Lesson Title: Adaptation: Book to Movie Lesson # Date:

Name: Aaron Livingstone Subject ELA Grade(s): 10/11/12

Rationale

Barriers among genres and media are crumbling in our post-modern culture. Stories are rarely contained to one
medium, and often span several in different iterations. All media have strengths and weaknesses, and by
examining similar stories across media we can learn more about form and its contribution to the overall
aesthetics and meaning of a text.
Also, as a strategy for getting kids to read, it is helpful to drive home the inherent strengths of prose literature as
a medium (embodied in the common sentiment that the book is always better than the movie).
This lesson will open the unit of adaptation by looking at how texts change as they pass from one medium to
another, and give them some experience with this process.

Curriculum Connections

Big Ideas
Texts are socially, culturally, geographically, and historically constructed.

Curricular Competency
Recognize and understand how different forms, formats, structures, and features of texts enhance and shape
meaning and impact
Experiment with genres, forms, or styles of creative and communicative texts

Content
Students are expected to know the following:
A variety of text forms and genres
reading strategies
metacognitive strategies

Core Competency
critical thinking: students must compare and contrast various genre and media, identify elements of story, and
evaluate genre for strengths and weaknesses.

Learning Intentions Activity Assessment

Students will recognize that an Analysis of various book-to-screen
adaptation is not the same as the adaptations Class discussion
original: that something is always
gained and lost

These gains and losses depend on Analysis of various book-to-screen

the skills and preferences of the adaptations Class discussion
director, as well as the strengths
and weaknesses of the genre

Adaptation of texts across genres Main activity: Students Adaptation Completion marks
requires tough creative decisions
and attention to detail

Prerequisite Concepts and Skill

It helps to have familiarity with screenplay composition (directions and notations)
a knowledge of genre will enhance the discussion, as will familiarity with setting, atmosphere, mood, and
character.
Materials and Resources with References/Sources

For Teacher For Students

Adaptation (2002) by Spike Jonze (available on Paper/pens
Netflix at time of lesson creation)
Room to work in groups boisterously
The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean (first five pages,
found below) x 30 students

The Maltese Falcon by Dasheill Hammett

(chapter: The Fat Man, found below) x 30 students

The Maltese Falcon (1941, dir. John Huston)

Differentiated Instruction (DI)

If students take to this lesson, then it will pretty much run itself. The idea is that by the time they get to the
main activity they have a pretty good idea what it means to adapt something, and want to do either a very
accurate, or a very creative job of it. Either is fine. If they arent loving it, then perhaps the main activity
could be spared until after the Adaptation from Play to Movie lesson, at which time they will have the
option of making a play out of a movie.
Lots of latitude should be given to kids who want to pursue something different. If they want to make a
sitcom or a horror out of Maltese falcon, great! All that is required is a change in either form or content.
If the teacher thinks it necessary, the concepts of atmosphere, mood, and setting should be reviewed.
There is some slack time in both classes for this.
This lesson is flexible. If group discussions will be better than class discussion, go that way. If a free write
at the end of each viewing is appropriate, that will work as well. A worksheet could be provided on the first
(or any) of the scenes to provide a template for students textual analysis.
A text for the Students adaptation can be provided (this can be the teachers reading selection in the
second class, in which case the movie version, if there is one, should not be shown) or they can be given
a choice of text, or free reign. Advanced notice should be given so they can bring in their book of choice. It
will be easier for the teacher to provide advice if all students are working from the same text, but advice
should be minimal in any case.

Organizational/Management Strategies
This lesson clips along at a good pace, so class management shouldnt be an issue. The only time kids could get
off task is during work on the main activity. Ideally, there will be spare rooms for the students to work in, and the
teacher would be circulating from group to group, giving advice and asking questions. If there isnt room to
spread out, remind students if necessary that their peers need a reasonable noise level in which to work.

Lesson Activities

Teacher Activities Student Activities pacing

Introduction Introduction
Introduce the unit, a brief outline, and that 5
todays class will be focused on books that
have been adapted into movies

Ask for some volunteer readers (or pick them

as reading progresses) Group read the beginning of The Orchid 10
Thief by Susan Orlean (found below)
Show the first 10 minutes of the film
Adaptation (2002) by Spike Jonze
 Discuss the beginning of the film as it relates
to the beginning of the book. What is different
(genre/format)? What stays the same? Is this 15
a normal adaptation of a book to a movie?

Get into pairs: discuss and take notes

About how many books have you read?
About how many movies have you seen?
What are some books you have read that
have been adapted? (Harry Potter, Hunger
Games, etc.)
Which is better, the film or the book? Why? 15
Report back on your partners answers

Body Body
Give a brief introduction and synopsis of The
Maltese Falcon by Dasheill Hammett
Group read (as before) The Maltese Falcon 15
(chapter: The Fat Man)

Discuss the chapter as a class:

Describe the setting of the scene, the
characters (realistic?), the mood, and the 10
Make notes on the board: create an overall atmosphere. Do we like this scene?
description of the scene

Show clip of the Movie adaptation of The Discuss the clip as a class: 10
Maltese Falcon (1941, dir. John Huston). Setting, characters, mood, atmosphere.
Which do we like better, or is it too similar to class
choose? What is gained in adaptation: what end
is the point?

Introduction Introduction

Opener: what did we like about last class? 5

Was it easier to respond to (or describe) a
book, or a film? Why?

Hand out an excerpt of a scene from one of

the books listed above, or any other book that Group read
has been adapted to a movie

Now show the film clip

Discuss the scene as a class: 25
Describe the setting of the scene, the
characters (realistic?), the mood, and the
atmosphere. Do we like this scene?

Now its your turn: instruct students to make

their own story board or screenplay about the Can work in groups, pairs, or alone to create
scene. their own adaptation of a book to visual 40
medium

Students can share their work so far. Time

will be given later to finish this off. until
 end of
class

Important note: all written work in this unit

should be collected and saved. It will be
handed back near the end of the unit to
help students prepare for the unit exam.

Cross Curricular opportunities:

This comes later.

The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean

2 3
4 5