From Text to Film: Exploring Classic Literature Adaptations

Lesson Plans

Professional Library

 

LESSON PLANS

Grades   10 – 12  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Life is Beautiful: Teaching the Holocaust through Film with Complementary Texts

After students have read a book about the Holocaust, such as The Diary of Anne Frank or Night by Elie Wiesel, students will view Life is Beautiful and complete discussion questions to challenge their ability to analyze literature using film.

 

Grades   9 – 12  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Comparing a Literary Work to Its Film Interpretation

Students will really get into the swing of things as they analyze the text and film versions of Edgar Allan Poe’s story, “The Pit and the Pendulum.”

 

Grades   6 – 8  |  Lesson Plan  |  Unit

3-2-1 Vocabulary: Learning Filmmaking Vocabulary by Making Films

Bring the vocabulary of film to life through the processes of filmmaking. Students learn terminology and techniques simultaneously as they plan, film, and edit a short video.

 

Grades   6 – 8  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Literature Circle Roles Reframed: Reading as a Film Crew

Capture students’ enthusiasm for film and transfer it to reading and literature by substituting film production roles for the traditional literature circle roles.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Writing a Movie: Summarizing and Rereading a Film Script

Lights! Camera! Action! In this lesson, students view a scene with no dialogue from E.T., write a script for that scene, and perform a dramatic reading while the scene plays.

 

Grades   9 – 12  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

There Are No Small Parts: Minor Characters in David Copperfield

This lesson capitalizes on students’ interest in social networking by asking students to build an online profile for a minor character in Charles Dickens' David Copperfield.

 

Grades   9 – 12  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Storyboarding the Transformation from Dr. Jekyll into Mr. Hyde

Students imagine and storyboard their own vision of the transformation of Dr. Jekyll into Mr. Hyde and then evaluate movie portrayals.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Lesson Plan

Get the Reel Scoop: Comparing Books to Movies

Students compare a book to its film adaptation, and then perform readers theater of a scene from the book that they feel was not well represented in the movie version.

 

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PROFESSIONAL LIBRARY

Professional Library  |  Journal

Let's Go to the Movies: Rethinking the Role of Film in the Elementary Classroom

Argues that elementary language-arts teachers should expand their definition of "text" to include film, a valuable instructional material. Notes that today's elementary students come to class with a great deal of knowledge about films--prior experiences which teachers can tap into. Discusses the application to film of reader-response theories.

 

Grades   9 – 12  |  Professional Library  |  Book

Reading in the Dark: Using Film as a Tool in the English Classroom

In this practical guide, John Golden makes direct links between film and literary study by addressing reading strategies (e.g., predicting, responding, questioning) and key aspects of textual analysis.

 

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