Teaching Ideas and Units - Teaching Units

Writing a class play based on a novel

A unit prepared by Tania Gretton-Flood

I developed this unit for my grade 8 English class. My aim was to explore both the conventions of script writing and the subject of "bullying". I also wanted to encourage students to work together and solve problems in a variety of groups.

My class had already studied John Marsden’s novel, So Much to Tell You. I wanted next to draw a comparison between the novel and the script adaptation, without studying the play in the same depth as the novel. Then the students were to attempt to rewrite a different novel in a new genre. They went on to write a whole class script of James Moloney’s novel, Buzzard Breath and Brains.

Other texts that could be used for the initial comparison are:

• Lockie Leonard by Tim Winton - the novel and the play adaptation

• Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta — the novel and the film.

• A Paul Jennings story and the corresponding episode of Round the Twist

In the second part of this unit, some chapters of Buzzard Breath and Brains are rewritten as a play script and some are rewritten as diary entries for a character to present. There are many other novels that could be used, but it is easier to adapt a novel written in the first person. Some suggestions are:

• Misery Guts by Morris Gleitzman
• Letters from the Inside by John Marsden
• Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden

Teacher preparation before the unit

Below, I have included my own version of a script of chapter 1 and a diary example of chapter 5 from Buzzard Breath and Brains. If you choose another text you will need to write similar examples for that text.

To prepare for this unit I also needed to:

• Get copies of So Much to Tell You — the Play

• Write up a cast list for display from Buzzard Breath and Brains: Natalie, Rex, Louise, Jane, Harry, Kerrod, Gary (Dad), Tony, Principal Pascoe, Ms Silec, Kate, Brianna, Lucy, Eddie, Jason, Peter and Imogen, Natalie the Diarist, Rex the Diarist.
• Make a display for the classroom of the five settings allowed in the Buzzard Breath and Brains adaptation: Rex’s house, the netball court, a classroom, the front yard and the river.

• Write up a cast list for So Much to Tell You -The Play on butcher’s paper, leaving room to record students’ names next to each character.

• Photocopy the script of chapter 1 from Buzzard Breath and "The Diarist" example of chapter 5 for each student.

• Decide on student groups. (Mixed ability groups work best.) I put the students into groups of 2 —3 for each script scene (Chapters: 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 14,15,16,18) and groups of 3-4 for each diary chapter. (Chapters: 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 17).

Part one — investigating an existing play adaptation of a novel

Before starting this unit, we had studied the novel, So Much to Tell You, over about 20 lessons. Our next step was to work with the play adaptation. This took about three lessons.

Resources:

• A class set of the play (or half set to share)
• Butcher’s paper with cast list.(from page one of the text)

I asked the students to choose a role to read in the play. I said all students had to read something. As we had read the novel there were some students who really wanted to read certain parts. I said that girls did not have to read female parts or vice versa. I put up the butcher’s paper on the board and let the students browse the text for five minutes to see what reading was required of each role. I directed some less able students to choose roles that were small and I directed the more able students to difficult roles. I also said that if they didn’t choose one then I would choose one for them. To make it safer I also told them that they would automatically get an "A" for the speaking criterion for "having a go". I made enough "Marina the Diarist" parts to fill up to the number of students in the class so that everyone had a part.

As we read the play we stopped and discussed what John Marsden had done with the play. The types of questions I asked were: "Do you like the way it is set out?" "Do you like the way the characters came to life in the play?" "Do you think anything has been left out?" "Do you think Marina is still as effective?" "What new things did Marsden include and why?" "Do you like the way the stage was set?" "How has he used stage directions?" "How would you set it out on stage?"

At the end of the reading students completed a journal entry explaining the differences and similarities between the two versions of the text. They also had to comment on an aspect of the play they really liked and an aspect they didn’t really like. We discussed these and students added to their journals.

Part two — writing a playscript based on a novel

Resources

• The class set of the photocopies of the script of chapter1 and the diary entry for chapter 5 from Buzzard Breath and Brains.
• A display of the characters in Buzzard Breath and Brains.
• A display of the five sets to be used in the "play".
• Lists of groups for both script-writing and diary-writing activities.
• Either a class set of Buzzard Breath and Brains or photocopies of the relevant chapters for each group.

1. Introducing the novel

First I distributed the first chapter of the novel and read it aloud. We discussed what the students thought the novel would be about.

Then I gave them a brief outline of the plot: Rex is the main bully in the story, but the smaller and weaker Tony eggs him on. Rex always gets into trouble for it. Rex and Tony have bad reputations because they got into trouble for sabotaging the principal’s rosebushes. They spend the novel trying to bully others to find out who really did it. Rex’s brothers bully him. Natalie is Rex’s cousin and she sees it as her job to stop bullying and to help prove her cousin’s innocence.

I distributed the script I had written for chapter 1 and asked for volunteers to read.

We discussed the differences and similarities, using questions similar to those used for the So Much To Tell You adaptation. It was important to discuss why the setting was changed. We considered how a play script is set out and what stage directions had been put in and why. This took a lesson.

2. Writing sections of the script

Next I put students into scene groups of two to three. I gave them the chapter they would be looking at: 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 14,15,16 or18. I told them that they could leave out information they didn’t think was important but that any mention of bullying or the rose bush had to be included. I asked them to:

Choose one of these settings - Rex’s house, the netball court, the classroom, the front yard or the river.

Highlight the dialogue using a texta or highlighter

Make notes of what else needed to be said and stage directions.

Write the script together.

This took one to two lessons.

This is an example of a script written by students:

3. Writing diary entries
I distributed chapter 5 and multiple copies of the diary entries I had written based on this chapter. Both were read aloud and we discussed what had been left out and why.

Next I put the students in their new groups of three to four. I handed out chapters 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, and 17.
I asked them to highlight the writing that they thought was important and then condense the action into a diary entry no longer than a page.

This took one or two lessons.

Here is an example of an entry written by students:

4. Word-processing the scripts and diary entries

We moved to the computer lab for a couple of lessons to prepare all sections of the script. The students worked in pairs on each chapter with one person reading while the other person typed. I asked the remaining students to type up the list of characters and the cover page.

5. Reading the whole script and revising

For the next lesson I photocopied enough copies of the whole script for students to share with a partner. We read through the script as a class and discussed changes. I asked questions such as: What doesn’t make sense? What do you like? We made changes and re-typed where necessary.

6. Using the finished script

I gave each student a copy of the finished script. Although acting it out was a possibility, I decided to do a visual activity. Students had to create a stage for one of the scenes using cardboard and a shoebox. I also contemplated doing programmes or posters. There are lots of possibilities.