Books to Movies

A WebQuest for 6th Grade Silent Reading

Designed by

Emer Geraghty
egeraghty@albany.k12.ny.us 


books>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>camera

Introduction | Task | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion | Credits

Lesson Plan | Table of Contents

Introduction

Have you seen The Wizard of Oz or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or Holes?  Well, one thing they have in common is that they were popular books before they became popular movies .  Now you are going to get a chance to pitch an idea to a famous Hollywood producer.  You'll choose a book, edit the storyline and choose actors to play the major roles.  You'll pull it all together in a Power Point presentation for the big meeting.  Are you ready for your chance at fame and fortune?

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The Task

Task #1: First you'll need to choose a book.  Make sure it hasn't been made into a movie already--you don't need the competition!  You'll want to choose a book you really like because you'll be spending  a lot of time with it.

Task #2: Next you'll need to take a good, hard look at the storyline and characters.  Who absolutely HAS to be in the movie and who can be cut?  Are there parts of the storyline that would take too long to show or are not as important to the overall story?  Keep in mind that very few books end up on the screen exactly as they are written.  Get prepared to edit!  This will be submitted as a Word document which you will review with both a peer and an adult to help you prepare your Power Point slides.

Task #3: Who should star in Hollywood's next great movie?  You get to choose the actors, but be prepared to defend your choices.  You may reference previous work they have done or explain why they have the "look" that will make them great in the roles.  Search for appropriate photos of the actors to use in your Power Point.

Task#4: Create a Power Point presentation with a minimum of ten slides highlighting the strengths of  both the story and your casting choices.

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The Process

1. First you'll need to choose the book you'd like to work with.  Review your reading list,  then verify it hasn't already been  adapted to film at this Books to Movies website.

2. Now it's time to look at the book's characters and storyline.  Not everything can be included in the movie or it would be hours and hours long.  To help organize your thoughts about who/what stays and who/what goes, you'll need to fill in some interactive graphic oganizers.   To be safe, you should have a minimum of five graphic organizers,  but you will likely have more than a dozen.  Why?  Because it depends on how many characters are in your story and how many settings are described. You will create graphic organizers in the following areas: character, setting, conflict and resolution.  As you finish each organizer, print it out. 

3. Next, you'll meet with a peer or adult to review your graphic organizers.  You must find a peer who has NOT read your book.  The peer should review you maps to be sure that you were clear enough and descriptive enough to convey the skeleton of the story to someone who hasn't read it.  If you cannot find a peer who has not read your book, you will need to meet your instructor, Library Media Specialist or classroom aide to review your organizers. 

4. After getting some feedback it will now be your responsibility to create a general outline of the story with only the character and storylines you feel should be in the movie.  Remember to review your binder containing the analyses of other books-to-movies from class.  Submit this outline as a Word document.

5. Now comes the really fun part.  You need to decide who will star in your  Hollywood movie.  Be ready to explain to the producer why you chose each actor/actress.  Is it because he/she has done a similar role before?  Does he/she have the right "look?"  If you need to cast a young actor/actress, check out teensonline.com for bios and pictures.  If you need older actors or whoever is "hot" right now, check out moviestars.com or people.com. 

6.  It's time to pull it all together for your pitch to the Hollywood producer.  Create a PowerPoint presentation  with at least ten slides highlighting the storyline, characters and casting choices.  If you need help making your PowerPoint special, check out this tutorial.

7. Finally, practice in front the mirror, practice in front of your dog, practice with a classmate  what you will say to the producer as you present your PowerPoint.  You want to come across as friendly and confident.  Smile!  You're excited to do this project!



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Evaluation

Describe to the learners how their performance will be evaluated. Specify whether there will be a common grade for group work vs. individual grades.


Beginning

1

Developing

2

Accomplished

3

Exemplary

4

Score

 


 Graphic organizers

Major elements of book are missing and are not clearly described.
.Some characters, settings, conflict and resolution  are missing and/or  unclear.
Characters, settings, conflict and resolution  outlined.  Some descriptions unclear.
Characters, settings, conflict and resolution clearly outlined.

 

Story outline

 

Storyline and characters are  not edited appropriately for movie length.
Storyline and characters need significantly more editing
Storyline and characters need slightly more editing.
Storyline and number of characters are well-edited for  movie length.

 

Casting

 

 Several major characters not cast or defended.
Some characters not cast and/or not defended.
Most characters  cast and/or  defended.
All major characters cast and well-defended.

 

Power Point
Less than ten slides.  outline and rationale missing significant information.
Less than ten slides.  Outline and rationale incomplete.
Ten slides.  Well-written outline and rationale.
Ten or more slides.  Engagaing outline and rationale.

 

"Pitch"
Presentation is unclear and unrehearsed.
Presentation is somewhat unclear and appears to be unrehearsed..
Presentation is clear with some parts less rehearsed
Presentation is clear, well-rehearsed and presented confidently.

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Conclusion

Congratulations!  You have just acomplished what many adults find difficult.  In this webquest you pulled together many different talents to acheive a goal.  If you'd like to learn more about how books are made into movies, check out scriptologist.com.

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Credits & References

Many thanks to Sabrina Taylor-Johnson  and the ETAP 523 class who helped me believe I could create this for my students!

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Last updated on August 15, 1999. Based on a template from The WebQuest Page