Comparing Moby Dick across book and film media

Standards and Assessments

The Common Core Standard used for this project is Common Core State Standards Initiative, English Language Arts 7.7. This is in accordance with New Jersey State Standards. This standard is designed for 7th graders. The standard states "Compare and contrast a written story, drama, or poem to its audio, filmed, staged, or multimedia version, analyzing the effects of techniques unique to each medium (e.g., lighting, sound, color, or camera focus and angles in a film)."

It is important that students remember how to identify different interpretations of a similar wording or story. It is important that students remember that there is more than one way to communicate an idea. It is important that students remember that different media presents different effects on learning and knowledge.

Explain: Explain who medium affects a story?

Interpret: How would you interpret a story from one medium to another ?

Application: Give a few examples of books being turned into movies.

Perspective: How do you feel about a good book being turned into a bad movie?

Empathy: What medium do you resonate most with ?

Self -- Knowledge: Describe your life story in the type of medium you prefer. Do you want a book ? A movie? Etc..

Learning Objectives

1. Watch a movie after reading a book the movie was based upon to identify the practice of cross-media application. Students will watch the movie Moby Dick after reading the book.

2. Understand the differences in media by identifying characters in the book and in the movie.

3. Understand the impacts of pictures and words to learning and knowledge by writing a short paper describing the movie Moby Dick.

The topic for this one-week unit of study is based upon a common core standard that requires 7th grade students to compare and contrast written stories to its staged version. The students having already read the novel Moby Dick, will watch the film version in class for one week. Discussion periods will proceed and conclude the class sessions. The culminating exercise for this unit of study is a short-term paper that describes the students' understanding of this core standard.

Part 2

Standard: Compare and contrast a written story, drama, or poem to its audio, filmed, staged, or multimedia version, analyzing the effects of techniques unique to each medium (e.g., lighting, sound, color, or camera focus and angles in a film)."

Title of Unit Study: Moby Dick in Book and Film

Grade Level:7

Content Area: ELA

Total Points: 10

Type of Items: Essay

Objectives

Essay

Level;

Remembering

Level: A

Applying

Level:

Analyzing

Total/Percent

Watch a movie after reading a book the movie was based upon to identify the practice of cross-media application. Students will watch the movie Moby Dick after reading the book.

2(20%)

2(20%)

Understand the differences in media by identifying characters in the book and in the movie.

3(30%)

3(30%)

Understand the impacts of pictures and words to learning and knowledge by writing a short paper describing the movie Moby Dick.

2(20%)

3 (30%)

5 (50%)

Total

2(20%)

5 (50%)

3 (30%)

10 (100%)

Part 3

Standard: Compare and contrast a written story, drama, or poem to its audio, filmed, staged, or multimedia version, analyzing the effects of techniques unique to each medium (e.g., lighting, sound, color, or camera focus and angles in a film).

Learning Objectives:

1. Watch a movie after reading a book the movie was based upon to identify the practice of cross-media application. Students will watch the movie Moby Dick after reading the book.

2. Understand the differences in media by identifying characters in the book and in the movie.

3. Understand the impacts of pictures and words to learning and knowledge by writing a short paper describing the movie Moby Dick.

Grade Level: 7

Content Area: English Language Arts

Unit Title: Understanding Media and Literature

Summary

The suggested assessment choice of having the students write an essay to describe their understanding allows for subjective interpretation of the experience. This common core standard applied in this lesson is not a simple thing to model. In language arts, learning must be expressed in different ways that allows the student to demonstrate the ability to translate internal ideas into an external format. This skill needs to be practiced often in order for the students to maximize their imaginative communication skills. The essays will be evaluated on effort, thought and originality.