Mrs. Parkhurst’s 3rd grade TIG reading group read James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl and watched the movie adaptation by Tim Burton. The students then chose to either be on the Book team or the Movie team and they were then divided up into groups to debate the following categories: Setting, Character, Action & Adventure and the Overall Message.

SETTING
Opening – Book:
The cloud men setting is better in the book than in the movie because the cloud men make rainbows.

Rebuttal – Movie:
I disagree because they have a ladder in the peach.

Opening – Movie:
The movie is better than the book because inside the peach they make peach juice.

Rebuttal – Book:
I disagree. The cloud setting is better in the book because the cloud men make snow balls.

New Argument – Book:
There is more excitement in the setting of the book than the movie because the peach goes to a lot of different places.

Rebuttal – Movie:
I disagree because James scoops a piece of the peach to make a hole.

New Argument – Movie:
The movie is better than the book because they have stairs on the side of the peach.

Rebuttal – Book:
I disagree. The peach is better in the book than the movie because the peach goes to the ocean and they tie the peach to some seagulls.

 
CHARACTER
Opening – Book:
The characters are better in the book than the movie because Centipede makes more jokes.

Rebuttal – Movie:
I disagree. Centipede is a little nicer and a little grouchy in the movie.

Opening – Movie:
The movie is better than the book because Centipede knows they’re going to New York City

Rebuttal – Book:
I disagree because Centipede is bossier than in the movie

New Argument – Book:
James is better in the book than in the movie because he is more curious

Rebuttal- Movie:
I disagree. James is better in the movie because he fought dead pirates

New Argument – Movie:
James is better in the movie because he is more clever.

Rebuttal – Book:
I disagree because James wants to learn more in the book than the movie.

ACTION & ADVENTURE
Opening – Book:
The book is better than the movie because it has Cloud Men.

Rebuttal – Movie:
I disagree because the movie is better than the book because Centipede and Miss Spider fights the skeleton pirates and has more adventure.

Opening – Movie:
The movie is better than the book because it has more adventure and James and his friend plan to go to New York City

Rebuttal – Book:
I disagree. The book is better than the movie because the cloud Men are better than the pirates because the Cloud men go through clouds

New Argument – Book:
The book is better than the movie because it has more adventure.

Rebuttal- Movie:
I disagree because in the movie the robot shark has more action and details

New Argument – Movie:
The movie is better than the book because the Centipede puts something in the robot shark and it exploded.

Rebuttal – Book
I disagree. The James and the Giant Peach book is better than the movie because they don’t know where they’re going

OVERALL MESSAGE
Opening – Book:
The book is better than the movie because the message tells more of what James wants. James wants to get away from Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge

Rebuttal – Movie:
I disagree that the book is better because James wanted to go to New York City.

Opening – Movie:
James parents’ dream is to go to New York City because they will be together in his heart.

Rebuttal – Book:
I disagree. The book is better than the movie because the message tells more about why James is lonely. Because he has no friends.

New Argument – Book:
The book is better than the movie because the message tells why James wants to have fun And to have fun James made friends with insects

Rebuttal- Movie:
I disagree that the book is better because the movie has more messages than the book

New Argument – Movie:
They want to go to New York City because the parents promised James they would go together.

Rebuttal – Book
I disagree. The book is better than the movie because the message is that James does not like working for Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge