1.
Title of the Lesson:
Are there “Holes “ in the Movie Holes?
2.
NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards addressed in the lesson:
English Language Arts Standards >> Reading: Literature >> Grade 8 >> Integration of
Knowledge and Ideas
7. Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production of a story or drama stays faithful to
or departs from the text or script, evaluating the choices made by the director or actors.
3.
Identify Resources needed:
○ Copies of Holes by Louis Sachar for each group, to be used as a reference
○ Five laptops
○ Five DVD’s of Holes cued to specific clips that have been predetermined
○ Venn diagrams for each group member
○ Pencils and Paper for students
4.
Describe what students should know before they start the lesson:
Students will be familiar with the book Holes, including specific themes, characters and plot
points, since we read the book before this lesson. Also, students will have seen the film in class in
its entirety. Students will know how to use a Venn Diagram appropriately from prior lessons.
Students will be comfortable and familiar with the computers and software from regular access
and use.
5.
State the objectives of the lesson:
1. Students will be able to compare specific elements of a film to the book the film is based
on. This is important because it will begin the process of critical thinking about books
and movies.
2. Students will be able to create successful arguments regarding whether an element in a
film is faithful to or deviates from a book. This is important because it will develop
argumentation skills that can be generalized to any subject area and walk of life.
3. Students will be able to provide reasoning about whether or not an element in a film or
book is critical to the plot or specific themes. This is important because it will teach
students to support their ideas, and it will help them distinguish between important
information and that which is superfluous.
4. Students will be able to reason about whether the film detracts or adds to certain
themes/elements of the book. This is important because it will help students think
critically about the media they consume.
6.
Identify important ideas in terms of the subject area - describe in detail. Real life
connections (make a list):
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7.
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8.
Socioeconomic Status - this book revolves around impoverished and troubled youth.
Students from high SES and privileged backgrounds may have a hard time relating to the
children in the story but it is an important connection for them to make.
Honesty/Fairness - this book speaks to the ideas of what is honest and fair.
Friendship - this book looks at what true friends are, and how some children have no
friends.
Critical Thinking - the process of comparing a filmed production to the book it is based
on will open the students to the idea of becoming more aware of the media they are
consuming. Since the activity requires the students to make comparisons, they will think
more critically about the quality of the movie and perhaps develop a deeper appreciation
for the integrity of literature. The movie may also make some of the issues in the book
more tangible for the students, including SES and justice. This could prompt a discussion
that allows the students to think more critically about the text. According to Fountas and
Pinnell (2001), “Readers use critical thinking to evaluate ideas that are presented in
printed form” (p. 290). This activity can foster the critical evaluation of many different
complex ideas and topics found in the book.
Describe potential difficulties students may experience with the content:
For the comparisons between the film and the book, it is assumed that the students will be
familiar and comfortable with themes, characters and plot points of the book. If this
content has not been understood and internalized, students may have trouble making
meaningful comparisons. To aid any students who may be experiencing these
difficulties, teacher and peer scaffolding will take place. Especially because the students
will work in groups for this activity, there will be opportunities for community and
students will be encouraged to help one another (Fountas & Pinnell, 2001). This will be
discussed further in the section about modifications for different learners.
The setting of the majority of the book is a desert wasteland. Children who have never
heard of, seen, or visited this type of climate may find it hard to make connections to
what the characters are experiencing. Being grouped with peers of various levels of
ability and experience can help these students to make these connections more easily.
Provide a description of the lesson including an agenda for the lesson:
○ The lesson will begin with the students at their desks for a whole group mini lesson.
○ The teacher will ask the students what they liked/disliked about the book and movie
HOLES that they just finished reading/viewing (as a refresher for this lesson).
○ The teacher will engage the students in a general conversation about how movies based
on books have similarities and differences to the original book. This begins to address
objective number one.
○ The teacher will explain the activity they will be completing in small groups. Then the
teacher will model that activity for the whole class by showing a clip from the movie and
as a class discussing the similarities and differences between that movie clip and its
corresponding part in the book. The teacher will first model some comparisons and then
will ask students to join in to give them some guided practice before they split into
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groups. This addresses objective number one, which is also addressed in the group
comparisons.
The teacher will scaffold and ask guiding questions to the group and as a class they will
construct a venn diagram that will be left up for added help throughout the lesson.
The students will then be split up into 5 heterogeneous groups and move to the 5 different
viewing areas set up around the class.
Each group will have about 30 minutes to watch their respective scenes, discuss and
come up with a venn diagram to show similarities and differences between the book and
the movie. The venn diagrams will be collected and serve as the assessment for this
lesson. They will provide information about whether or not students were able to make
successful comparisons, and whether or not they were able to distinguish between critical
and superfluous information. The teacher will also be able to informally assess the
students’ ability to make comparisons by observing as the groups work together.
At their station will also be a copy of the book with a book mark to mark the
corresponding chapter for the students to respond to.
Once the students are done they will then come back as a whole group and one member
of each group with explain their diagrams to the rest of the class. The creation and
sharing of the venn diagram requires students to make arguments about whether elements
in the movie are true to the book, addressing objective number two. During the group
presentations and the whole group wrap up, objective four will be addressed as students
reason about whether the film detracts or adds to the themes and overall plot of the book.
The group will then have a quick wrap up discussion about what they learned from this
activity. During this discussion, students will decide if the comparisons they made were
important to the overall plot of the book or not. This addresses objective number three.
Depending on the amount of critical analysis of the text that the students feel compelled
to share, a follow-up lesson about critical analysis may be a good idea.
9.
Time Table – who is going to be doing what and when during the lesson to make sure that
students are actively engaged.
Clock
reading
during the
lesson
“Title of the
activity”
Students doing
Me doing
minutes 15
Brief Review
Students sharing their likes/dislikes
about the movie
Actively listening to students
interest points and knowledge
minutes 510
Activity
Explanation
and Modeling
of Activity
Actively listening to instructions and
participating in discussion
Explaining Activity. Modeling
Activity.
minutes
10-30
Viewing of
Clips in Small
Groups
Watching their clips keeping the
corresponding part of the book in
mind. Looking for similarities and
differences.
Observing each group during the
activity. Guiding and re-directing
when needed.
minutes
30-35
Venn Diagram
completion in
small groups
Discuss their clip vs corresponding
part in the book and complete the
diagram.
Observing each group filling out
their diagram. Assessing their
ideas and comprehension skills.
minutes
35-43
Whole Group
Share
One member of each group will
share what their clip was and their
venn diagram. Whole class will
decide if the movie (based on their
individual clips) stayed true to the
book. If it was different did it
matter?
Initiate the whole group
discussion. Ask one member of
each group to share their clip and
venn diagram. Ask the whole
class if they preferred the book or
the movie and why?
10.
Describe the modifications you will make for different learners:
a. Describe alternative instructional strategies for diverse learners such as the use of multisensory teaching approaches, use of instructional technologies, advance organizers, and cooperative
learning activities.
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This lesson lends itself quite well for diverse learners. The scaffolding that takes place at
the beginning of the lesson can be very helpful for learners who are having difficulties
understanding this lesson or the themes and content of the book. The students can
observe the teacher going through the expected process and then gradually work through
the comparisons during the guided practice and with peers. This scaffolding continues
into the individual group work. The groups will be heterogeneous and include students
who perform at various levels. Students who are shy or are having difficulties can be
pushed along by their peers to make comparisons and speak about the relationship
between the movie and the book. Hearing other students discuss the topics and themes
can also reinforce this content for those students who may be struggling. In this way,
peer scaffolding will be taking place.
For those students who come from a lower socioeconomic status, it will be especially
helpful to inspire them to be intrinsically motivated in this lesson. As Ginsberg (2005)
says, “For teachers, especially those in high poverty communities, designing lessons that
help elicit students’ stories, opinions, values, and interests as a catalyst for learning is
fundamental to encouraging intrinsic motivation across student groups” (p. 220). The
sheer design of the lesson, allowing students to watch a movie and work with others will
hopefully appeal to student interests. Making the comparisons between the book and the
movie, while dealing with themes that may be relevant to the students’ lives can prompt
them to share stories, opinions and values, and inspire intrinsic motivation as well.
b. Describe modifications for bilingual students.
○ The book can be made available in multiple languages. If there is not a translated version
available then an audio-book version in that language can be used.
○ The movie and movie clips can have appropriate subtitles to aid bilingual students (and
then can also follow along in their book copy).
○ Bilingual students can be assigned to groups with higher leveled bilingual students of the
same language to aid them in their understanding.
11.
Describe the homework (if any) you will assign. What guidance will you provide to the
students?
Homework that corresponds with this lesson will be for students to watch a movie, tv show, or
play outside of school that is based on a book, and decide if the production was faithful to or deviated
from the book. Students will hand in a short paragraph with an explanation of why they made their
decision. There is no guidance required for this assignment - it is simply to get students to continue to
think critically about filmed version of texts and texts themselves.
References
Fountas, I. C., & Pinnell, G. S. (2001). Guiding readers and writers: Teaching comprehension,
genre and content literacy. Portsmouth, NJ: Heinemann.
Ginsberg, M. B. (2005). Cultural diversity, motivation, and differentiation. Theory into Practice,
44(3), 218-225.