Doing something well takes practice and special skills. Special skills come with practice!

Hermione spent many hours studying to be at the top of class, and those who played Quidditch spent many hours practicing to try to win the House Cup! Good writing takes special skills, too. 

In this class, we will be reading, writing, thinking, and creating with Harry Potter inspired questions, topics, creative writing activities, and drawing lessons. 

*This is a flexible schedule course. Please note that there aren't any live meetings for this course.*

The topics we discuss and write about will be Harry Potter related - but not just about Harry Potter, but about how the themes and characters relate to how we view the world. There is much more than meets the eye in the story of Harry Potter, and we'll be learning about, discussing, exploring, and writing about the philosophical ideas and viewpoints found in the stories as well.

**This class is designed for learners who have seen all of the films and/or read the books, as the writing prompts will be based on the themes/characters from the Harry Potter series.**

This is a fun, interactive class, where creativity and critical thinking are highly encouraged. Videos, lessons, assignments, tutorials, and discussion questions will be posted each week. 

Each week, we will discuss a different style of writing and  apply that style of writing to Harry Potter characters/plots/places/themes. This will be done with a slide/video lesson introducing the writing style, giving examples, and explaining the writing assignment (posted each Monday). 
There will be writing prompts, discussion questions, and a brainstorming/worksheet to complete as learners watch the lessons. Learners are encouraged to share their brainstorming pages and ideas with one another and myself for feedback/guidance. 
Each Tuesday, a step-by-step drawing or art tutorial will be posted for learners to complete, as well as a weekly discussion question. Learners are encouraged to respond with a video or comment explaining their thoughts, and respond to the ideas of others (in encouraging, uplifting ways - which we will discuss:)). 
On Wednesday's, Would You Rather? Questions will be posted for Would You Rather? Wednesday! Learners are to answer the question and explain the reasoning behind their answer. These Harry Potter questions might be silly, thought provoking, or gross! 

Week One:  
Opinion Paragraph - Learners will be given prompts/guidance as they express their opinion on the given topic. Learners will work on being able to provide strong reasons that support and explain their opinion. 
Art - Snowy Owl 
Discussion Question/Writing Prompt - Which House do you believe the Sorting Hat would place you in, and why? (Fully explaining the reasoning for our choice; a practice in stretching out our answers/answering completely)
Worksheet - The Four Houses of Hogwarts (With accompanying videos about the four Houses, the Founders, characteristics of each house, and qualities/character traits of each House) 


Week Two:
Compare-Contrast - Learners will describe how various characters are alike/different, and how those characters compare to themselves through discussion and writing prompts (Compare/Contrast Introduction Video, Using Signal Words, Definitions, Character Video Lesson, Brainstorming Worksheet and Writing Assignment)
Art -  The Golden Snitch (Video Lesson & Step-by-Step Drawing Tutorial)
Would You Rather Wednesday? - Two Would You Rather? Questions/Video Prompts
Discussion Question - Which character do you admire for overcoming difficult circumstances/challenges? (With accompanying video with examples, a lesson on Perseverance; relating the lessons from Harry to a time they have persevered in their own life)

Week Three:
Narrative Writing - Learners will complete the prompts to write their own narrative story based in the world of Harry Potter, with a focus on using detailed descriptive words to help the reader picture the story in their minds. There will be instructional lessons on the five story elements: plot, character, theme, conflict, and setting. 
Art - Character Drawings
Discussion Questions - How would you summon your patronus? and What would your horcruxes be? What items do you feel most define you? 

Week Four: 
Descriptive Writing/Poetry - Learners will create three different poems inspired by the themes/characters in Harry Potter. There will be video lessons on how to create each one, brainstorming worksheets, and poetry pages to print (Haiku Poetry, Diamante Poetry)
Art - The Deathly Hallows Drawing (based on the Tale of the Three Brothers)
Discussion Questions - What are the life lessons we can learn from Harry Potter? How have these stories impacted the way you view the world?