Harry Potter in the Classroom

As many of you know, I purchased a thematic book unit of Harry Potter that was aligned to the Common Core for grades 5 - 8 and have been steadily working my way through the books with my classes. Overall, it has been a hit.

I had a few false starts because my class roster changed dramatically (and quickly) but have finally gotten in a groove with my current group. We have finished years 1 through 3 and are starting year 4, Goblet of Fire this week. The kids go through phases (as all kids do) and got a bit bored with Prisoner of Azkaban in the beginning. Once we got to the "big reveal" though, they were super interested and it got to the point where they were asking to continue reading (instead of one chapter at a time). We finished it last week and of course had our Harry Potter party to celebrate. We watched the  movie, enjoyed snacks, and had a sundae bar. The kids also turned in their final projects and completed a comprehension quiz. After the movie screening, they did a compare/contrast activity between the film and book.
Here's our party in pictures:

A few of the projects completed

At the end of each book they get a certificate for completing the book

Found this on Pinterest and printed it - the kids loved it. Here's the link to make your own

Our kitchen staff is amazing and set up this awesome sundae bar for the kids

The party was a hit, the kids made awesome final projects, and they did great on their final assessments. I am always so proud of the work and effort they put it!

So now, it is on to year 4. We have previewed the book and I've shown them the covers from around the world, including the many variations by Scholastic and Bloomsbury. They're excited for Goblet of Fire, but are a bit apprehensive due to the pure size of this one. It may not be one of my favorites in the series, but most people love it and I have no doubt that the class will soon realize it is one of their favorites because of all the Quidditch and the entertainment in the Triwizard Tournament.


write to be understood, speak to be heard, read to grow