Ideas for Class

[grey_wolf_c]

Curt wrote:
> Greetings!
> 
> I am going to be teaching a sixth grade enrichment course this 
> summer, two weeks in all, to students who have read all four books.  
> I'm excited about it, as we are doing Potter Trivia, playing 
> quidditch, having a Tri-Wizards Tournament at a local maze, and 
> finishing up with a Yule Ball.
> 
> 
> However, I want to have some really good discussions going above and 
> beyond just the trivia of the book.  I'd like them to challenge 
> themselves, find some good websites, and do some projects based on 
> the books.  In particular, I want to have some good discussion 
> topics, similar to the ones we see on this list.  I was hoping to 
> pick your brains and see what you think would be some of the neatest 
> topics to go with.
> 
> 
> Some I am already thinking about: (snipped)
>
> What else do you all think would be some thought-provoking ideas?
> 
> If you have some suggestions, feel free to post them or email me 
> directly.  I'd love to see kind of a "Top Ten" list of favorite 
> topics that would be appropriate for these young people who are 
> already quite well-versed in the books.  Some "thinker" kind of 
> topics, that these lists are so good at coming up with.
>  
> 
> Thanks in advance.
>
> Curt

Hi, Curt, and welcome into the posting half of the HP4GU!

I don't know what age 6th year kids are, but if they're 12+ years old, 
many of the threads of the main list can be appropiate, if they've got 
enough knowledge of the books (and I seem to recall that at 12 my 
memory was excellent for the kind of details we need in this list), so 
go ahead and look through the 40k messages. You'll find more than your 
share of ideas, surely.

Anyway, there are a few I'd put forward myself. For example, a few off 
the top of my head:
1) What's so important about Harry's eyes?
2) What's the glint in Dumbledore's eyes (GoF), is it something to do 
with a flaw in Voldemort's potion?
3) Are house-elves enslaved? Is Hermione correct in trying to liberate 
them? Or is Hagrid correct when saying that they shouldn't? (I'm very 
immersed in this debate, Curt, so if you need more material then you'll 
ever want to plough through, contact me. Same to everyone else)
4) Quidditch rules: does giving 150 points and finishing the game for 
catching the snitch make the non-seeker players redundant?
5) (FB&WTFT) What's a suitable definition for beast?
6) (For comical purposes only) Come up with the 700 faults of Quidditch
7) Animagus: what determines the shape? Is it selected by the wizard? 
can it be changed?
8) Should a werewolf be allowed in Hogwarts (as student or teacher), 
even with snape preparing the wofbane potion?
9) Discuss Lockharts shortcomings: what is most wrong about his acts?
10) Should students learn to cast unforgivables (in 7th year)? They can 
be used against dangerous (XXXXX) creatures as self-defence, and aurors 
had to use them too.
11) Could a muggle prepare potions? Why (or why not)?
12) If a Hogwarts inter-house Quidditch game lasts over a day, do the 
stundents stop playing without catching the snitch, or do they go on 
for days (skipping classes, sleeping, eating, etc.) until they do catch 
it, as by the rules?

You could also take loads of them from Philip Nel's:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/files/
Discussion%20Summaries/DISCUSSION%20QUESTIONS%20FROM%20PHILIP%20NEL.htm
(I think the list is there to be used by anyone, but, being easy to 
contact, since he has posted on the list, you should contact him before 
using any of them).

Anyway, I hope some of those are not considered too "adult" for 6th 
grade (we could be speaking about 8 year olds, for all I know), but I 
don't think children, even small ones, can be too stupid for a good 
though-provoking discussion.

Hope that helps,

Grey Wolf, who just came back to the lists after a much needed 
post-exams rest.