Chances are very good that your children have clamored to see the latest and most popular movie. Have you given thought to where that movie came from? Many films are actually cinematic versions of popular or even lesser-known books. You can harness the energy and publicity that goes into hyping new movies and send it steaming into learning. Kids are very excited by the latest fad to come across the scene, and you can use this to motivate them to do reading activities. All you need is just a smidgen of creativity or a handy resource guide.
It's easy to tap into current and popular movies to motivate even some of the most reluctant readers. Check your library or bookstore for printed copies of current favorites, put your creative genius to work, and you'll be humming along in no time. To get you started, here are some fabulous ideas for relating reading exercises to the movie, Horton Hears a Who!
Find Horton Speak
Type up sections of the book and have students highlight the words that Horton says in one color and words said by other characters in a different color.
Go on a Word Hunt
Search the text of the book and be the first to find words with specific phonics attributes, such as short As, ending with t, or having a double letter.
Make a List
How many words can you find in this book that end in -ing? (there are a bunch!) Write them all down, and then see if you can make a collage showing these actions.
Animal Party
There are a number of real animals mentioned in Horton Hears a Who! Look through the book and find their names.
Rhyme Time
Choose one of the great rhyming words on the end of a line, and see how many rhymes you can think of to go with it. Play this game on your own, or as a friendly competition, or take turns adding to the list until the next player cannot think of another rhyme.
Syllable Count
Practice counting syllables by clapping for each one in a line. Have a partner count the claps and make sure that each is truly on a syllable. Can you find the line with the most syllables? How about the line with the fewest syllables?
Grammar Zoo
Make a poster of one or more cages labeled with parts of speech (noun, verb, etc.). Now page through the book and find words in each category for your cage. Find at least ten of each!
The H Is the Thing
The title of this book is alliterative: the important words all begin with the /h/ sound. Make up your own alliterative sentences. The longer the better, and give out extra points for sentences where all the words start with the letter H!
