Harry Potter Curriculum

Howdy from Jaclyn in Aggieland!

For several years now, I have been incredibly intrigued by the idea of homeschooling my future children. I get really excited when I am thinking about how and what I would teach my kids. I love Harry Potter. A lot. I recently was re-reading the series and the first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, sparked so much inspiration for a one-year (maybe less, depending on just how thorough I can make it) curriculum for an 11-year old. Here are some of my thoughts on what parallels I would make.

First of all, Harry Potter begins his schooling at Hogwarts the year he turns 11. The curriculum is based on the courses Harry Potter and his classmates take, but with a more realistic twist. Some of them have more obvious parallels to real-life subjects and others are a little bit harder.

• Transfiguration: In the world of Harry Potter, Transfiguration is the science of changing objects (including animals and even yourself) into other objects. Often this is something like turning an inanimate object into an animal, but the ability to be an Animagus is based in Transfiguration. This was at first difficult for me to decide what the real-life subject would be, but after a lot of thought and consideration, I decided on mathematics. Transfiguration is described as being elegant and there is nothing more elegant than math. Also, a lot of math (especially in the middle grades) is about understanding how to "transfigure" numbers and data into alternate forms, i.e., rational numbers as decimals and fractions, data into graphical representations, etc. It is a stretch, but it is the best fit, in my humble opinion. :)
• Charms: Charms is similar to Transfiguration, but "softer." It allows for creativity and for the personality of the wizard to come through. J. K. Rowling said of Charms, "I see Charms as a slightly lighter subject than transfiguration which is very hard work. With Charms there would be a little more leeway for a little more personal creativity – transfiguration you have to get it exactly right, transfiguration is more scientific." I also had a difficult time deciding on the real-life parallel to Charms, but I felt that Art or Music was its closest counterpart.
• Potions: Potions is the science of creating potions. There is no obvious magic used in creating potions, but it is extremely difficult to create the proper end result. I thought Chemistry was the obvious choice for Potions. Not only does Chemistry involve the interactions of atoms and the making of substances, but it also requires a lot of care and precision.
• History of Magic: This is your typical history course, but focuses on magical beings and events. Thus, this will be a typical history course with a focus on the contemporary world.
• Defense Against the Dark Arts: This course is all about protecting yourself from dark magic and evil wizards. To me, it feels like the most physical of the classes at Hogwarts, so I envision it more as a Physical Education course. (Although Dolores Umbridge turned it into a dull reading-based course. What did she even do besides be a horrible horrible toad?) This will be a physical education "course." Maybe sign them up for martial arts? Especially a branch that focuses on discipline and using what they learn only for defensive reasons.
• Astronomy: Astronomy is Astronomy. Harry Potter and his classmates learned about the names of major stars, constellations, and planets, as well as their movements and environments. The class was done Wednesdays at midnight. Exactly what I would do. Sounds fabulous and fun.
• Herbology: Herbology is the study of magical and mundane plants and fungi. My idea here is that the kids will help in the garden, growing fruit, veggies, and herbs that will be used in the home, just like the plants and fungi Harry Potter and friends worked with were used in potions and other items at Hogwarts.
• Flying: At Hogwarts, all first year students learned how to fly on a broom. I have no idea what parallel I can make with a real-life course. No clue...

Classes that need to be addressed:

• English and Language Arts: Reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and completing some kind of project on it would be a part of the curriculum, but it would not be sufficient. My idea (right now) is that the kids would write a play based on Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone or some other creative activity that would demonstrate the year-long, curriculum-wide learning. However, I also want to incorporate reading and writing poetry, nonfiction, drama, and other fiction. What I really want to happen is that Harry Potter will be our bedtime read which will be read aloud by the kids, myself, and maybe Hubba, if we can prod him into it. However, that leaves open the "problem" of integrating ELA into the curriculum since that was not a course for Harry.

So, what do you think?

Thanks and Gig 'Em!