Adaptation: Literature, Film and Society

Classroom Activities

Think-Pair-Share Activity

Before introducing the Think-Pair-Share strategy to the students, I decide on a critical question for my lesson. In this lesson the adaptation of film from a literary text is the focus. The essential question and additional questions will help target fundamental concepts that your students have been studying. For example, write and share with students the question: How does adaptation from the film change the outcome and how does it make connections to the text? Next, describe the strategy and purpose with the students, and provide steps for discussions. Explain to students they will (1) think about a topic or answer to a question, (2) pair with a partner and discuss the problem or subject, and (3) share ideas with the whole class. Then I model the step to make sure my students understand how to use the strategy. Give students time to ask questions so that they can conduct the questioning activity. Once my students follow my expectations for using the procedure, I will monitor and support students as they go through the steps below.  Teachers may also ask students to write or diagram their responses while doing the Think-Pair-Share activity. Think:  I begin by asking a higher-level question about the text or film students will be discussing. Students need to "think" about what they know or have learned about the topic for a given amount of time (about 1-2 minutes).

Pair:  One student will be paired with another student. I may choose or assign pairs, or let students pick their partner.  Be cognizant of student needs and skills in reading, attention, language, and behavior when pairing them.  Students share their thoughts about the question with their partner, discuss ideas, and then ask questions to their partner about their views on the topic (2-5 minutes).

Share:  Once partners have sufficient time to share their thoughts and have a discussion, I open the debate to the whole class. This allows each partner to present their thoughts, ideas, and questions they had to the class.  After the "share," I have pairs share again to talk about how their thinking changed while listening to other partners.

Characterization Activity

Characterization is an activity students will generate on a graphic organizer, focusing on one or two characters in literature and a film. Students will need to analyze the personality of characters directly or indirectly and closely. They will need to think carefully about characterization to make connections to the role of an actual human. They begin at the primary level to the critical level.

Process Grid Activity

Students fold a blank sheet, then draw a line horizontally and vertically to create boxes for the process grid. The labels are across the top and down the side of the network.  The students brainstorm, discuss and share information they have learned. After coming to a consensus, students begin to fill in the boxes, writing in the correct knowledge gained from the previous lesson taught. Afterwards, this activity is extended to writing an expository paragraph.