Books to Film
Many children’s books have been made (and remade) into feature films. Students can strengthen visual and media literacy skills by examining the ways that literature in print differs from what is seen on screen.
In this project, my 5th grade students select a book to read that has been made into a feature film. We spend some time discussing how to “read” a movie and learn a little bit about film language first. In class, I use a picture book, Chris Van Allsburg's Jumanji, as a shared text because it short and engaging. We discuss the book before watching clips from the film, Jumanji. This helps us practice the process of comparing a literary work to its film version.
Then, after reading the book they selected and taking notes, students watch the film based on that book at home and also take some notes. In class, they write an essay comparing the two and tried to answer the following questions:
In their writing, I wanted them to focus on more than whether a movie is “good” or “bad” or even how accurate it is to the book, but rather, practice looking at film as it's own “text” and think about how film-makers' choices change the message of the story for readers and viewers.
Here are some of the project resources:
In this project, my 5th grade students select a book to read that has been made into a feature film. We spend some time discussing how to “read” a movie and learn a little bit about film language first. In class, I use a picture book, Chris Van Allsburg's Jumanji, as a shared text because it short and engaging. We discuss the book before watching clips from the film, Jumanji. This helps us practice the process of comparing a literary work to its film version.
Then, after reading the book they selected and taking notes, students watch the film based on that book at home and also take some notes. In class, they write an essay comparing the two and tried to answer the following questions:
- How are the book and film similar or different?
- How are camera shots, sound, and other effects used to help tell the story?
- Do you think the film is “faithful” to the original book? Does the story have the same meaning or focus?
In their writing, I wanted them to focus on more than whether a movie is “good” or “bad” or even how accurate it is to the book, but rather, practice looking at film as it's own “text” and think about how film-makers' choices change the message of the story for readers and viewers.
Here are some of the project resources:
ABCCharlotte's Web
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DDiary of a Wimpy Kid
HHarry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone
How to Train Your Dragon
The Hunger Games
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RGuardians of Childhood/Rise of the Guardians
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