Harry Potter Novel Study prep - Hogwarts Here We Come!

Happy 2016!

I for one am excited about returning to school in a few more days. I have some serious plans for my little kiddos. They are going to FREAK~

I have had a few every year that like Harry Potter, some even as much as I do. This year I have several that don't just like Harry, they LOVE HIM!! I can't tell you how jealous they were when I had to explain I was taking a day off from school in order to go to Orlando to see the new Harry Potter park. They wouldn't speak to me for days.

 

 

Back in November a fun blog I follow started a new series. Amelia began detailing a novel study for her room and I was instantly riveted. You should check out Where the Wild Things Learn to see all her drool worthy lessons and super fun ideas. Her ideas were fun and above and beyond the call of a creative teacher. Totally fed into my inspiration brain node. I had to try it out.

She had a weekly update that I eagerly awaited, I may even have harassed her a little when she didn't post on time. By the fifth week, I was praying it wouldn't end. Sadly, it did. Now I'm just awaiting her TpT release of her ideas. When, Amelia? When???

I really wanted each of my students to have their own copy of HP01 but couldn't spend the money to secure twenty copies at $8 a pop. I started looking through Goodwill and used bookstores to find them. I wasn't having much luck. So I went back to an old stand by for funding my classroom.

Donorschoose has helped me tremendously in the past. Check out this blog post to see how I got four cameras for my Photography class. The one thing about them is that the materials need to stay with the schools. So the kids can't keep the books. Boo, but I think they'll have enough mementos from this unit that they will remember all the fun for a while.

I put together a donorschoose request in order to purchase the books and some other items to get us rolling on our Harry Potter Novel Study. These requests are up for three months for people to send in money to help you fund what you need. This particular request was funded in under two hours. Whoo HOO! The books arrived pretty quickly too. I actually had to hide them from the kids so they wouldn't spoil the surprise.

I was worried that some of my parents would not take too kindly to reading about witches and spells out loud in class. I tried to find a parent letter asking for permission to share this wonderful world of literature online. I couldn't find anything. So I wrote my own. I'm including the text here for you to use if you need to use it yourself. I folded these letters up, stapled, and taped them shut. Then I told the students that they were reminders for a parent meeting we had coming up so they wouldn't try to open them.

All of the letters came back with permission signed!

My first order of business is to create Hogwarts' Acceptance Letters for the kids' desks come Tuesday morning. One of them items I asked for was 50 sheets of parchment paper to give these letters a more authentic feel.


I went through the Sorceror's Stone to find how it was written for Harry himself so I could recreate it for the kids. I think I might print one out for myself to keep.

Hogwarts School

of Witchcraft and Wizardry

 

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,

Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

 

Dear Mr. Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarst School of Witchcraft and Wizards. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

 

Harry's letter is signed by his future house mistress, Minerva McGonagall. I plan to sign it as my wizard professor name: Prof. Wilfred Waldicott, Prof. of Magical Studies. Professor Waldicott is going to be the COOLEST teacher come Wednesday, let me tell you!