Sunday, September 13, 2009

Children's literature lesson


Throughout the years many books have caught my attention. In particular, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was my favorite. With the major themes including magic, mystery, good versus evil, and the problems that come with desires, J. K. Rowling creates a book that is hard to put down for children as well as young adults.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is about an eleven year old boy living in Great Britain, who was taken care of by his uncle after he was informed that both of his parents died in a car crash. Unaware of all his capabilities as well as the knowledge that he is a wizard, he repeatedly gets in trouble. Then one day, owls appear delivering Harry mail. Trying his best to keep Harry away from magic, his uncle attempted everything from closing off the mail entrance, to moving his family out of their house. It is then brought to Harry’s attention that he is a wizard and has been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Harry then is introduced to an entire other world; a world full of magic. He learns what really happened to his parents the night of the car crash. Harry is quick to learn that not every wizard is good, especially in the wizarding world. Through his adventure as a first year wizard, he makes friends and learns he is a natural at the game Quiditch. His friends and he are also curious about a sorcerer’s stone which allows someone to become immortal. Harry comes across challenges he has never had to dream about but with the aid of his friends he is able to protect the stone by wishing to find it without the thought of actually using it.
This book is one of my favorites because it incorporates many different ideas of fantasy. Nevertheless it is written in a way that the reader has a strong connection and is able to feel for Harry and his friends. Everyone can identify themselves as one of the main characters. In addition, the book is able to touch on numerous themes. In my classroom, one major theme which I would teach is the value of good versus evil. I would start off the class by making a chart and have all my students express to me what the good and evil character traits are. Then throughout the story, I would have them tell me what made the main characters good or bad based on the chart and add additional qualities if they were not listed. I will also have discussion time to elicit my students’ opinion on their favorite and least favorite parts. I would also have a question and answer time. I will read the first half of the chapter to the class and give my students time to finish it in pairs because some of the wording is a little more difficult. In My classroom, I will have a comfortable rug for reading, this way I will provide a very relaxing atmosphere and an enjoyable place to learn and read.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=harry+potter+and+the+sorcerer%27s+stone

1 comment:

  1. I love all of the Harry Potter books. When the Sorcerer's Stone first came out, I believe I read it for fun just to see what all the hype was about. Like you stated, the fantasy aspect drew me in and hooked me to all of the sequels to come. I've read and own every book in the series and also have all the movies. It's quite an obsession but the books get me thinking and I think they are great books to introduce to kids so that they can begin to develop a love for reading. Choice is the motivation that students need to read so maybe these types of books will get them reading.

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