Compare Works of Literature to Other Mediums Worksheets

Related ELA Standard: RL.6.7

Core Standard
Answer Keys Here

Great literature can be presented to an audience in many different ways. Literature tells an audience a story regardless of the medium that is used to tell the story. The traditional way to present literature is through the tradition form of the written or spoken word. Literature can be brought to life through the use of the medium of theater and film. Often, we find that when traditional literature transfers from one medium to another a little is lost in the process or the directors interpretation is not what is expected by the audience. This selection of worksheets will help students compare works of literature that are presented in different mediums.

Compare Works of Literature Worksheets To Print:

Book vs. Movie – There are a lot of ways you can interpret this one.

Appealing to the Senses – Which Medium makes you feel more?

Translating Books to Movies – Until you actually try to do this yourself, you will never realize how hard this actually is.

Critical Thinking: Book/Movie Comparison – You will need to put your brain to the wire for this one.

Reading Poetry – Poems can have some deep meaning for the reader.

Book/Movie Comparison – Fill in the comparison chart and answer the questions with detailed explanations.

Read the Book or Watch the Movie – You have read the book and seen the movie: Now think about each one. Answer the questions using details from the book or the movie.

Translating Books to Radio – Before there was television, many people listened to dramas on the radio. We often forgot about that era.

Poetry: Reading and Listening – Reading a poem to yourself is not the same experience as listening to someone read a poem aloud.

Reading/Seeing Plays – You have read the play and seen the play: Now think about each one. Answer the questions using details from each experience.

Comparing the Book to the Movie – Compare and contrast the two versions. Then, on a separate sheet of paper, write a paragraph about which version you prefer and why.

Video Time – We prefer to use this with DVDs or streaming media.

Comparing Mediums – As you read/listen, think carefully about how each medium appeals to your senses and how.

Books and Audiobooks – As technology has made portable electronics more and more popular, more and more people are choosing to listen to books, rather than read them themselves.

Appealing to the Senses 2 – Fill out the organizer below, referring to specific details from the book/play or movie/performance.

Comparing Books and Movies of the Same Work


A book is a great idea for a film. There are several films that are based on the stories of books. However, the book and the movie of the same work do not always have the same storylines. They can differ in a lot of ways.


Here are some ways through which you can compare books and movies.


Scenes


A great way to do a comparison between the book and the film is by focusing on the scenes. Ask yourself questions like did the author write scenes in a way that is being portrayed in the film. How the setting of the movie differs from the book?


Added Plot


Many times, the movie is not the exact depiction of the book. Instead, it adds a lot of other elements to make it even more interesting. You can list out all the additional things that are not mentioned in the book. You can also see if the plot has been changed somehow.


Characters


You can compare the characters of the book and movie by focusing on their storylines. Do they follow the exact timeline as mentioned in the book? You can also see if there are any differences in personality. These changes could be anything from appearances to behaviors. Sometimes the makers of the film also reduce down the characters to make the film focused on one main character. Check if there are any important characters missing?


Missing Plot


A book can be as long as the writer wants it to be. However, the movie is short and should be completed in one and a half to two hours at most. Due to the shortage of time, it sometimes gets difficult for the makers of the film to mention each and every detail from the book. Sometimes movies are also loosely based on the concept of the book. You can compare by looking for any missing plots in the film.


How a Book Becomes a Movie or Television Show?


The practice of converting a famous book into a television show or a movie is being adopted with great zeal by the directors. Many people go against this idea because they argue that a book is way better than a TV show and also because they think that converting an already-written story into a visual form is not a creative activity. However, contrary to this popular belief, a movie or TV show maker has to work a lot and very hard to convert a book into a movie. Some of the most important steps that are followed in this process are as follows:


Summarizing


Everything that is mentioned in the lengthy contents of a book or a novel cannot be shown in a 2-hours movie. Therefore, the first step in making a show or a movie from a book is to narrow down the focus of the plot by eliminating all the unnecessary characters and scenes along with summarizing the main content in such a way that it makes sense but is also short enough to be displayed in a limited time.


Choosing Characters


The casting director has to spend a lot of time while choosing the perfect person to act in a movie made from a book. The actor one chooses must reflect the qualities of the character that have been described in the book and must be able to portray the character given to him in the best possible way.


Dialogue Writing


While converting a book into a TV show or a movie, the embellishment of the figurative language used in the book has to be converted into a simple, human-like language that is understandable by everyone.


Set Designing


The settings of a particular scene that have been described in the book are not always readily available and therefore, a lot of time and effort has to be put in to make a suitable set.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



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