From Text to Film: Exploring Classic Literature Adaptations

Overview

Featured Resources

From Theory to Practice

 

OVERVIEW

While students read a novel, they imagine the characters, setting, and action taking place.  This lesson allows students to use their imaginations in the form of a storyboard.  Students first read a book that has a complementary film adaptation.  They then learn about adaptation by writing short paragraphs and adapting them for film using storyboards. Once they have evaluated the adaptations, the students will create their visions of the books and compare them to the film.

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FEATURED RESOURCES

• Film in the Classroom: A Guide For Teachers: This printable guide for teachers discusses 25 Masterpiece films and offers fresh ideas and innovative activities for teaching film in today’s digital environment.
• Venn Diagram: Students use this graphic organizer to describe similarities and differences between objects or ideas.

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FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE

Students often find the visual nature of film more accessible than works in print. When film and literature are used together in the classroom, students can transfer techniques from active viewing (which often comes more naturally) to their experience with reading literature. This transfer can enhance their skills as active readers and enable them to respond to a variety of media with more depth.

Further Reading

Golden, John. 2001. Reading in the Dark: Using Film as a Tool in the English Classroom. Urbana, IL: NCTE.

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