Using movie adaptations as an incentive for reading the book.

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netedu

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Being an avid reader myself I was thinking of new ways of inspiring kids to start reading. And since there are so many book - movie adaptations, some of literary classics, I'm considering the idea of showing the movie to the kids and then praising the book as the better one of the two. I'm sure that not all, but at least some, will start reading the book.

How does this sound?
 
I think it would be great for kids. Today kids are more visually oriented unlike us who were more, imaginative. Back then there were no video games and 3d cinemas so we have to make do with the latest issue of Detective Comics and The Amazing Spiderman and let our imagination run loose and wild and free. Today kids' like it more when they are it moving and telling stories as the picture moves. It could be a great way to get their attention and tell them that the book is way better than the film. Which is the obvious truth, case in point, V for Vendetta, The man in the Iron Mask, The Three Musketeers, etc.. I could go on and on; but its a good way to start getting them interested.
 
I think it's good, but I don't recommend it. Some kids would reason out that, "Why do we need to read the book when we've already watched the movie?" And these are encounters that I generally avoid with my nephews and nieces, especially my younger sister who would rather watch the movie instead of actually reading the books, haha.
 
Well, since your target is to convince the children to read this particular book, I think that's a good idea. However, as much as possible, try to persuade them first to read the book before they try to watch the movie. Who knows, they might listen to you, right?
 
As adults we know that watching a movie, is an entirely different experience than reading the book but for children, that is going to be hard to understand.

It's important for children to read the stories first before they watch the movie, and one way to do that is to start off small. There are plenty of short stories that have been made into screen adaptations so maybe starting off with these, just until they start to recognise the fact that there's a huge difference between their own imagination, and how it's portrayed on the screen.
 
For me, when I first see a movie adaptation before the book, it actually makes me want to read the book. It makes me wonder just what really happened in the book and what they changed in the movie. It happened when I watched Divergent, I went out to buy the book after the movie since it really sparked my interest. Try this out, maybe this can work with the kids.
 
It usually does make me feel a little less disappointed when I watch a movie adaptation before reading the book. For instance, the Harry Potter movies were a bit lacking for me because I was able to read the books first. But it was different for LOTR, Divergent and The Perks of Being a Wallflower because watching the movie adaptation preceded reading the original storyline.
 
Most people who read a book are let down by how it's been portrayed as a movie, and I think that's always going to be the case.

It's a bit like how 99% of the time, an original movie is better than the sequel or a remake. People get a first impression and that's hard to change.
 
I know of cases where students use the excuse of watching the movie and don't read the book. I know it is suppose to make them want to read but they'll just write their summaries from the movies instead.
 
That's when the teacher will have to be on their guard, and make sure they know the difference between the paper story and the story on screen.

No matter how true the movie director tries to stick to the original, there will nearly always be a difference somewhere, and that's were the student could slip up.
 
I think it depends upon the example, because in the past I have found that when children have seen films before they've read the books, they notice all of the differences between the two and almost resent the books for being different - even though they were there first. I don't think that English teachers should encourage children to watch movies before reading books - however I do like to encourage engagement with the story, for example asking them to act out some of the story that they've read. That's just my personal opinion, and I feel as though it brings the book alive much more effectively.
 
I don't think it could really work. This could work if the source material was a comic or graphic novels, but if the source material was a 500-page novel then I don't know if they'll interested especially when they've already seen the movie. You could encourage them to do so like ask them to find out in the book what happened in between a particular scene that's not in the movie, but then there's internet for them to find out without going through the book.
 
Movies have a way of capturing ones attention and memories. The script is ingrained better into their subconscious mind. They are especially effective for visual learners. The excitement associated with movies makes learners to look forward to studying literary works. Whatever they read reinforces their grasp since they have already seen the movie. This method has been applied to teach setbooks in English and other languages.
 
A lot will also depend on the topic bring studied aswell, and sometimes a book that's in the curriculum might not be of much interest to the student. Maybe then watching the movie could be an incentive or an encouragement to then read the book.
 
I think that is a great idea, however I would switch those two ideas around. I would have the kids read the book and as a reward, show the film. It would be great for them to see the difference in the book and movie version. I believe the majority of the kids will like the book better.
 
Kristen07 said:
I think that is a great idea, however I would switch those two ideas around. I would have the kids read the book and as a reward, show the film. It would be great for them to see the difference in the book and movie version. I believe the majority of the kids will like the book better.
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If the children will prefer the book or not, will depend a lot on the age of the children in my opinion. What also makes a big difference is if the children aren't old enough to read the book themselves, the person who IS reading the book will have to have that connection with the children to make it work and be engaging. When showing them a movie, that obviously isn't something that you have to worry about.
 
Well I think that any way that you can add a little extra motivation for the students to read the book I am all for it. I try to limit myself with the number of videos that I use, just because I do not want that to dominate the curriculum, but I think that it is useful and we need to embrace the technology. I think that emphasizing the video as a reward for a good discussion on the book, and the in-depth coursework to go along with it, to be enjoyed at the end. I would think that the students would appreciate that.
 
It's interesting that you bring up the curriculum as I think a lot does need to be left down to the individual teachers as to how they actually teach it, as a lot will depend on the different skill levels of the children they are teaching. It's all very well to say you have to learn this, this and this, but how the subject is taught should be left open to the teacher and as long as the results are the same, teaching by video or by book shouldn't make a difference.
 
I noticed that there are mixed reactions regarding the topic. :-) On my part, I think it's better for children to read the books first before finally watching the movie adaptations. Kids do have different responses but on my own experience with my child, I found that he can relate more to movie adaptations and he has this certain excitement in wanting to watch these adaptations after he has read the books.
 
That is a really great ideas for kids. Not everyone can be a book lover. Some kids wants tonsee colors and pictures. If they would be able to watch harry potter movies i think yhey wpuld start reading the books too. You can give them some spoilers that are not shown in the movie.
 
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