Lesson video

Hi there, my name is Mr. Charlesworth, and in today's reading lesson, we're developing our reading preferences through an appreciation of character.

The characters we're looking at today have come from texts that have been adapted for stage, for screen, and for television.

I wonder, do you have a favourite adapted text? I'm really looking forward to working with you today.

Let's get started.

The lesson outcome for today is: I can explore a range of characters and adaptations, articulating what makes them effective.

The keywords are, my turn, your turn.

Adaptation.

Source material.

Subtext.

Theme.

Let's try those once more.

Adaptation.

Source material.

Subtext.

Theme.

Well done.

An adaptation is when a text is adapted into a television series, a feature-length film, or even for a theatre performance.

The source material is the original text serving as the basis for adaptations.

Subtext is the unspoken or implied meaning beneath explicit language or actions.

And finally, a theme is a central idea that the writer intends the audience to engage deeply with.

Today's lesson is all about developing reading preferences through appreciation of character.

We're going to begin by exploring reading for pleasure through text adaptations before then exploring some characters in text adaptations in greater depth.

Let's begin by exploring some texts that have been adapted for stage, for screen, and for television.

Texts have been adapted for television projects, film adaptations, and even for the theatre stage.

Here's a recent example, "His Dark Materials", which was adapted for television.

There are several benefits to adapting text.

The visual experience is one of them.

Both practical and special effects are able to be used to bring the text to life.

No matter your reading ability, text adaptations make the text more accessible.

Especially with longer texts, text adaptations for film or for theatre can sometimes shorten the narrative, therefore making it more engaging for some readers.

Likewise, for television, they can sometimes stretch out the narrative, making it last even longer.

This means more people are able to engage with the text or source material and enjoy it.

Music and sound can really help bring the text adaptation to life through its settings and characters.

Text adaptations can help develop the imagination.

Finally, all text adaptations are interpretations, whether that's the stage, the screen, or television.

They all offer something unique and different.

Not all features of adaptations will be positive.

It's important to note that while adaptations have their advantages, they can also face criticism for not capturing the depth and nuance of the original text.

Some readers may have strong attachments to their own mental images of the story's characters and settings.

Adaptations are interpretations of the source material.

However, when done well, they can offer a unique and complementary way to experience a beloved story.

A recent example that I'm really looking forward to seeing is "A Wrinkle In Time".

This was one of my favourite texts when I was younger.

It's set in a sci-fi dystopian world, and it's recently been turned into a feature-length film.

I'm really interested to see how the cast and the director and film crew bring these amazing settings and characters to life.

Did you know, many films, television shows, and theatre productions started life as a text? One of my favourites when I was younger was "The Borrowers".

I remember being so surprised and amazed at the sense of scale of the sets to show the difference between the size of the humans and the borrowers themselves.

"Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" is now a huge feature-length film franchise.

It did, however, start out life as a text.

Each of the texts was then turned into a film.

They're now even creating a television series from it as well, as well as games.

Popular texts can be adapted in lots of different ways and in many different forms. Next, "Matilda".

"Matilda" has been adapted for the theatre, with lyrics and songs written by Tim Minchin to really bring the story to life.

And finally, "Wonder".

"Wonder" is a deeply empathetic text and it was turned into a deeply empathetic film.

Here's our first check for understanding.

True or false? There are only benefits to adapting texts for television, film, or theatre.

Is that true or false? Pause the video now whilst you decide.

Well done.

It's false.

Now, I'd like you to justify your answer.

Is it because A, adapting texts for television, film, or theatre makes it easier for the reader to comprehend what is happening, or B, some adaptations may not capture the depth and nuance of the original text? Which justification best links to the above statement? Pause the video now whilst you decide.

Great work.

Were you correct? It's B, some adaptations may not capture the depth and nuance of the original text.

So there are not only benefits, there are some limitations as well.

There have been many texts that have been adapted for television, film, and theatre.

Here are just a few recent examples.

A television series I really enjoyed was "Watership Down".

This was turned into an animation, with lots of amazing cast bringing the voices of the characters to life.

A film adaptation which I really enjoyed was "Holes".

This is a very popular year six text to read.

I loved how I was able to explore the setting of Camp Green Lake through the film and to see Stanley Yelnats engaging with lots of the different characters.

Finally, at the theatre, I was very lucky to go and see "Goodnight Mister Tom".

This is a really emotional read, and at the theatre it was really emotional to watch.

Lots of the themes that are present in the text are also shown on stage.

Sometimes it can be more powerful because you're experiencing the people on stage bringing the characters to life.

I wonder, are you intrigued by any of these adaptations? If so, pause the video now and note them down.

We're now going to explore a few examples in greater detail.

A text adapted for television that I recently enjoyed was "A Kind of Spark".

This is a fantastic text which explores Addie, a character who's neurodiverse, and the whole series was written by the author Elle McNicoll, who's also neurodiverse.

This is really important when considering the authenticity and also the sensitivity involved with bringing a project like this onto the television.

We'll be exploring "A Kind of Spark" later on in the lesson too.

I wonder, do you have a favourite text that's been adapted for television? If you're unsure, perhaps discuss one of the adaptations we've looked at earlier.

Pause the video now whilst you discuss.

Fantastic work.

I hope you enjoyed sharing your favourite television adaptations.

Now we're going to look at texts that have been adapted for film.

One of my all time favourites is "Bridge to Terabithia".

This beautifully explores the relationship between two characters as they go through significant periods of change in their life.

It's a really emotional read that deals with themes of grief and the film packs even more of an emotional punch.

I wonder, do you have a favourite text that's been adapted for a feature film? How did it make you feel? Have a talk with your partner.

Pause the video now.

Fantastic discussion.

I wish I could have heard some of your responses.

A text that I really enjoyed that's been adapted for theatre has been "War Horse".

Lots of theatre scripts are turned into texts in their own right, called play scripts.

You can see how the cast use animatronics and puppets to bring characters that aren't human to life.

I can still remember sitting in my seat thinking that there was a real-life horse right in front of me.

I wonder, do you have a favourite text that's been adapted for theatre? Pause the video now and discuss with your partner.

Well done.

It's important to remember that some texts are adapted for both stage and screen, and some even go across all three.

I've enjoyed looking at a few examples with you.

In our first task, I'd like you to research a text adaptation that links to theatre, film, or television.

Can you find a trailer or advertisement for it? I'd like you to write down its title, the source material, that's the text the adaptation is based on, the main characters, and then a brief blurb or synopsis of the plot.

Pause the video now whilst you conduct your research.

Fantastic research.

I hope you enjoyed exploring text adaptations.

Let's have a look at an example from Izzy.

She says, "I researched the trailer for "His Dark Materials".

The source material is "Northern Lights" by Philip Pullman.

I really enjoyed how the cast reflected a range of different cultures and backgrounds." I really enjoyed this series too.

I wonder, have you had a chance to see it? We're now going to move on to explore characters in text adaptations, alongside their themes.

A theme is a central idea that the writer intends the audience to engage deeply with.

It's the overarching message that the author wants readers to take away from a text.

Characters are the means to which readers or viewers connect with a story's themes, making them essential to theme exploration.

This serves as a way to explore important concepts and values.

In the example, "The Breadwinner", we view the text through the eyes of a young girl called Parvana.

Themes of the text include war, prejudice, but also justice and hope.

This text has been adapted into a film, which was animated.

This might mean many more people will be able to engage with the text and engage with its themes.

Characters enable us to understand the themes through dialogues and conversations, thoughts and feelings, actions and reactions, symbolism, backstory, and character development.

We'll be exploring these now in more detail.

We can understand themes through characters' dialogue and conversations.

These may contain subtle hints and unspoken emotions.

We can also understand themes through characters' thoughts and feelings.

Characters' inner thoughts often reveal their true emotions, even when they act differently outwardly.

We can also understand themes through characters' actions and reactions.

These can indicate a theme by showing what a character truly desires or fears.

Themes can also be explored through symbolism.

Characters can symbolise or stand for abstract concepts or themes in the story.

Finally, a character's backstory can help support our understanding of themes in the text or adaptation.

The past experiences and histories of characters can be integral to themes, as readers may need to piece together the backstory to understand their motivations.

Themes in more complex texts may be challenging to identify.

The subtext of a text refers to the unspoken or implied meanings that exist beneath the surface of a text.

It's the deeper layer of meaning or information that readers need to infer or interpret because it's not explicitly stated by the author.

Subtexts often deal with underlying emotions, motivations, and themes.

We can focus on a character's traits to support us in inferring or interpreting themes.

Well done on noticing the keywords.

In this check for understanding, we're going to explore a subtext and what can be inferred or interpreted by it.

Can you match the following examples to the subtext that could be implied? Read through each of the statements carefully.

Pause the video now whilst you match them up.

Well done.

Were you correct? In an adventure text, a character refuses to leave behind a beloved stuffed animal, even when it seems impractical.

The subtext here is the character needs comforting or something familiar to them.

In a fantasy text, a character demonstrates a unique ability but is hesitant to use it.

The subtext here is the character is responsible and thinking about consequences.

Finally, in a mystery text, a character frequently asks friends to help solve a neighbourhood mystery.

The subtext here that could be implied is the character enjoys companionship and working together as a team.

Remember, the subtext is a bit like inference.

It's reading between the lines and inferring or interpreting meaning.

We're now going to explore themes through characters in the text.

Here's our first example.

"A Kind of Spark" is a text written by Elle McNicoll.

The text follows the main character, Addie, as she goes on a journey of self-discovery.

Her desire to find out more about her local history leads to her finding out more about herself.

When identifying themes in a text, readers can see the world through Addie's eyes.

We can note these themes by focusing on Addie's dialogue and conversation, thoughts and feelings, her actions and reactions, and any character development.

Let's explore some of the themes in the text.

Possible themes in "A Kind of Spark" include oppression.

Addie discovers the injustice that faced 16th century women in her town.

She's determined to lobby for a permanent memorial to them.

An example of lobbying is writing to your MP to inspire change in your community.

Another theme present in "A Kind of Spark" is bullying.

Addie faces bullying at her school, both from her peers and sometimes even from teachers.

By focusing on things that happen to the character, we can identify themes in a text.

Another theme which comes across really strongly is understanding and acceptance of neurodiversity.

Addie, who is autistic, challenges the stigmatisation of being different.

Addie stands up for what is right and with her sister guides the reader and other characters in the text towards a more inclusive and compassionate society.

There are many more themes within the text.

However, focusing on the character has allowed us to pick out three examples.

Another text we can look at to explore theme is Percy Jackson.

"Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief" is written by Rick Riordan, and follows Percy, a 12-year-old demigod, as he embarks on a perilous quest with his friends to recover Zeus' stolen lightning bolt and prevent a war amongst the gods.

Percy faces mythical challenges and confronts his true identity whilst journeying to the underworld.

When identifying the themes in a text, readers can see the world through Percy's eyes.

We can note some of these themes by focusing on Percy's dialogue and conversation, thoughts and feelings, actions and reactions, and character development.

By focusing on the character of Percy and his friends, we're able to identify some possible themes in the text.

Friendship is one of them.

Percy forms strong bonds with his friends, Annabeth and Grover.

Their loyalty and support are integral to the quest and the personal growth of the characters.

Another theme that's shown through the character's actions is perseverance and determination.

Percy and his friends face numerous obstacles and adversaries.

The way that characters act and react can be a great way to help identify themes.

Finally, through character development, we're able to identify the theme of identity and belonging.

Percy grapples with questions about his true identity and where he belongs.

As a demigod, he's the son of Poseidon, but he struggles to find his place in both the mortal and immortal worlds.

By engaging with characters in this way, we're able to draw out a number of different themes.

I wonder if you can do the same with your texts.

Here's our final check for understanding.

Themes can be identified by focusing on a character's, A, dialogue and conversation; B, actions and reactions; C, their name and what they wear; or D, thoughts and feelings.

There may be more than one.

Pause the video here whilst you decide.

Fantastic work.

It's A, B, and D.

Themes can be identified by focusing on a character's dialogue and conversation, their actions and reactions, and their thoughts and feelings.

Themes aren't really identified by characters' names and what they wear.

However, these can hold symbolism.

In our final task, I'd like you to choose a character from a text that you've read.

Mind map the themes from the text by focusing on the characters' dialogues and conversations, their thoughts and feelings, their actions and reactions, any symbolism, so does the character's actions or character traits hold any subtext.

I'd like you to note down any themes you can glean from the character's backstory and of the character development throughout the narrative.

It's helpful to select a text you know really well.

It's helpful to select a text and character you know really well to explore the themes in more detail.

Pause the video now whilst you complete the task.

Fantastic work.

I wonder if you selected a character from a text that's been adapted too.

Were you able to identify a lot of themes by focusing on different aspects of the character? And now I'd like you to share some of your themes with your partner.

I wonder if it makes them want to read your text.

Pause the video now whilst you do so.

Great work.

I hope your partner was intrigued and wanting to know more.

In today's lesson, we've been developing preferences by appreciating characters in adaptations.

We've understood that texts have been adapted for television projects, film adaptations, and theatre.

Adaptations are interpretations of the source material.

We know a theme is the overarching message or messages that the author wants readers to take away from a text.

Finally, we focused on subtext, which often deals with underlying emotions, motivations, and themes.

We can focus on a character's traits to support us in inferring or interpreting these.

I've really enjoyed exploring characters in adaptations with you today.

Looking forward to working with you again soon.