When school is out for summer, many summer blockbuster movies are released. The last few years, there have been a number of films released based on books. Book-to-film adaptations provide great ways for children to explore their favorite books in new ways. Here are some resources from NCTE and ReadWriteThink.org that can be used in anticipation of viewing the movie version of a favorite book.
In “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.
Students compare and analyze novels and the movies adapted from them in “Cover to Cover: Comparing Books to Movies“. They design new DVD covers and a related insert for the movies, reflecting their response to the movie version.
In “You Know the Movie is Coming—Now What?” students read a literary text with the eye of a director, selecting scenes from the text and putting a cinematic spin on them.
“From Text to Film: Exploring Classic Literature Adaptations” invites students to create storyboards to compare and contrast a book and its film adaptation.
In “Reading in the Dark: Using Film as a Tool in the English Classroom” the author makes direct links between film and literary study by addressing reading strategies (e.g., predicting, responding, questioning, and storyboarding) and key aspects of textual analysis.
Interested in more? Check out Teaching With Film in the English Classroom from NCTE!