Collection Use: Learning: Books and Movies in the Classroom

From Harry Potter to Lord of the Rings, there are dozens of books that have been made into movies. Whether it's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory versus the Willy Wonka movie or the merits of Clint Eastwood as the lead in The Bridges of Madison County, everyone has an opinion about which is better.

Tuck Everlasting is a recent feature film based on a best-seller children's book. Many of these movies have companion websites with resources for teachers. For example, check out the Tuck Everlasting teacherguide at SCORE, Tuck Everlasting -- an integrated arts lesson plan, and the "Tuck Everlasting" by Natalie Babbitt from eMints.

Lord of the Rings is another recent movie based on a book series. You can explore their movie website or one of the many online lesson plans at Lord of the Rings - Character & Society.

Many teachers have created materials to connect books and movies. Check out the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory from TeacherVision and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" pages!

Have some fun! Brainstorm all the book-movie combinations you've read and seen. Are they movies for kids or adults? Which were better, the books or the movies?
What book do you think should be made into a movie? Who would you cast as the lead actors? Who should direct? Where should it be filmed?
Read a book, then watch the movie on the same story. Ideas are provided at the bottom of this page.
Do you have a general opinion about books made into movies or movies made into books? If not, what are your specific experiences?

Book-Movie Combinations

Many of the book-movie combinations you hear about are feature films like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. Others are created for television such as Sarah Plain and Tall and Lonesome Dove. However, some educational publishers specialize in movies based on books such as Space Case based on the book by Edward Marshall by Weston Woods and Scholastic. My Louisiana Sky is based on Kimberly Willis Holt's novel. The movie has won a series of awards including an Emmy and Carnegie Medal.

Many books have been made into movies a number of times. For example, there's a 1973 and a 1995 version of From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.

In addition to movies based on novels, you'll also find films from comic books, fairy tales, and short stories. For example, Batman, X-Men, and Spiderman are three popular examples of movies based on comic books. Stephen King is famous for turning short stories into movies. A personal favorite is Stand By Me.

Are you looking for a good book - movie combination? Use the following links for ideas:

• Books Made Into Movies from the Edmonton Public Library
• Books Made Into TV Series from the Edmonton Public Library
• From Books to Movies - Books made into movies from Arrowhead Library System and Hedberg Public Library, Janesville, WI
• Movies And Television Based on Children's Books from The Children's Literature Web Guide
• Teach With Movies is a subscription-based website offering study guides for use with books and movies. There are sample lessons available that do not involve a fee.

Below you'll find a list of some book-movie combinations for different ages. If you're looking for lessons based on these book/movies, go to Google and do a search for the title and add the word lesson or webquest such as Jumanji lesson.

Children

• Alice in Wonderland
• Around the World in 80 Days
• Babar
• Berenstain Bears Classics
• Black Beauty
• The Borrowers
• The Black Stallion
• Charlotte's Web
• Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
• A Christmas Carol
• Doctor Dolittle
• Frog and Toad Are Friends
• From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
• George and Martha Classics
• Harry Potter Series
• Hoot
• Horton Hears a Who
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas
• How to Eat Fried Worms
• The Hobbit
• Jumanji
• Leo Lionni Classics
• Madeline Classics
• Matilda
• Linnea in Monet's Garden
• Molly's Pilgrim
• National Velvet
• Pinocchio
• Sarah, Plain and Tall
• Secret Garden
• Secret of NIMH
• Stuart Little
• Tarzan
• Trumpet of the Swan
• Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
• Wind in the Willows
• Winnie the Pooh
• Wizard of Oz
  

Children and Teens

• Anne Frank
• Anne of Green Gables
• Chronicles of Narnia - Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe
• Huckleberry Finn
• James and the Giant Peach
• Little Women
• Lord of the Rings Trilogy
• The Princess Bride
• Time Machine
• Tuck Everlasting
• Watership Down
  

Teens and Adults

• A Separate Peace
• All the President's Men
• Apollo 13
• A River Runs through It
• Cannery Row
• The Chocolate War
• Contact
• The Education of Little Tree
• Gone with the Wind
• Grapes of Wrath
• Great Expectations
• I Am the Cheese
• Lord of the Flies
• Much Ado About Nothing
• The Natural
• October Sky
• Of Mice and Men
• The Outsiders
• Pride and Prejudice
• Romeo and Juliet
• Rumble Fish
• To Kill a Mockingbird
• The Scarlet Letter
• Sense and Sensibility
• Stand By Me
  
  

Read the following off-site articles:

• Copeland, M., & Goering, C. (2003, February). Blues You Can Use:Teaching the Faust Theme Through Music, Literature, and Film. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 46(5).
• FILM and the Young Adult Novel by Harold Foster (The ALAN Review, 21(3), Spring 1994).
• Teaching Tomorrow's CLASSICS by Mary Ann Tighe and Charles Avinger (The ALAN Review, 21(3), Spring 1994).

Explore lesson plans at Get the Reel Scoop: Comparing Books to Movies at Read-Write-Think. These lessons are designed to help students compare and contrast different forms of media by examining books and their movie counterparts. Useful information includes book lists for grades 3-5 and 6-8, forms to help the comparison/contrast process, and a resource bibliography.

Some educators and publishers have created viewing guides to accompany films. Evaluate the following guides. What kinds of things do you look for in a good film guide for viewers?

• A Novel Look At Film: Of Mice And Men (524k PDF), a scrren literacy guide for viewers developed by the American Film Institute.
• Film Study Guide for To Kill A Mockingbird: Seeing the Film through the Lens of Media Literacy by Frank Baker
• Of Mice and Men: A Viewing Guide
  

Learn about American Film Institute's Screen Education Center designed to help teachers help students use the tools of filmmaking to master core curriculum subjects, from literature to math and science. Don't miss the article They've Read The Book; Now They're Making The Movie.

Design an interdisciplinary unit that explores a book-movie combination. Be sure to focus on a number of standards that cross subjects.

Or, start a book/movie club in your library. Create a series of activities for a book/movie club that focus on making comparisons between the two medium.

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