Books that were turned into movies

 The Hunger Games

 

In a not-too-distant future, the United States of America has collapsed, weakened by drought, fire, famine, and war, to be replaced by Panem, a country divided into the Capitol and 12 districts. Each year, two young representatives from each district are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games. Part entertainment, part brutal intimidation of the subjugated districts, the televised games are broadcasted throughout Panem as the 24 participants are forced to eliminate their competitors, literally, with all citizens required to watch. When 16-year-old Katniss's young sister, Prim, is selected as the mining district's female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart, Peeta, the son of the town baker who seems to have all the fighting skills of a lump of bread dough, will be pitted against bigger, stronger representatives who have trained for this their whole lives. Collins's characters are completely realistic and sympathetic as they form alliances and friendships in the face of overwhelming odds; the plot is tense, dramatic, and engrossing.

 

Lesson Plan:

I will give each student a Hunger Games Characteristic Sheet. I will have students work in pairs or small groups. To begin, I will ask each group to select examples from the handout for each category: personality characteristics, behaviors, and activities. Each character can have similar qualities and the words can be used more than once.

 

After students have completed The Hunger Games Character Sheet, I will introduce the idea that gender is socially constructed. I will explain that books, movies, music and videos influence our understanding of gender - how to look, act, dress, and relate to others can be a source that contributes to this composition.

 

Class Discussion Questions - Gender and Gender Stereotypes

·         I will ask students to share the characteristics, behaviors, or activities they assigned to Katniss and Peeta.

·         Then I will ask students to differentiate between stereotypical characteristics and characteristics that do not conform to traditional gender stereotypes.

·         I will ask students to look at the many characters in “Hunger Games” and assess which are conforming (i.e. Glimmer and Cato) and non-conforming to gender stereotypes (i.e. Katniss and Peeta).

 

Another lesson would be: Comparing and contrasting what they ate. Students will work in pairs to write down some of the things Katniss, her family, the citizens of the Panem districts, and the tributes must eat to survive. What did the citizens of the Capitol eat? How do these meals differ? They will then write an essay on what they found out with this research, which way would be the healthiest and why.

 

Another mini lesson would be:  First I would discuss what we really are here in America; for example, As Americans, we are fortunate to live in a free society.  We have freedom of speech as well as the ability to think for ourselves and express our own opinions without punishment.  In contrast, Panem is an authoritarian society.  Its citizens are strictly controlled by the government and all media is carefully controlled by the Capitol.  Citizens of Panem cannot express their opinions without the possibility of punishment from the government.

 

Student task for this lesson:
Consider how the Hunger Games would have been different if they had happened in a free society.  Specifically, think about how the media would have reported the events compared to how they were reported in Panem.  You must write two separate essays to reflect these differences.  One will be written as if it is from Panem and one as if it is from a free society.  Each essay should reflect the limitation or freedom of expression for each type of government.

 

Twilight

 

17-year-old Bella declines her mom's invitation to move to Florida, and instead reluctantly opts to move to her dad's cabin in the dreary, rainy town of Forks, WA. She becomes intrigued with Edward Cullen, a distant, stylish, and disarmingly handsome senior, who is also a vampire. When he reveals that his specific clan hunts wildlife instead of humans, Bella deduces that she is safe from his blood-sucking instincts and therefore free to fall hopelessly in love with him. The feeling is mutual, and the resulting volatile romance smolders as they attempt to hide Edward's identity from her family and the rest of the school. Meyer adds an eerie new twist to the mismatched, star-crossed lovers theme: predator falls for prey, human falls for vampire. 

Lesson Plan:

·         I will have students work in pairs to research popular myths about vampires. They will then make a poster that outlines these myths in detail.

·         In the same pairs they will work together to create a timeline of at least 7 key events that happened in Twilight.

·         In groups of four students will make a movie poster advertising the release of the new movie Twilight. Be sure to include a brief overview of the story, the names of key characters and the actors who will play them. Also include an illustration of an important scene from the story. May not copy the actual movie.

Students will also make a character collage independently. Cut words and pictures from magazines and newspapers that will describe a character from the novel. Be sure to include the character’s name.

The Tale of Despereaux

This story is about a mouse that is in love with music, stories, and a princess named Pea. It is also the story of a rat called Roscuro, who lives in the darkness and covets a world filled with light. And it is the story of Miggery Sow, a slow-witted serving girl who harbors a simple, impossible wish.