Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Book Discussion: Flexible Schedule
In this 7-week course, students will read and discuss Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling.
Janelle Fila
Average rating:
4.6
Number of reviews:(903)
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What's included
Homework
1-2 hours per week. Students will read approximately three chapters a week on their own time. Each Sunday, students will have access to the new video and a corresponding one page worksheet with discussion questions and places for fill-in-the blank answers. Each week, I assign a short writing assignment focused around that week's discussion questions and ask the students to share their responses in the classroom. There are also daily activities each day like vocabulary words, an I Spy game, word searches and crossword puzzles to test their comprehension from the weekly chapters.Assessment
The more questions, comments, and posts that students share in the classroom, the more I can understand their knowledge and comprehension of the topics we are discussing.Class Experience
US Grade 4 - 7
Students will read approximately three chapters a week on their own time. Each week a new video will discuss the pages that the students have previously read. This class does not meet live. The prerecorded sessions will emphasize characters, their motivations, theme, story plausibility, and inferences about what might come next. Each Sunday, students will have access to a video that covers the important elements of the week's reading and a corresponding one page worksheet with discussion questions and places for fill-in-the blank answers. The worksheets will also address/remind the students of some of the important topics from each chapter. Each week, I assign a short writing assignment focused around that week's discussion questions and ask the students to share their responses in the classroom (so other students may view, comment, and interact as well). I also ask students to submit any vocabulary words the students didn't recognize or passages the students did not understand. The more questions the students ask, the more "discussion" we can have in the classroom after each chapter. Weekly breakdown: Sunday: Students will receive a worksheet and discussion questions for each weekly video. There is one weekly writing assignment to complete after the weekly readings. Monday: I post an I Spy challenge and ask the students to list one specific item they can "spy" from the week's reading. Students can also challenge other students (or myself!) to find other items as well. Tuesday through Fridays: I will post a vocabulary word for the students to use in a sentence that showcases their understanding of the definition. Saturday: I post a link to a Harry Potter themed crossword puzzle, word search or other fun resource the students can fill out to further immerse themselves in this world. Students can share their experience (was there a crossword clue they didn't know the answer to or a word that they just could not find?) in the classroom to share their experience with their classmates.
Learning Goals
Week One (Chapters One, Two, and Three): A dangerous killer is on the loose, but students will focus more on how Harry could learn to control his anger. They will also formulate opinions about why he doesn't get into more trouble for his outrageous actions.
Week Two (Chapters Four, Five and Six): Students meet many new animals and teachers as we do some school shopping and head back to Hogwarts!
Week Three (Chapters Seven, Eight, and Nine): There are lots of frightening creatures and scary moments in these chapters, including a visit from temperamental Sirius Black! What might a boggart might look like to each individual student? Are students willing to share what they fear the most?
Week Four (Chapters Ten, Eleven, and Twelve): Harry receives a lot of interesting gifts, but are they safe? Should he report them or use them to get what he wants? Are the students as angry as Harry and Ron when their good friend tattles?
Week Five (Chapters Thirteen, Fourteen, and Fifteen): Hermione and Snape finally have enough and seem to break under the pressure, but Harry ends these chapters on a happy note. Students should prepare, though, because this is our last good news for a while...
Week Six (Chapters Sixteen, Seventeen, and Eighteen): A lot of characters end up in the most haunted place in Britain and they all have different stories to tell. Which versions do the students think is true? Who do they trust? And who still cannot be trusted?
Week Seven (Chapters Nineteen, Twenty, Twenty-One, and Twenty-Two): We finally get all of the answers to our questions! Were the students surprised by Hermione's object? Were they surprised by what Harry and Hermione were able to do with it? And were they surprised to discover who actually performed the Patronus charm?
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Harry Potter is a book about witches, wizards, and witchcraft. This book is darker than the previous two. According to CommonSenseMedia.org: Its edgier themes will appeal more to older kids. For most of the school year, Harry believes he is marked for death and stalked by an escaped prisoner. He also battles a creature of kids' worst nightmares: the Dementors are black-robed floating beings that suck out happiness and feed on your worst fears, which is why Harry hears the sound of his mother's last scream when he sees them. While this can be tough for young and sensitive readers, the bright spot is the Boggart lesson in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Boggarts can turn into what a person fears most, but the kids learn to yell "Ridiculous!" and turn it into something to laugh at.
Supply List
The students will need a copy of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 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 while filling out their worksheets or working on their writing assignment.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Outschool is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., owner of the Harry Potter® mark and related Harry Potter marks.
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
$10
weekly or $70 for 7 weeks7 weeks
Completed by 2 learners
No live video meetings
Ages: 9-14
