ERIC Number: EJ721670
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2004-Jan
Pages: 3
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0887-2376
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Harry Potter as a Context for Problem Based-Learning
Beaton, M.J.
Science Scope, v27 n4 p15-17 Jan 2004
Reading Harry Potter aloud to the class one autumn sparked the students imaginations and also the authors'. As a result, that semester the author designed and taught a thematic unit based on Harry Potter. The students were able to identify with the 11-year old wizard and his adventures in a strange new world. In mathematics, language arts, and science, they studied a curriculum as it might have been taught at Hogwarts School. In reality it was the sixth-grade curriculum in disguise.) The unit built on the atmosphere created by J.K. Rowling in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. In her creation of a curriculum at Hogwarts School, Rowling has based a few of the wizard subjects on studies such as life science, plants, and physical science. Her students are curious and interested in their new classes. The atmosphere appears to be one of hands-on active learning. Although not the prime focus of the novel, studies are important and, in the end, prove to be the key to finding the sorcerer's stone. The wizardry students appear to be focused and on-task in their classes. This article briefly describes the curriculum.
Descriptors: Physical Sciences, Biological Sciences, Fantasy, Childrens Literature, Units of Study, Thematic Approach, Science Education, Problem Based Learning, Teaching Methods
National Science Teachers Association, 1840 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22201-3000. Tel: 800-722-6782 (Toll Free); Web site: http://www.nsta.org.
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Middle Schools
Audience: Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A

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