Teach with the Hoot Book and Movie
Reinforce Compare and Contrast Skills and Writing in Middle School
Jun 14, 2009
Who gives a Hoot? The middle school characters in Carl Hiaasen's book Hoot [Yearling, 2006] care so much that they decide to do something about it.
The Plot of Hoot
Hoot takes place in Florida and tells the story of Roy Eberhardt, a newcomer from Montana, who is not only trying to avoid the school bully, Dana Matherson, but also to figure out why there is a kid running around town with no shoes. With little help from an unlikely friend, Beatrice Leep, a tough player on the girls' soccer team, he is able to do both.
Meanwhile, there is a mystery to be solved: Who is sabotaging the future site of Mother Paula's Pancake House and why? The job foreman, Curly, and local Police Officer David Delinko certainly can't figure it out and get caught in a host of small schemes to delay the building process.
The two stories come together because the boy with no shoes, nicknamed Mullet Fingers, has been planning pranks to prevent the construction of another chain restaurant in order to save the burrowing owls that live on the property. Roy and Beatrice decide to join his cause and get others involved in the plight that comes to a head on the day of the groundbreaking ceremony.
Comparing and Contrasting
The movie, based on Hiaasen's book, captures the main story and feelings of the characters, but does skew many of the minor details of the novel. Much of the background for the characters is omitted, so they are not as fully developed, making it harder to make a deep emotional connection to them. These nuances make it all the more meaningful when students pair the novel with the movie.
Students could keep a running log comparing and contrasting the movie portrayal with the book as they read. There are also many topics pertinent to the middle school level that could be discussed in literature circles. First, the class could compare and contrast the Montana and Florida settings that Roy has lived in. This would help build background knowledge for both the character and setting. Next, the class could compare and contrast the characters' home lives as this contributes a lot to who the characters are and how they try to resolve the problems they are faced with.
Debate Right and Wrong
Then, students could discuss the statement made by Mrs. Eberhardt about "reconciling the arguments between your brain and your heart" to help determine what is right and what is wrong. There are several examples in the book where the line between right and wrong is very fine and middle school students will easily recall instances from their own lives where they have had to make a difficult choice. Finally, the ending of the book also leaves room for more age-appropriate questions:
- What would you have done?
- How would you deal with a bully?
- Did Dana Matherson get the punishment he deserved?
- Where did Mullet Fingers go after the groundbreaking ceremony?
Completing Authentic Writing Tasks
Teachers will find many sections of the novel that would lead to relevant writing assignments. First, stopping the novel just before the reader meets Mullet Fingers, children could use the context clues from the book to create a story about his background. Next, students could write a persuasive letter to the corporate headquarters of Mother Paula's Pancake House, asking them to save the burrowing owls. Last, the students could conduct research to write up the missing Environmental Impact Statement.
Technology could be brought into this unit by having students choose sides and make a multimedia presentation on behalf of the Audubon Society or a commercial on behalf Mother Paula's. After viewing all presentations the students could debate further on the topic. Other interesting websites to incorporate into this unit include Carl Hiaasen answering questions about Hoot and the Scholastic website.
