Let’s Go to the Movies!
Posted by Hope Spencer on 02 Sep 2009 | Posted in: Literature Connections, Planning and Curriculum, Teacher's Helper
I love it when Hollywood takes a great kids’ book and makes it into a movie. Now don’t get me wrong; they don’t always make the movie the way I would like. But they usually get kids interested in the book. Anything that gets a child interested in reading is all right with me.
On September 18, a film adaptation of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett will appear onscreen. You and I know how much this book appeals to children. They get lost in the wonderful, magical land of Chewandswallow. I can’t wait to take my young nieces to see this movie! To help you make the most of kids’ enthusiasm for this story, I’ve gathered some of my favorite Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs activities and ideas and posted them here for you.
A Quick Check
Post the tall-tale traits shown. Then reread the story and explain that tall tales have common characteristics. Assign each small group one characteristic and lead the students to decide whether Grandpa’s story contains that characteristic. Provide time for groups to share their characteristic. As time allows, read aloud other tall tales. (Bookbag, April/May 2009)
The Plot Thickens
What a delectable tale cooked up by Grandpa! After an initial reading of the book, lead students to explore the plot of Grandpa’s story. Give a copy of this page to each student and read the directions aloud. Further explain that a story’s plot consists of the beginning (introduces the setting, characters, and problem), rising action (series of events leading to the solution), climax (when the tension is at the highest and the problem is about to be solved), falling action (leads to the story’s ending), and resolution (conclusion of events of the story). Next, reread the book and challenge students to identify these elements in the tale Grandpa shares before completing the activity independently as directed. (Bookbag, April/May 2003)
Showered With Action
After reading the story, have each student cut out the umbrella canopy pattern and handle cards; then have him cut apart the handle cards. Have the child glue the canopy to the top of a 12″ x 18″ sheet of paper. Next, guide him to arrange the handle cards in order below the canopy. Reread the story and lead each student to confirm the placement of his cards before he glues them in place. (Bookbag, April/May 2009)
Still want more? Check out this page to help children distinguish fantasy from reality. It’s from grades 2-3 Teacher’s Helper magazine, April/May 2005.
Hey, after your kids see the movie, why not try this? Draw a meatball-shaped Venn diagram on the board and have your students help you use it to compare and contrast the movie with the book. Now go get some popcorn and enjoy!
Hope
Congratulations to Linda S. of Rio Rancho, NM! She is the winner of a copy of the Social Skills for Little Learners book.
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22 Responses to “Let’s Go to the Movies!”
More Comments Pages: « 1 [2] Show All Comments
More Comments Pages: « 1 [2] Show All Comments
I totally agree that if seeing the movie gets a child intersested in reading then go see it.
I think parents and teachers and grandparents should encourage children to read the book and see what things might have been left out of the movie.
I have also enjoyed the book and am looking forward to seeing the movie!
I myself have not read the book, so i am going to go see if i can check it out at the library, because the way that it sounds it would be a great book to read to my class. They love story time and now i can’t wait to read it myself. All my kids are teenagers but they love to go to the movies just to get out of the house so i will probably take them to see it when it comes out. Thanks so much for the great ideas to go along with it.
A good friend of mine (who is not in education) sent me a very excited text message notifying me that this movie was coming out. It was her favorite book as a child, and it’s like a dream come true for her
It’s wonderful to know that this stuff can stick with you. I figure a movie like this must be a million times better for children than the inappropriate things that pass for “G” ratings now!
Thanks for the great extensions!
I loved this book when I was a kid! Using a book along with a movie is fantastic to teach to Multiple Intelligences. A lot of kids who learn visually will gain more from seeing the movie than just reading the book alone. Assuming the movie is well made, you’ll be able to have some great discussions and projects in your rooms!
I don’t know how I feel about the whole book movie thing. On the one hand it gets excited about a great book - but I am afraid the younger kids will just see the movie and not read the book when they become old enough. I loved the Harry Potter books and read them to my kids before we saw the movie - and there was a lot more to the book - I try to tell my own kids - after you read the book we will see the movie. Did that with Narnia the first one too. but they are making the movies too fast!!!
My daughter, who is in 1st grade, is so excited to see this movie. She loves the book and she cant wait to compare the two, to see how they are alike and different. I also loved this book as an elementary school student.
I love this book. I can’t wait to see the movie!
Thanks for the great resources in this blog post! Like Paula said, I like using movies in class which have been made from books to compare and contrast the differences between the two. It’s always a good idea to incorporate higher-level thinking skills whenever possible!
I agree with you about getting kids involved in reading. I don’t always want them to see the movie instead but hopefully it will excite them to read the book also.I think it would be cool to show the movie in class. I love to use the movies that are books also and then we can compare. This works even in KDg.