Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is a classic novel that has captured the hearts and minds of readers of all ages. It tells the story of a young boy named Harry Potter, who discovers that he is a wizard and attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Through his adventures at Hogwarts, Harry learns about friendship, bravery, and the power of love.
Using Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in the classroom can be a great way to engage students and make learning more fun. The book can be used to teach a variety of subjects, such as English, history, and even science. For example, students can analyze the characters and themes in the book, study the historical and cultural references, or even explore the magical concepts that are introduced. In addition to being an entertaining and educational read, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is also a great way to promote literacy and improve reading skills. The book is well-written and easy to follow, making it a good choice for readers of all levels. It also introduces students to new vocabulary and encourages them to think critically about the text.
Why should you use Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in your classroom?
Popularity: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is a book that most students have heard of, if not already read. This familiarity can help students feel more invested in the material and motivated to learn.
Relatability: The characters in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone are relatable and appeal to a wide range of readers. Students may see themselves in Harry, Hermione, or Ron, and this can help them connect with the story and learn important life lessons.
Diversity: The book introduces readers to a diverse cast of characters from different backgrounds and cultures. This can help promote empathy and understanding among students and encourage them to appreciate differences.
Themes: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone explores important themes such as friendship, courage, and the power of love. These themes can be used to spark meaningful discussions and encourage students to reflect on their own values and beliefs.
By using Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in your classroom, you can create a fun and engaging learning environment that promotes literacy, critical thinking, and empathy.
Try a free sample of the novel study for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
I offer a complete novel study to accompany Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (which includes a format for the Philosopher’s Stone) for use in the classroom or homeschool. This includes both a printable format and a Google Drive™ format for use in a paperless classroom or with Google Classroom.
You can purchase this novel study at the following locations:
Are you interested in reading about and sharing ideas with other educators on using children’s literature in your classroom? My goal is to bring together teachers and homeschoolers who teach grades 3-8 and use novels with their students. I’d love for you to join me to learn, share, and grow together!
It’s not even a contest on what my favorite book series, children or adult is, no question, it is the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. Since I first opened up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone published in 1997, I was entranced. The writing, the imagination, it took me to another world. A world I wanted to be a part of and a world that I wanted to share with my own children and students.
J.K Rowling followed up with Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in 1998, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in 1999, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in 2000, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in 2003, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in 2005, and the finale of the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in 2007.
All of the Harry Potter books have been made into famous films that were heavily controlled by Rowling to maintain the integrity of the story. You can even visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Studios in Florida and California, along with attractions in the United Kingdom. I’ve been to the Florida attractions and they are well worth the time to immerse yourself into the Wizarding World.
There’s a reason that the Harry Potter series is one of the best selling series of all time and that J.K. Rowling has been awarded a multitude of awards for her work. The world that J.K. Rowling created within her storytelling is absolutely amazing and wildly loved by children worldwide. These books will hook the most reluctant of readers.
Try a free sample of the novel study for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
The Harry Potter series will be loved by all of your students and the theme of good vs. evil can be applied and discussed in a multitude of topics throughout the curriculum and in discussions of current events. I can’t recommend this series enough. It is my all-time favorite to share with students. I have read the entire series aloud to my own children twice and they’ve each read them on their own as they were able to. There is a reason that this series and J.K. Rowling have earned the acclaim that they have. It is earned and well worth the read.
I offer complete novel studies to accompany each of the Harry Potter books for use in the classroom or homeschool. Each unit includes both a printable format and a Google Drive™ format for use in a paperless classroom or with Google Classroom and follows a similar layout as shown in the video for Sorcerer’s Stone.
You can purchase these novel studies at the following locations:
Are you interested in reading about and sharing ideas with other educators on using children’s literature in your classroom? My goal is to bring together teachers and homeschoolers who teach grades 3-8 and use novels with their students. I’d love for you to join me to learn, share, and grow together!
Some of my most vivid childhood memories of school were the novel studies that we read for various subjects. It was my most favorite way to learn skills, history, any topic really! I am a lover of books and getting to read an entire book from cover to cover as a school assignment put me in heaven! I am sure this is a major reason why as a teacher my passion is to create and teach is novel studies! I love to introduce new books to students and as a community, get immersed in the book together. I love for a student to pull us off the schedule with a question or comment from something they read that leads the class in a lively discussion. That’s where the real memorable learning takes place after all!
Novel studies are my largest product line simply because I like to focus on what I love. I want to work with my passion! I often get questions from readers asking how I would set up novel studies in my classroom. I decided to write a small series explaining my methods. For the most part, all of my novel studies include comprehension questions, vocabulary/grammar skill work, extension activities, and assessments.
Today’s post, part 2, deals with the vocabulary/grammar skill aspect of the novel studies. You can read part 1 here.
Novel Studies Part 2: Vocabulary/Grammar Skill Work
One of the beautiful things with reading books is that it expands your vocabulary. It introduces you to new words that you can build into your commentary. Being exposed to these new words within the context of a story helps the reader make an inference to the meaning of the word and it helps to see the word used in action to help the student understand its relevance.
When I create a novel study I try and pick out all the words that would be unfamiliar to a reader while at the same time not overdoing it by having such a long list of words for each chapter that the reader is pulled out of the story. Balance is imperative.
I would always write the vocabulary words for the day/chapter on the board before we would start reading so the student would know to keep a lookout for those words as they read.
I create a vocabulary bookmark for the student to have in hand as they read. They can record the page number of the word and note the inference that they have made on the meaning of the word as they are encountering it in context. You can see how I have this designed for my Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Novel Study.
I also create another page that the student can attend to after they’ve completed their reading. They will use their bookmark to locate the page number of the word. Next, they will look up the dictionary definition of the word and check it against the inference that they made on the bookmark as they read. You can see an example here from my Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Novel Study.
Each unit will contain some activities to work with the words and their definitions such as a crossword puzzle or word search.
I also like to work with grammar skills in context. My units contain a grammar skills activity for each vocabulary word that allows them to identify the part of speech of the word and then the sentence is pulled that contains that word. The sentence is written with improper grammar, missing punctuation, and misspellings. Students will need to correct the sentence to the proper written format. Here’s an example page from my Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Novel Study.
All of my novel studies offer a Google Drive™ format to use with your students in addition to the printable format that is shown above. This allows you to use novel studies in a 1:1 classroom, save paper, and easily engage students that are absent. Here’s an example page from the Google Drive™ format of my Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Novel Study.
Pacing and approaching vocabulary in this manner has worked very well for me. It allows the students to think about the words and their meaning in context, while not disrupting the story to learn the true meaning.
Join me for part 3 in my series to learn the pacing methods I use for my novel studies.
Are you interested in reading about and sharing ideas with other educators on using children’s literature in your classroom? My goal is to bring together teachers and homeschoolers who teach grades 3-8 and use novels with their students. I’d love for you to join me to learn, share, and grow together!
Novel Studies Part 2: Vocabulary/Grammar Skill Work
When I create a novel study I try and pick out all the words that would be unfamiliar to a reader while at the same time not overdoing it by having such a long list of words for each chapter that the reader is pulled out of the story. Balance is imperative.
I also like to work with grammar skills in context. My units contain a grammar skills activity for each vocabulary word that allows them to identify the part of speech of the word and then the sentence is pulled that contains that word. The sentence is written with improper grammar, missing punctuation, and misspellings. Students will need to correct the sentence to the proper written format. Here’s an example page from my 
All of my novel studies offer a Google Drive™ format to use with your students in addition to the printable format that is shown above. This allows you to use novel studies in a 1:1 classroom, save paper, and easily engage students that are absent. Here’s an example page from the Google Drive™ format of my 
