in Google Slides: Upload to Google Drive, right-click, and open with Google Slides
Use digitally or print: Upload to your LMS (Google Classroom, Canvas, etc.) or print for handouts
Canva option: Upload the PDF to Canva to edit, customise, and export as PowerPoint