Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Reading and Discussion
Let's read and discuss the second novel in the Harry Potter series!
Janelle Fila
Average rating:
4.6
Number of reviews:(903)
Star Educator
What's included
9 live meetings
9 in-class hoursClass Experience
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is the second book in one of the most beloved middle grade series of this century. It continues the story of Harry's magical experiences at Hogwarts with his best friends, Ron and Hermione. During class, we will discuss the pages that students have previously read. Emphasis will be on the characters, their motivations, themes, and inferences about what might come next in the story. Some of our conversations might cover bullying, good versus evil, school and learning, family, and the importance of creativity and make-believe. During our discussion, we will talk about any vocabulary words the students didn't recognize or passages the students did not understand.
Learning Goals
Week One Chapters One and Two: Why is Harry having such a horrible time with the Dursleys? Should Harry listen to Dobby's warning?
Week Two Chapters Three and Four: How does Harry's stay at the Weasley home compare to his time with the Dursleys? What important events does Harry witness in Diagon Alley?
Week Three Chapters Five and Six: Do students believe Ron and Harry were right to take the flying car? How do students feel about the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?
Week Four Chapters Seven and Eight: Which ghost is their favorite? What would students do if they were invited to attend a Deathday party? What voice do students believe Harry is hearing and how important might this be to the overall story?
Week Five Chapters Nine and Ten: What do the students think about the Chamber of Secrets? Students will discuss their thoughts and ideas about who might be responsible and how it is happening.
Week Six Chapters Eleven and Twelve: Are students as surprised as Harry about what happens at the Dueling Club? Considering what Harry and Ron learned and what happened to Hermione, do students feel drinking the polyjuice potion was successful or a waste of time?
Week Seven Chapters Thirteen and Fourteen: How do the students feel about what Harry learns about Hagrid? What might Hermione have learned after rushing to the library?
Week Eight Chapters Fifteen and Sixteen: Are students surprised by the turn of events in these chapters? What do students think awaits Harry in the Chamber of Secrets?
Week Nine Chapters Seventeen and Eighteen: Where students surprised by who the heir of Slytherin was? Were students satisfied about the overall ending or were they left wanting more? How likely are they to continue to read book three?
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Harry Potter is a book about witches, wizards, and witchcraft. This book is a bit darker than the Sorcerer's Stone. The ghosts are important characters and many students are attacked and nearly killed. There's also reference to a specific insult (Mudblood) that one of the characters calls the other because she is not of pure, magical blood. The target audience for this book is a twelve-year-old. The darker themes might not be appropriate for younger readers.
Supply List
The students will need their own copy of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets to read on their own. It can be borrowed from the library or even listened to as an audio book. The students will not need a physical copy of the story in class, although they may find it helpful to have during our discussion time.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined June, 2019
4.6
903reviews
Star Educator
Teacher expertise and credentials
Master's Degree in Music or Theatre or Arts from Spalding University
I have an MFA in Creative Writing for Children and Young Adults. During grad school, my 30 page critical essay cited numerous quotes from the Harry Potter series. I felt so fortunate to get to read Harry Potter as part of my education! I want to share that love and passion for Harry Potter to all readers. It is such an immersive world and so much fun to escape to. There is so much to be learned from this series, especially for students who love reading about creative worlds or who have any interest in creative writing. Reviews
Live Group Class
$15
weekly1x per week, 9 weeks
60 min
Completed by 1 learner
Live video meetings
Ages: 8-13
1-12 learners per class
