Middle School Comparison Paper
Books Turned Into Movies Make Nice Compare and Contrast Papers
Dec 22, 2008
Some teachers do not want students reading a book that has been turned into a movie. Many enterprising students think that they can just watch the movie instead of reading the book to write the paper. However, many favorite books that middle school students love to read have been turned into movies.
One way to make students and teachers happy is to assign a comparison paper. Students can read the book and watch the movie. Then, the student can compare the two medias.
Great Books Turned into Movies
Hollywood producers have taken some of the best young adult novels and turned them into movies. Some examples of middle school favorites turned movies are Twilight by Stephenie Meyer [Little, Brown Young Readers, September 2006], Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (book 2) by J.K. Rowling [Arthur A. Levine Books, November 2002], Eragon by Christopher Paolini [Laurel Leaf, reprint 2007] and Holes by Louis Sachar [Scholastic Inc., 2000].
However, there are many more great young adult books that have produced as movies. Students have a variety to choose from when writing a comparison paper.
Organizing Ideas on Venn Diagram
Once students have read the novel and have watched the movie, they need to begin writing the paper. For a middle school student, the easiest way to brainstorm and to organize ideas for a comparison paper is to make a Venn diagram. One side would be for the movie and the other side would be for the book. The area where both the movie and book have similarities would be the center area where the two circles cross.
Writing a Draft
After the student has completed the Venn diagram, the student needs to write a thesis statement. It should include the title of the book, the author and the focus of the paper. This needs to be included in the introduction paragraph of the paper.
There are many ways to organize the body of the paper. Students can write a paragraph describing events that happen only in the book, a paragraph describing events that only happen only in the movie and then a paragraph that describes events that happen in both the book and the movie. Or, they can write about how characters, setting and/or plot are similar or different.
The conclusion needs to sum up the paper. It could also tell the reader which was better, the movie or the book. When instructing students, it is important to remind them to write a conclusion. It is the most forgotten part of the essay. The final draft should be edited by a peer and checked for writing conventions, voice and flow.
The next time students want to read a book that has been turned into a movie don’t immediately say “no” to their proposal. Offer them the comparison paper as an option. It does take a little more time to find and to watch the movie, but many students enjoy the process.
