Week One Chapters One and Two: Students are introduced to the main character, Harry Potter, and his life with the Dursleys. The videos will talk about Harry's unfortunate experiences and how students think it might get better (or worse) for Harry during the rest of the story.  

Week Two Chapters Three and Four: Students are introduced to the Hogwarts letter and mail sent via owl. They will soon meet an important character, Hagrid, and learn what is in store for Harry in the very near future.  

Week Three Chapters Five and Six: Students experience Diagon Alley and the Hogwarts train for the first time. They are introduced to important characters like the Weasleys and Draco Malfoy. 

Week Four Chapters Seven and Eight: Students learn about the different Hogwart's houses, with a special emphasis on Slytherin and Gryffindor. Students will also meet a very important teacher in the story, Professor Snape, and discuss their feelings about the way he treats Harry. 

Week Five Chapters Nine and Ten: Students will learn about flying on a broomstick and Quidditch in this long chapter. They will also meet a very frightening character and begin to question the purpose of this monster in the Hogwarts castle. Students will also experience an incredible Halloween party that cements the friendship of our three main characters! 

Week Six Chapters Eleven and Twelve: The videos will also discuss some valuable information they learn immediately following Harry's Quidditch game. Then it's Christmas in the Hogwarts castle and Harry gets an amazing present. Students will discuss its history and significance to the overall story. 

Week Seven Chapters Thirteen and Fourteen: The plot thickens in these chapters! Students will be encouraged to discuss what they think might happen next. How angry are they that Harry gets in trouble? Is it fair to lose so many house points? 

Week Eight Chapters Fifteen, Sixteen, and Seventeen: They call it the Forbidden Forest for a reason! Who/what do students think is attacking the unicorns? What do students think about the centaur in the forest? Everything Harry, Ron, and Hermione have learned at Hogwarts becomes important soon! Were students surprised by the tasks Harry and his friends faced? What do students think waits for Harry behind the last obstacle? Were students surprised by the ending? Do they think J. K. Rowling did a good job of giving hints and false clues (or was it too obvious)? Did they find the ending abrupt and wish for more explanation? Are they excited to read the next book in the series?

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 magic and fantastical creatures. 

Homework Offered
Students will read between between 16 and 24 pages a week on their own time. Each Sunday, students will have access to the new videos 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 encourage the students to share their responses in the classroom.
1 - 2 hours per week outside of class
Assessments Offered
The more assignments that students complete and the more questions that they share in posts helps me to understand their knowledge and comprehension of the topics we are discussing.
Grades Offered