Adaptation: Literature, Film and Society

Introduction

Tears rolled down my 10-year-old face.  My eyes were glued to the television screen.  A knobby, glowing finger touched Elliott on his forehead. “I’ll be right here.”  E.T.’s raspy words brought on the waterworks. This unlikely friendship between a lonely boy and a lost alien struck a chord with me.  A great film brings our humanity into focus, even when it features a strange creature from a distant planet.  In one of his final interviews, late film critic Roger Ebert spoke about the transformative power of film.

The purpose of civilization and growth is to be able to reach out and empathize a little bit with other people.  And for me, the movies are like a machine that generates empathy. It lets you understand a little bit more about different hopes, aspirations, dreams, and fears.¹

According to Dr. Jim Coan, associate professor of clinical psychology and director of the Virginia Affective Neuroscience Laboratory at the University of Virginia, we as filmgoers “immerse ourselves in the perspective of another person.  And in doing that, we start to subtly accrue those perspectives into our own universe...and that’s how empathy is generated.”²

Film is not alone in its capacity to create empathy.  Literature has long been a vehicle for messages of compassion, understanding, and friendship.  A 2014 study published in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology found that reading books that feature marginalized characters improves attitudes towards stigmatized groups.  Participants who read the Harry Potter series were more likely to express empathy towards immigrants, refugees and people in the LGBTQ community.³  Reading about fictional characters who face prejudice and attempt to find their place in the world helps us better understand the perspectives of others.

As a social studies teacher, I know the immense value of studying history and discussing the lessons we can learn from our collective past.  It’s also important to explore current events impacting our community, state, country and world.  By studying the past and exploring the present, students gain the knowledge needed to shape the future.  But education is more than just instilling knowledge.  Young people need emotional tools like empathy and acceptance to navigate our complex world.  With this unit, students will build their social and emotional intelligence through the study of disability, inclusion and identity.  They will build empathy along with analytical skills as they explore a film adaptation of a book that increases awareness of disability.

There is no better time to explore these topics than 5^th grade.  This year marks a turning point for many students.  They are beginning to explore their identities and place in the world.  Hormonal changes and evolving social dynamics can lead to feelings of awkwardness and lack of belonging.  Cliques are beginning to form, and those on the outside feel the sting of exclusion.  While this formation of a social hierarchy seems inevitable, there are ways to counteract it.  By exploring the spectrum of humanity and all the differences that make each of us unique, we can build a more inclusive community in which diversity is celebrated. 

My future 5^th graders were my students this past year, so I know them well. Forty-three are of Hispanic descent. Many of their parents and grandparents are immigrants from Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean.  One student arrived at our school last year as a refugee after Hurricane Maria ravaged his home in Puerto Rico. Several students are mixed race, 1 is African American, and 3 are Caucasian. The group is also very diverse when it comes to cognitive, behavioral and learning differences. Some students receive reading support from our resource teacher.  Several students are on the autism spectrum, some struggle with anxiety, and several students experience vocal and motor tics.  Many have attention and executive function deficits that impact their learning. They are a highly creative and curious group, and many enjoy expressing themselves through visual means. Their unique abilities, needs and talents inspired me to create this curriculum unit.