What is Your Child Learning?
Seventh graders learn to compare and contrast different media formats - how books, movies, podcasts, articles, and videos present the same content using different techniques. They analyze what is gained and lost when content moves between formats, and they learn to recognize medium-specific techniques like camera angles in film or inner monologue in books.
On Florida's FAST assessment, students must analyze how different formats treat the same topic and explain why creators make specific choices.
Key Vocabulary
Medium/Media: The format used to deliver content (book, movie, podcast, etc.)
Adaptation: When content is converted from one format to another (book to movie)
Medium-Specific Techniques: Tools unique to each format (camera angles in film, inner thoughts in books)
Interpretation: How a creator chooses to present or explain something
Activities to Try at Home
📚🎬 Book-to-Movie Comparison Night
This is the most powerful activity! After your child reads a book, watch the movie adaptation together. Discuss:
- "What scenes from the book were in the movie? What was cut?"
- "How did the movie show [character's] feelings? The book told us their thoughts - how did the movie show this differently?"
- "What did the movie ADD that wasn't in the book? (Music, visuals, specific actors)"
- "Which version did you like better for this particular scene? Why?"
Key Point: Avoid "the book was better" arguments. Instead, discuss what each format does WELL.
📰🎥 News Story Comparison
Find a current event covered by different media. Compare a news article, TV news segment, and social media post:
- "What information is in ALL versions? What's only in one?"
- "How does the video use images and sound that the article can't?"
- "Which format gives you the most detailed information? Which is fastest to understand?"
🎧📖 Audiobook vs. Print Book
If your child enjoys audiobooks, compare the experience to reading print:
- "How does the narrator's voice change how you experience the story?"
- "Can you pause and re-read something confusing in an audiobook as easily?"
- "What does the narrator's tone add that you wouldn't get reading silently?"
📊📝 Infographic vs. Article
Find an infographic and article about the same topic (health, science, social issues). Discuss:
- "Which can you understand faster? Which gives more detail?"
- "What information is LOST when you turn an article into an infographic?"
- "When would each format be more useful?"
Questions to Ask During Media Comparisons
- About techniques: "What can this format do that the other one can't?"
- About additions: "What did the [movie/video/podcast] add that wasn't in the [book/article]?"
- About losses: "What from the original couldn't be included? Why not?"
- About choices: "Why do you think the creator made this change for the new format?"
- About effectiveness: "Which format worked better for this particular scene/moment? Why?"
Parent Tip: Avoid "Better/Worse" Thinking
Students often say "the book is always better than the movie." Help them move beyond this by asking specific questions:
Instead of: "The book was better."
Ask: "What could the book do that the movie couldn't? What could the movie do that the book couldn't?"
This teaches them that different formats have different strengths - neither is inherently better!
Suggested Book-to-Movie Comparisons for 7th Graders
- "Wonder" by R.J. Palacio - Compare how Auggie's thoughts are shown
- "The Giver" by Lois Lowry - Compare the reveal of color/memory
- "The Outsiders" by S.E. Hinton - Compare character development
- "Holes" by Louis Sachar - Compare flashback structure
- "Percy Jackson" series - Compare action sequences
- "A Wrinkle in Time" by Madeleine L'Engle - Compare visualization of abstract concepts
Media Format Strengths at a Glance
Books/Text
- Inner thoughts and feelings
- Reader imagination
- Detailed description
- Reader controls pace
Film/Video
- Visual storytelling
- Music and sound
- Actor performances
- Showing action quickly
Audio/Podcasts
- Voice tone and emotion
- Intimacy with listener
- Multitasking-friendly
- Sound effects and music
Visuals/Graphics
- Quick communication
- Data comparison
- Memorable images
- Pattern recognition
Informacion para Padres (Spanish Summary)
Que esta aprendiendo su hijo? Los estudiantes de septimo grado aprenden a comparar como diferentes formatos de medios (libros, peliculas, podcasts, articulos) presentan el mismo contenido usando diferentes tecnicas.
Conceptos clave:
- Adaptacion: Cuando el contenido se convierte de un formato a otro (libro a pelicula)
- Tecnicas especificas del medio: Herramientas unicas de cada formato (angulos de camara en peliculas, pensamientos internos en libros)
Actividad en casa: Despues de que su hijo lea un libro, vean juntos la adaptacion cinematografica. Pregunte: "Que escenas del libro estaban en la pelicula? Que se elimino? Que agrego la pelicula?" Evite decir que el libro es "mejor" - en cambio, discuta lo que cada formato hace bien.