Kelly Hyvonen

Teaching the Language Arts

Unit Title - Novel/Movie Project

Prefatory Statement

Let's face it, students enjoy entertainment in many forms. They enjoy television, theater, movies, literature, magazines, and novels. They may enjoy all of these, a combination of these, or maybe even just one of these. As much as we hate to admit it as teachers of literature, all the materials listed promote learning in some way, shape, or form. It may be learning how to snag the man of your dreams (but hopefully as developing critical thinkers students can see through this), or seeing what Shakespeare looks like when adapted to television, or perhaps they've learned that reading a Dickens' novel really isn't too painful. The main issue here is that the students have learned something by using the materials available to them and have made the choice to do so. The choice to learn may not have been made consciously but the material was chosen by the student. Student choice in learning material is an important factor in education, it facilitates learning. After a long year in A.P. English it is time to let the students have some fun and choose their own material for their final unit. By letting them choose their own subject material I hope that they will take pride in it and want to prove that the subject they chose is one that is effective in a high school setting.

Throughout this unit, students will be comparing or contrasting a novel of their choice to a movie production of this same work of literature. All novels/movies must be O.K.'d with me before the project gets underway. All students are expected to choose different novels. The finished project will be a research paper with the finished results of what they learned in their piece of literature. Students will be involved in whole class activities that will sharpen their skills as research paper writers, smaller group activities that will allow them to discuss their specific subject matter, and partner work involving dialogue journals. They will communicate what they are learning to me through journal writing and writing exercises that will be assigned throughout the unit. Students will have the option to contract for an A, B, or a C. The contracts will be based on the amount of work the student decides to undertake and the quality (they know what is expected in my class) of the work turned in.

Class Specification

This unit is designed with high school students in mind. They are more developed when it comes to connecting visual material with material that they have read. The school in which this lesson will be assigned is in a larger school, in a medium sized town. The dynamics of this school are similar to those of East High School here in Duluth. The majority of the students come from middle to upper class families. College is in the future for the majority of these students as well.

Specifically, this unit will be assigned to a eleventh grade A.P. English class. The class contains twenty-seven students, two of which are Asian American, one who is African American. They may choose a piece of literature that is reflective of their culture, they may not, it is entirely up to them. The class has demonstrated an impressive understanding of the building blocks of studying literature and have performed superbly on performance tasks assigned throughout the year. This is an assignment that they will probably excel at as well as have fun with.

Significant Assumptions

- Students are interested in the arts, specifically, literature and the movies.

- Students are capable of doing work that is learned independently, explored through means of their own.

- Students are capable of comparing elements of literature such as plot, character traits, setting, resolution, etc. . . to those same elements in something that is visually represented.

- Students have a clear understanding of what I mean by quality work.

- Students have a clear understanding of guidelines during class discussions.

- Students have a clear understanding of what journal writing means and the way I go about assessment of journal writing (no grade assigned, I check for understanding).

- Students have a clear understanding of dialogue journals from prior usage.

- Students know how to organize a paper and if so choose, know how to prepare for a presentation

Desired Outcomes

- Students will be able to study a piece of written work and compare it with a visual representation.

- In making these comparisons students will be able to appreciate qualities that make reading a work unique.

- Students will also be able to appreciate qualities that make television/movies different forms of entertainment.

- Students will be able to see that when a movie is based on a novel often times the heart of what makes that story great can be lost.

- Students may realize that a movie is a fun form of entertainment but it narrows the use of imagination that they use when reading a novel.

- Students will learn to understand and appreciate what they read.

- Students will learn to engage in reflective thinking in their journal writing.

- Students will learn to think about and respond to written statements from a classmate.

- Students will learn to comprehend, interpret and evaluate information in fictional/non-fictional reading, viewing and listening selections.

- Students will be able to interpret and evaluate a performance. Analyze art works using the elements, principles, and styles of the art form.

Possible Whole Class Activities

- View a movie that the class has read as a whole, have a discussion about the differences between the film and the text.

- Brainstorming a list of books that students know are available in movie form

- Library class period to search for a novel that interests the students and that has a film adaptation.

- Library research for movie reviews.

- Guest speaker, grad student in film school.

- Class discussions dealing with concerns, questions, suggestions amongst classmates.

- Student/teacher discussion/lecture on the format of the paper assigned.

Possible Small Group Activities

- Small group discussions of individual reading material, sharing circle.

- Small group discussion highlighting the differences between elements of literature and the elements of film.

- Students participate in dialogue journal writing.

Possible Individual Activities

- Outlining the novel that has been chosen for reading in the unit

- Optional presentation to the class for the "A" contract

- Create a video box to accompany the description the student will create for the back of his/her video box.

- Write a letter assuming the role of the main character of the novel you chose describing your feelings at a particular point in the plot.

- Write a letter from the same point in the plot, this time using the movie, and describe your physical attributes

- Watch individually selected movie critically, taking notes to be used in forming paper.

Ongoing Activities

- Journal writing by the student to keep me up to date in their reading of the selected novel

- Dialogue journals to be worked on in class with a peer

- In class reading time which we have every Friday

Student Resources

- A novel of the students choice which does need to be approved by me. The novel needs to be available to the student for a period of at least five weeks.

- Journal/Notebook

- Library Access

- Access to a VCR or funds and transportation to see a movie at the local cinema. If this becomes a problem for any of the students they will be encouraged to see me and I will do whatever I can to help solve this problem.

- Handouts on contract grading guidelines, list of possible novels to use for the project, guidelines for the paper, guidelines for the video box presentation, and guidelines for the optional class presentation.

- Access to some form of a word processor

Unit Launch - Week 1/Days 1,2,&3

Objectives:

1. Students will be working with a novel that was previously studied in class in a different light.

They will begin viewing the novel rather than reading it. Films in my classroom are important and deserve the utmost attention, just like any other class activity.

2. Students will demonstrate to me that they are experienced journal writers who are familiar with my journal guidelines.

3. Students need to show enthusiasm for the project I am proposing otherwise we will all work out of the same text; I have a previous unit plan that I will use for a backup if the class doesn't seem to have a grasp on the novel/movie project.

4. Students will demonstrate that they can compare/contrast written word and film.

Methods: 50 minute class period

1. I will take a little time at the beginning of class to introduce the film The Last of the Mohicans. The students will be instructed to enjoy the movie but to pay close attention to all aspects of the movie. The students are already familiar with the storyline, they read the novel by James Fenimore Cooper earlier in the semester. (2 min.)

2. The viewing of the movie lasts two entire class period but I stop the movie a few minutes early to see if there are any question or comments from the class. (48 min.)

3. The viewing of the movie continues the following day with a quick recap of where we left off the previous day and with a few minutes left for questions at the end of the period. (50 min)

4. Finally, we reach the conclusion of the movie on the third day. (10 min)

5. Students are to journal for ten minutes on their reaction to the movie, likes/dislikes, they must include either two similarities or two differences between the movie and the novel, can include anything else they would like to consider for discussion. (10 min.)

6. The students are now given the floor for discussion.

A. They are encouraged to bring up one thing that they wrote down in their journal. I will ask for student volunteers by a showing of hands.

B. After someone shares their idea from their journal the other students are encouraged to respond, once again by raising their hands.

C. Hopefully, someone will bring up something that is comparable or that contrasts between what they had previously read and what they just watched. If this does not happen, I will lead the students into it through their discussion. (15 min)

7. I will then start explaining the assignment to the class. A handout will accompany my verbal instructions to clarify what is expected of the students. (10 min.)

8. The students will then journal feedback for me on whether they would like to do this project or if they would rather do a unit which requires all the students to do the same reading. Majority rules! (5 min)

Assessment: I will know if students have met the objectives by:

1. The quality of the ten minute journal that they turn in. Were the two aspects that they chose from the book and the movie significant or just minor details that have no real impact on the plot.

2. The level the discussion reaches; do students delve in and pick things in the novel and the movie apart; or do they merely converse as if they just left the local movie theater on a Saturday afternoon?

3. The responses I receive in the five minute journal. Do students find this idea fun, creative, exciting; or do they find it boring, tedious, and not worth their time? Their responses will tell.

The rest of Week 1

The students like the idea of the movie/novel project. Additional time is spent on going over directions for the paper. The second half of the hour on Thursday is spent in the library looking for the book that the project will be done on. If a book has already been selected it should be checked in with me and reading should begin. Friday is our class reading period, those students who do not yet have a book have permission to return to the library. Those students who have chosen their books are encouraged to read them but they may read other material if they choose to do so. All students should have a book ready to go by Monday and they will need to have checked if there is a movie version available.

Week 2

A big area of concentration for week two is reading! Fifteen minute periods will be set

aside every day, except Friday, in which the whole period is spent reading. This gives the students, who have not taken the time to read at home, a chance to get started. Other classroom activities and discussions will take place during class at this time. One of the activities during this week will be a review of a strong introductory paper and what makes it a strong paragraph. Another lecture/activity that I will have set up for the class is ways to go about organizing a paper. On Wednesday of the second week students will pick their own partners for dialogue journaling. They should be prepared to begin the exercise on Monday by having read at the very least half of their book, I will be on their case about this throughout the week. Friday their first journal entry is due. It should include a summary of what they have read so far, it doesn't have to be extremely detailed, I want their reaction to the plot, and a reaction to main characters. I realize that I will not have read all twenty-seven novels so the journals will be very important to me. The level of detail as we move along will be very important. As of week three I will be collecting journals every Tuesday and every Thursday. Ideally, I would like the student's novels read in their entirety by Friday of the third week.

Week 3

Begin dialogue journals with partner. This can be done in the form of passing notes or free writing by one student to be given to the other student to respond to after class. The letters should include the aspects of the plot, the characters, etc. . . that the students are finding interesting and crucial to the development of the novel. Dialogue journals will be done on Monday and Wednesday. They will be continued throughout the writing of the paper and will be checked on Fridays.

Day 3/Wednesday

Objectives:

1. Illustrate the main traits that our main character possess. Get the students to really explore the makings of their main characters because that will be something to draw from in the movie version.

2. Role play to promote creativity and class involvement.

3. Give the students an opportunity to participate in something active after all the reading and writing activities that they've been doing.

Methods: 50 minute class period

1. Have students journal for five minutes about the latest actions their main characters have been involved in. (5 min)

2. Set up a scenario for the class. For instance; "pretend that you are at a cocktail party. Assume the personality of your main character in the situation that you just described in your journal. Walk around and socialize with others assuming the role of your main character. I will walk around as your cocktail waitress to observe your interactions with others. After this we will sit in a circle and guess what emotion you were trying to portray." This can be done with different situations such as in a sports setting, or at an academic event. We will try two situations. Discussions will follow. (30 minutes)

3. Look back at what was written before the exercise, were people able to figure out what you were trying to portray? Do you think that you acted like your character would of in that situation? Take a few minutes to think about these questions. (5 min.)

4. Dialogue journal with your partner and reflect on the previous exercise and its advantages and disadvantages. (10 min.)

Assessment: I will know if my students have met my objective if:

1. I saw them trying to express an emotion at the cocktail party. Participation in general is a big key to this exercise.

2. The students got out of their seats and tried to interact with others at the party. If a certain student didn't it would come up in discussion if that was part of their characters attitude.

3. The students looked as if they were enjoying doing something other than a reading or writing assignment in class.

4. The dialogue journal explored why the exercise was done (advantages/disadvantages).

To complete the week we will do a whole class activity on outlining. The students will help me list different methods of outlining important information. We will use an example from a previous piece of literature that the entire class is familiar with. Some time will be spent on Thursday in small group discussions or sharing circles, which the class has done before. On Friday those who are already finished with their novels should start outlining the novel in a way that highlights characteristics that they want to look for in the movie. Those who haven't finished the reading work will have the class period to do so. By Monday the entire class should have finished reading the novel they chose. I will encourage those who have time to rent or go to their movie over the weekend. It may seem that I am pushing them but they have had a time frame for the project since it was assigned, they had two entire weeks to read the novel and see the video, they even had a few extra days if they chose their novel right away. The reading and viewing needs to get done to allow time for instruction on the paper, this will be stressed.

Week 3 Journal Questions:

Have you ever been in a position similar to any of the characters in your novel? Explain.

How is the title of your novel significant? Have you reached a point in the novel to determine that? If not has there been any foreshadowing, any clues?

Week 4

The beginning of the week will be spent working on the organization of the paper. Students have now completed the reading of the novel and the viewing of the video. On Monday we will spend time brainstorming different organizational ideas for the paper. Ideas include by comparing/contrasting character, plot, symbolism, and representation. Students may choose to focus in and concentrate specifically on one area or they can choose to look at a number of areas. Whether they choose to look at one particular area in depth or a number of aspects, they will need to back them up with specific text and descriptions of scenes from the movie. We work with body paragraphs in and out of class Monday through Wednesday, the out of class work due to the fact that parts of the film will need to be viewed again before they are written about. By the end of the class Wednesday I would like some rough sketches/drafts of the body paragraphs to switch between dialogue partners. They are to take them home and peer edit them and return them to their classmate on Thursday. I would then like them turned in for me to look at. Thursday, I will split the class into three groups of nine students. We will do book talks for half the class period with in these three groups. A conference with me, in which we will talk about the student's book, is needed to make up for this if a student is absent. On Thursday I will go over the video box assignment. It will be done the following Thursday and Friday. Students are to pretend that they have the career of an advertiser, their job is to advertise movies. They need to create the summary that appears on the back of the box in the video store. It should give an accurate representation of what the movie is about, at the same time it needs to sound fun and exciting. It needs to be convincing, after all, they want others to rent the movie. This fun filled piece of writing will be read aloud to the class, visual aids are an option for this activity in the "B" and "A" contracts. Students are encouraged to ask questions about one another's movies once the video description has been read. Rough drafts of an introductory paragraph and a closing paragraph will be due on Monday.

Day 5/ Friday

We will be skipping individual reading this Friday to accommodate the movie/novel project. As much as I hate skipping reading sessions I feel that is for a worthwhile cause.

Objectives:

1. Create a script for one of the scenes in the novel.

2. Break down the scene into different parts.

3. Rewrite the scene as you would like to have seen it done.

4. An option for the artistic members of the class would be to draw the scene clip by clip to show how they would have preferred to see the scene done.

Methods: 50 minute class period

1. Start the class with an example. I would explain to the students my extreme dislike for the ending of the movie In Love and War. I would give them a brief overview of the film which gives the viewer a glimpse into the life of Ernest Hemingway. I would explain to them how I would rewrite the script (and history) by having Ernest let down his pride and stubborn attitude so that he could be with the love of his life. (15 min.)

2. Have the students pick their least favorite scene from the movie they viewed, choose a partner, discuss what the least favorite scene was and why, take a few minutes within that time to write a brief overview of the scene. (10 min.)

3. Take the remaining fifteen minutes and rewrite the scene as you would like to see it done. If you would prefer to do so you may draw it out, just make sure you use boxes to show the cuts of action. The scene should be broken down into cuts or clips of action. These clips can occur with changes of setting, movements in the room, changes in mood/dialogue, or breaks in the action such as flashbacks. One element of dialogue, setting, or characters thoughts should be included. All three elements would be preferred. If more time is needed you may take the assignment and finish it outside of class. Creativity and the use of imagination strongly encouraged. Just think, how would you really like to see that least favorite scene changed?

Assessment: I will know that my students have learned if:

1. They turn in a rewritten scene that I can compare to their overview of the original scene. The rewrite should illustrate a noted difference from the original.

2. The rewritten scene should be broken down into clips or cuts as well following the

guidelines listed above for cuts/clips and the elements of dialogue, setting, or character thought.

3. Participated in the discussion with their partner and turned in a short description of their favorite scene.

Week 4 Journal Questions

Were scenes in the movie portrayed as you expected them to be? How? Why didn't they meet your expectations?

What did you find difficult in organizing your paper?

What did you struggle with in your body paragraphs?

Week 5

Body paragraphs returned on Monday with suggested revisions. Introductory paragraph

and closing paragraph peer edited and then turned in to the instructor. Class time to work on dialogue journals, paper revisions, journal entries, video description, and other loose ends that need to be tied up. Introductory paragraphs and closing paragraphs returned. Final copy of paper due Monday of the following week. On Wednesday those doing "A" and "B" projects will have some time to work on the two letters that they are required to turn in. Those not doing the letters will use the class time to write a letter to a family member, friend, etc. . . Thursday and Friday will be spent on the video presentations. "A" contract presentations will be made Monday and Tuesday of the following week.

Week 5 Journal Questions

What did you learn from this project?

If given the option again to do this project or an entire class project would you still choose the movie/novel option? Why or why not?

Guidelines for Journal

There will be two different sets of journal questions to be answered throughout the unit. The first set of journal questions include journal entries that ask you to write in class. These are to be taken seriously and responded to during the class period. These entries are often warmups to get you thinking and active. The journal entries also act as tools to get you to reflect on issues that often times are overlooked when you read. The journal entries that I have you write in class must be turned in by every member of this class. On the other hand, the journal questions that I have listed below for weeks three, four, and five, are optional. Only those doing "A" or "B" contracts must turn in the journal writings for weeks three, four, and five. I would encourage every student to participate in all the journal writings because they exist to help you out but I realize that everyone may not choose to do them. The choice is up to you.

Week Three Journal Questions :

*Have you ever been in a position similar to any of the characters in your novel? Explain.

*How is the title of your novel significant? Have you reached a point in the novel to determine that? If not has there been any foreshadowing? any clues?

Week Four Journal Questions:

*Were scenes in the movie portrayed as you expected them to be? How? If not, why didn't they meet your expectations?

*What did you find difficult in organizing your paper?

*What did you struggle with in your body paragraphs?

Week Five Journal Questions:

*What did you learn from this project?

*If given the option again to do this project or an entire class project would you still choose the movie/novel option?

Due Dates for Journals:

In class journals are due at the end of the class period in which they are assigned.

Weekly journal dates will vary so I will be giving you advanced notice of them in class.

Discussion Guidelines

I would like to give you a quick overview of my discussion guidelines. I'm well aware of the fact that we've been working with them the entire year but a quick reminder never hurts.

*RESPECT! RESPECT! RESPECT!

*No question is a "dumb" or "stupid" question.

*The more ideas we explore in a discussion, the more we get out of that discussion.

*Participation is a key to a successful discussion, but remember, only one speaker at a time! (unless otherwise specified)

*If we are involved in small group discussions or sharing circles bear in mind that I have

eyes in the back of my head! Please no horseplay, stay FOCUSED!

Guidelines for the Video Box Presentation

All students must come to class on the specified day (either Thursday or Friday of the fifth week) prepared to present the class your description of the movie you viewed for the unit. The description should be written in the same form as you would find on the back of a video in the video store. Feel free to research by checking out your video at the video store. Make your description fun and exciting, make us want to rent your movie! Sell us your movie, pretend that you write movie advertisements for a living! Have fun with this project. One thing I do ask of you, don't give away the ending. Sell us your movie by getting us interested and leaving us hanging, please don't give away your ending or your craziest twist in the plot. We don't want to know who done it! Be prepared to answer questions your classmates may have about your movie.

Guidelines for Video Box Presentation Visual Aid

This concerns those of you who are partaking in "A" or "B" projects. One of the requirements for students that have contracted for A's or B's is to come with a visual aid to present to the class when you are doing your talk about the description you wrote on the back of your video. This visual aid can take any shape or form. Here are some examples of things that have been done in the past: collages with significant objects from the novel represented, a painting or picture related to the novel, an item of clothing that may be meaningful to the novel, an object that has significant meaning to the novel . . . use your imagination in combination with the text and the movie to come up with an object. This should be fun for you to do! Good Luck!

Guidelines for Unit Assessment * Movie/Novel Paper

Pick a novel that is also available in the form of a film. This must be reported to me before you begin your project. You will be assigned to read the novel and when the reading is completed you may then view your film. You will take notes critically on the film that will be turned in to me when you turn in your paper. After having read and viewed your novel you must decide how you want to go about comparing or contrasting it. You are also required to find out what others thought about the book to screen adaptation. This will be done by using the library to find film review of your movie. The number of reviews that I would like you to turn in will depend on the grading contract that you choose.

Based upon your views and the information that you have learned from others, I would like you to create a paper that compares/contrasts the book and the film. Some elements that could be included are as follows:

*what did you like better about the ? Why?

*what element were created/destroyed in the movie/novel?

*how did the two representations differ?

These are just a few ideas to get you started. I would really like for you to create your paper in the fashion that makes the most sense to you. Being that I may not have read or seen the particular novel that you are dealing with, I will be giving you an S(satisfactory) or N(non-satisfactory). If you receive an S, and have completed all the work in the category that you contracted for, you will receive your contracted grade. If you receive an N, and have completed the work required of you in your category I, will give you a chance to revise your paper and get your contracted grade. If you receive an N or an S and all the other required work has not been handed in, you will need to conference with me and your grade will be determined accordingly.

HOW DO YOU GET AN S?

You will receive an S based on three key elements of your paper: content, organization, and grammar. Content will be worth fifty-percent, organization will be worth forty-percent, and the remaining ten-percent will be based on grammar.

*Content: you must prove to me that you were able to critically think about the book and the movie in relation to one another. This will be demonstrated to me by how well you back up your views in the paper, i.e. you will need to enrich what you say by using textual evidence or descriptions of scenes from the film. Include a list of references.

*How clearly you present this information to me will be shown in the organization of the paper. Does it follow a logical pattern? Is the information that you would like me to receive from this paper demonstrated in a clear manner? The paper should flow and connect, connections are very important. It should NOT be choppy and jump around.

*Finally, I will be looking at the grammatical content of the paper. Grammar needs to be taken into consideration when writing an effective paper. There will be peer editing sessions in class and all are required to participate.

Please turn in your paper and rough draft in word processed. Writing exercises and paragraphs that we sketch out in class can be turned in handwritten but final and rough drafts need to be turned in word processed. If this is a problem for anyone please see me and we will arrange something. Please do not wait until the last minute.

Guidelines for "A" Presentation

To receive an A for this unit you must do a five to ten minute presentation on your novel and movie. It can be reflective of your paper and be a summary of what you learned. You may also choose to go about the project differently. Perhaps you are full of information dealing with film. Perhaps you are aware of how they adapt a novel to the big screen. If not, maybe you would like to find out. I will conference with those of you who are choosing to do presentations

to find out what your ideas are. Please speak to me about this by the end of the second week before school, during lunch, or after school.

Grading Contract

*Everyone in class is required to complete all the work for the C option. Work must be completed to the best of your ability. If I do not think that this has happened I may ask for revisions.

C Option

* active participation in class ( this includes any activities and/or discussions during the unit)

* a complete dialogue journal turned into me when the papers are due (it will also be checked weekly)

* in class journal #1, response to Last of the Mohicans

* in class journal #2, response to the proposed novel/movie project

* in class journal #3, journal of the main characters action before the "cocktail party" exercise

* in class journal #4, brief overview of your least favorite scene in the film

* participation in and presentation of a book talk

* critical notes taken while viewing the movie

* rewritten scene

* outlining of paper

* rough draft of paper

* video box presentation

* peer editing

* revised version of paper

* final draft of paper

* one movie review

B Option

* all of the C option must be done as well as:

* two movie reviews

* visual aid presented with video description

* journal entries turned in weeks 3,4, and 5

A Option

* all of B and C options as well as:

* four movie reviews

* class presentation

William Shakespeare's

Hamlet

Othello

Romeo and Juliet

Much Ado about Nothing

Isak Dinesen, Out of Africa

Pat Conroy, The Prince of Tides

James Fenimore Cooper, The Last of the Mohicans

S.E. Hinton's

The Outsiders

Tex

Rumblefish

Peter Hedge, What's Eating Gilbert Grape?

Arthur Miller, The Crucible

Villard's Hemingway in Love and War

Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility

Lou Anne Johnson, Dangerous Minds

John Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men