E7 E - Compare a text and a film scene

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E7 E - Compare a text and a film scene

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E7 E - Compare a text and a film scene

Mini description: Compare a short text with a film scene. Focus on characters, action, mood and selection: What is the same? What changes? What does the film show, add or leave out?

Level: English, Year 7, E-level, Baden-Württemberg.

Media start: Look first

Look at the White Rabbit before you read anything.

1. Notice: What three details can you see?
2. Think: What might the Rabbit be doing?
3. Predict: What could Alice do next?

Try in English first.

Hint: Use: I can see ... / Maybe ... / I think Alice will ...

German help if needed: Du musst nicht jedes Wort kennen. Nutze sichtbare Details und Vermutungen.

I can ...

After this aiMOOC, you can say:

1. I can understand the main action in a short text and a film scene.
2. I can compare characters, action and mood.
3. I can explain one important choice made by the film.
4. I can use both, however, while and because in a comparison.
5. I can give my opinion and support it with one detail.

What you already know

Quick pair talk:

1. What is a character?
2. What is a scene?
3. How can music, movement or camera distance change a mood?
4. Can a film show every sentence from a book?

Mini-check: A film adaptation does not have to copy every detail. It makes choices.

Context: Alice and the White Rabbit

Lewis Carroll published Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in 1865. The story follows Alice into a strange fantasy world. One famous moment starts when she sees a White Rabbit in a hurry.

The 1903 Alice in Wonderland film by Cecil Hepworth and Percy Stow is an early screen adaptation. The surviving film is silent. This makes it useful for a clear comparison: the text can tell us Alice's thoughts, while the film must show ideas through images, acting, movement, editing and visual effects.

Notice → understand: Read the short text

Learner-friendly adaptation based on the public-domain story:

Alice sees a White Rabbit. The Rabbit is in a hurry and looks at a watch. Alice has never seen a rabbit with a watch before. She becomes very curious. She runs after the Rabbit across the field. The Rabbit disappears into a large rabbit hole. Alice follows it without thinking about how she will get back.

First try: Read once without a dictionary.

Choose four key words that carry the action.

Hint: Look for verbs.

German help if needed: Frage Dich: Wer macht was? Noch keine Detailübersetzung.

Reading check

Complete these ideas in your own words:

1. Alice notices something unusual because ...
2. Alice follows the Rabbit because ...
3. The text tells us about Alice's feelings through the word ...
4. One detail that may be difficult to show directly in a film is ...

Feedback check: If your answer uses a detail from the text, you are already analysing.

Context/media: Watch the film scene

Watch the beginning of the official BFI restoration. Stop after Alice follows the White Rabbit.

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YouTube

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Fortfahren Ausblenden

Viewing 1 – main idea: Do not write. Just watch.

Viewing 2 – evidence: Note one detail for each box:

Focus	Your evidence
Character	What does Alice do?
Action	What happens first, next and last?
Mood	What feels strange, playful, calm or exciting?
Selection	What does the film show clearly? What is not shown?

Hint: You do not need to understand spoken dialogue. This is a silent film.

German help if needed: Achte auf Bewegung, Kostüm, Blickrichtung, Bildwirkung und Musik.

Listening/Viewing: What does the soundtrack do?

The restored online version uses music. Listen for about 20–30 seconds while watching.

1. Is the music slow or fast?
2. Does it make the scene feel calm, funny, strange or exciting?
3. Would the mood change without the music?

Try: The music makes the scene feel ... because ...

Important: Music in a restoration is not the same thing as dialogue from the original silent film. Treat it as an added mood signal.

Compare: text vs film

Use the four comparison lenses.

Lens	Text	Film	Useful question
Characters	Words can describe thoughts and feelings.	Acting, costume and movement show character.	What do we learn about Alice?
Action	The text can slow down and explain.	The film can show actions quickly.	Is the order the same?
Mood	Words create mood through description.	Images, acting, pace and music create mood.	Which version feels stranger or faster?
Selection	The writer includes inner thoughts and details.	The filmmakers choose what to show, shorten or leave out.	What was selected or omitted?

Key idea: A difference is not automatically a mistake. It can be an adaptation choice.

A model comparison

Both versions show Alice following the White Rabbit. In the text, we learn that Alice is curious. The film cannot show this thought directly, so it uses Alice's movement and attention. The film also makes the moment more visual. However, the short text explains Alice's reason more clearly.

Notice: The model gives a claim and then evidence.

Vocabulary in context

Word	Meaning in this lesson	Example
character	a person or figure in a story	Alice is the main character.
action	what happens	The action starts with the Rabbit.
mood	the feeling of a scene	The music creates a playful mood.
detail	a small but useful piece of information	The watch is an important detail.
curious	wanting to know more	Alice is curious about the Rabbit.
selection	what is chosen for the film	The film makes a different selection of details.
omit	leave something out	A film may omit a thought from the text.
adapt	change something for a new form	Filmmakers adapt a book for the screen.

Pronunciation

Say these words slowly, then in a sentence:

1. CHARacter – stress the first part.
2. CU-ri-ous – keep it smooth; do not pronounce every letter separately.
3. comPARE – stress the second part.
4. scene – one syllable; it sounds like seen.

Mini-practice: I compare the character in the text and the scene in the film.

Goal: Be understandable. You do not need to copy one particular accent.

Functional grammar: compare clearly

Use simple structures that help your meaning.

Same: Both versions show ...

Different: In the text ..., while in the film ...

Contrast: However, the film ...

Reason: This creates a different mood because ...

Evidence: One detail is ...

Grammar focus: Use the present simple when you analyse a text or film: The text shows ... The film uses ...

E-level extension: one controlled past perfect look

Only as an optional extension:

By the time Alice followed the Rabbit, she had noticed the watch.

Use this only when you need to show that one past action happened before another past action. You do not need it for the main comparison.

Speaking: Compare with a partner

Student A starts with the text. Student B starts with the film.

Talk for about one minute.

Use at least three of these:

Both ... However ... While ... I think ... because ... One important detail is ... The film leaves out ...

Then switch roles.

Less help: Try to continue without reading the sentence starters.

Feedback: Your partner gives one strength and one next step: Clear evidence: ... Next time, explain ...

Mini discussion: Which choice works?

Discuss one adaptation choice from the scene.

Possible question:

Is it effective to show Alice's curiosity through movement instead of explaining it in words?

Give one reason and react to another view:

I agree because ... I see your point, but ... Another detail is ...

There is no single correct opinion. Your reason should fit the scene.

Writing: 80–100 words

Write a short comparison.

Task: Compare the text and film scene in characters, action, mood and selection. You do not need four separate paragraphs.

Plan:

1. Start with one similarity.
2. Explain one or two differences.
3. Use at least two details.
4. End with one sentence about an adaptation choice.

Check before you finish:

1. Did I compare both versions?
2. Did I use evidence?
3. Did I use at least two linking words?
4. Is my English clear?
5. Did I keep my own ideas?

Mediation mini-task

A German-speaking classmate asks:

Warum ist die Filmszene nicht einfach genau wie der Text?

Answer in simple English in 2–3 sentences. Do not translate the whole text.

Hint: Explain the idea of an adaptation choice.

Mini-transfer: another still, another choice

Look at the illustration.

Imagine a filmmaker wants to turn this image into a five-second shot.

Decide:

1. camera distance
2. Alice's movement
3. sound or silence
4. one detail to keep
5. one detail to leave out

Explain one choice: I would ... because ...

Datei:Alice par John Tenniel 04.png

Transfer question: How could a close-up make this moment feel different from a long shot?

Safe media and AI use

Use media from reliable, rights-cleared or officially provided sources. Do not re-upload the BFI video; use the official stream or embed.

If you record a speaking task, recording is optional and should stay private unless your teacher and everyone involved clearly agree to another use. Do not upload classmates' voices, faces or private social-media data without permission.

If you use AI for vocabulary or feedback, check whether the language fits Year 7 and whether the feedback is correct. Keep your own ideas and your own text. AI should help you improve a draft, not replace it. Do not send private recordings or personal data to external AI services without permission.

Feedback → improve → use again

Take your 80–100 word comparison and improve exactly two things:

1. Add one stronger piece of evidence.
2. Replace one weak connector with a clearer connector.

Then read the improved version aloud to yourself or a partner.

Final quick check: Can another person understand your main comparison without seeing your notes?

Self-/Can-do check

Mark each statement: Yes / Nearly / Not yet.

1. I can find the main action in a short text.
2. I can notice visual evidence in a film scene.
3. I can compare character, action and mood.
4. I can explain one adaptation choice.
5. I can support an opinion with evidence.
6. I can improve my own comparison after feedback.

If you choose Not yet, return to the model comparison and try one new sentence.

Media and source note

The course uses a learner-friendly adaptation of a short moment from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The original work is available as an open historical text.

The visual materials by John Tenniel are historical public-domain illustrations on Wikimedia Commons. The film comparison uses the official British Film Institute YouTube upload of the 1903 adaptation.

Do not copy or re-upload modern restorations or soundtracks. Use the official embed.

Interaktive Aufgaben

Quiz: Teste Dein Wissen

What is the main goal of this lesson? (Compare a short text and a film scene) (!Translate every sentence into German) (!Learn the whole story by heart) (!Describe only the film costumes)

Which four lenses are used for the comparison? (Characters action mood and selection) (!Grammar spelling dates and names) (!Music colour actors and price) (!Title author pages and chapters)

Why does Alice follow the White Rabbit in the short text? (She is curious) (!She wants to go home) (!She is looking for her sister) (!She has lost her watch)

What can a text show especially clearly? (A character's thoughts) (!Only camera movement) (!Only costume colour) (!Only background music)

What can film use to create mood? (Images movement pace and music) (!Page numbers only) (!A dictionary only) (!Chapter headings only)

What does selection mean in an adaptation? (The filmmakers choose what to show or leave out) (!Every detail must stay unchanged) (!The audience chooses the actors) (!The book becomes a translation exercise)

Which sentence compares the two versions clearly? (Both versions show Alice following the Rabbit) (!Alice Rabbit film text) (!The scene is a scene) (!There are many words)

Which connector signals a contrast? (However) (!Because) (!First) (!Also)

What makes an opinion stronger? (A reason supported by a detail) (!A longer sentence without evidence) (!A German translation of every word) (!Repeating the same opinion three times)

What is a good use of AI in this task? (Check vocabulary or feedback and keep your own ideas) (!Replace your complete text with an AI answer) (!Upload private recordings without permission) (!Copy feedback without checking it)

Memory

character	person or figure in a story
mood	feeling created by a scene
action	what happens
selection	details chosen for the adaptation
evidence	detail that supports an idea
omit	leave something out

Drag and Drop

Ordne die richtigen Begriffe zu.	Thema
Both versions show	similarity
However the film	contrast
because	reason
One detail is	evidence
The film leaves out	selection

Kreuzworträtsel

curiosity	What makes Alice want to know more?
rabbit	Which animal does Alice follow?
mood	What word means the feeling of a scene?
action	What word describes what happens?
detail	What can support a comparison claim?
contrast	What word means showing a clear difference?

Lückentext

Vervollständige den Text.

A film version of a book is an . Alice follows the White Rabbit because she is . A comparison can begin with a . The word however introduces a . A scene can create a strong . A useful claim should be supported by . Filmmakers make a when they decide what to show or omit.

Offene Aufgaben

Leicht

1. Image detective: Choose one Alice illustration and describe five visible details in simple English.
2. Word collector: Find eight useful comparison words from this aiMOOC and write one new sentence with each.
3. Scene order: Draw four simple frames that show the Rabbit scene in the correct order.
4. One-minute compare: Tell a partner one similarity and one difference between text and film.

Standard

1. Storyboard choice: Turn the short text into a six-frame storyboard and mark one detail you would omit.
2. Mood test: Watch the scene once with sound and once muted. Explain how the mood changes.
3. Perspective switch: Retell the moment from the White Rabbit's point of view in 80–100 words.
4. Mini presentation: Give a 90-second presentation on one adaptation choice and support it with two details.

Schwer

1. Adaptation argument: Write 120–150 words answering: Should a film stay close to the text? Use the Alice scene as evidence.
2. Director's plan: Plan camera distance, movement and sound for a new 20-second version. Explain three choices.
3. Second comparison: Choose another legally usable historical illustration or scene and compare how it presents Alice.
4. Revision challenge: Exchange drafts, give evidence-based feedback, revise your own text and explain which change improved it most.

Lernkontrolle

1. New scene transfer: You receive a new short text and a film still. Explain which two details you would compare first and why.
2. Evidence check: Improve the claim The film is more exciting by adding two specific pieces of evidence.
3. Choice and effect: A director removes a character's inner thought. Explain two different ways the film could communicate the same idea.
4. Compare interpretations: Two learners disagree about the mood of a scene. Show how both can test their ideas with evidence.
5. Adaptation plan: Choose one sentence from a short fictional text and design a five-second screen version. Explain what you keep, add and omit.
6. Revision reflection: Compare your first and final paragraph. Explain which revision made your meaning clearer and why.

Lernnachweis

For a successful learning record, you should be able to:

1. understand the main action in both media
2. compare at least one similarity and two differences
3. use evidence from text and film
4. discuss character, action, mood and selection
5. explain an adaptation choice with a reason
6. use clear comparison language
7. revise your own work after feedback
8. handle media, recordings and AI responsibly

OERs zum Thema

Original and background reading:

Optional English original: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Alice%27s_Adventures_in_Wonderland_%281866%29/Chapter_1

Historical film background: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_in_Wonderland_%281903%29

Folgekurs

Continue with:

E7 E - Explain an adaptation choice

There you move from comparison to a short evidence-based explanation.

Verknüpfte Lernbereiche

E7 E - Compare a text and a film scene Reading Viewing Speaking Writing Mediation Film analysis Literary adaptation Media literacy