Author Archives: Victoria

Journal 12-Victoria

Posted by Victoria in Reading Journal Twelve

The article Harry Potter as a Context or Interdisciplinary Studies written by Tisha Beaton has many intelligent concepts to incorporate Harry Potter in the daily studies and lessons children learn in school. The Harry Potter books not only are a good series for children to read, but they have valuable lessons that incorporated into a lesson plan will help with understanding the content. Beaton stated, “Rowling has built many life lessons into the story of Harry’s first year at Hogwarts School” (103). That has already set up many of lesson plans for Math, Science, Language Arts, and other subjects to work with.

In today’s generation, it is starting to become more difficult to keep student’s interest in their studies. They often find it “dumb” or “useless” for their education because it is not incorporating their generations interest. Harry Potter is an interest that majority of students like to read or watch on their free time and they find it fun and interesting. If schools started to incorporate popular literature into lessons students would pay more attention to their studies.

This article has examples and it has been proven successful. To summarize Beaton’s examples students were engaged in their group work and were willing to work hard in class. Because of this, student could apply this knowledge in new contexts (Beaton 100).

Incorporating Harry Potter into teaching would benefit Language Arts and English greatly. Allowing teachers to teach a topic that all students might find interesting will keep their focus on a subject that many students find difficult. Not many students like to read the required books and some do not read them at all. Speaking from past experiences those students miss out on grades and life lessons. Harry Potter has many of life lessons and stories for students to learn from. Actively teaching Harry Potter and allowing students to write about it will improve students’ knowledge. Beaton stated, “Writing about Harry Potter enabled them to think through issues and develop understanding” (101).

Using Harry Potter as a teaching method will open so many doors for teachers. It gives educators multiple of different pathways to play around with and engage not only the students, but their selves. After teaching the same lesson plan year after year can start to create a rut. Using Harry Potter will create different lessons, projects, homework, and environments each year. Which then keeps it interesting for the teacher and the teacher will not lose their interest.

Lastly, it motivates everyone who is participating in the Harry Potter units. Whether it be the books or the movies, everyone gets a little hyped about Harry Potter. It is fiction and it is fun for everyone. Incorporating Harry Potter into classes of all types will allow students to understand more clearly. It will (hopefully) stick with them for a lifetime and will maybe someday help them with a future situation because of the material that was attached to Harry Potter. Those students will someday thank their teachers and the lessons that came along with the Harry Potter lessons.

 

Victoria Reading Journal 6

Posted by Victoria in Reading Journal 6

The article, The Chemical Wizardry of J.K. Rowling, was written about the chemistry and how each trick in the movies and books were used from a scientific side.. The author, Jane Snell Copes, is a chemist and wanted to crack the magic. In her article there are different tricks that were used and Copes was able to give an explanation. For some people, the ones who need answers, this article will help answer any questions. However, if you are a person who likes to leave the magic, this is not the article for you. The entire article is focused on how to understand the underlying chemicals used.

As the article went on it described each different trick. Which is nice for those who love special affects and want to know more about it. Copes stated “This is a where to find the necessary safety information, complete directions, disposal information, and explations of a selection of magical effects.” This allows the Muggles to produce magic, however, it takes the magic away from those audience who want to keep it there. There are children, teens, and young adults who have the belief magic still in their hearts. This article attains to all types of audiences because it has answers. It is able to grab the audience’s attention and attach them. It also gives another inside look on how Harry Potter was produced.

For Muggles, who wants to be a Wizard (but can’t), is able to also produce the magic. Smuggles struggle with not having magic, and their wants of magic. This article goes through each trick and explains even how Harry’s Wand produces magic. Codes stated that the sparks coming out of the wand were simple “firework sparklers to resemble a Fas-acting, one shot magic wand.” For those Muggles who have a wand, they are now able to produce the same sparks, just like the movies did.

The one problem Smuggles are going to face is that the chemicals Code is saying to use are not accessible to the public. Chemists are the only ones who have access to the chemicals, because some are harmful to the Muggles. There are some chemicals available and are easy to purchase.

Another problem Muggles are facing is a lot of potions being used in the article were taught through a Wizarding professor. Codes said, “Potions experiments often have dangerous outcomes.” Which is harmful to a Wizard/Witch, but especially harmful to Smuggles because they have no experience in the field of potion making.

The article gives another outlook on magic used in the Harry Potter series. It gave the Muggles (audience) answers and step on how to create it. It also took away magic from Muggles who wanted to keep the magic there. Lastly, it can be harmful to Muggles, because, many of the chemicals used are harmful without experience and prior knowledge.

Remix-Victoria

Posted by Victoria in Remix Ideas

For my remix idea I wanted to choreograph a dance piece. My main intent of the piece is to tell a love story between Harry and Ginny, Ron and Hermione. My original idea is choreograph the struggle between friendship and love.

For this project I would need to cast 2 males and 2 females dancers. However, due to scheduling I am not able to get dancers and hold rehearsals. I still need to find music. For costumes I would design each and personalize it.

Journal 3 Victoria

Posted by Victoria in Reading Journal Three

While reading Hairy Snout, Human Heart? Werewolves in Harry Potter’s World and in European History by Eveline Brugger was comparing being a werewolf to having AIDS or HIV. Eve line stated, “Lupin’s condition—and the reaction it causes among the majority of the Wizarding population—indeed resembles a dangerous, contagious illness” (303). That is in fact a very good comparison, however in today’s society most people with AIDS or HIV are able to live a normal day-to-day life. Mental illness is more of an issue in today’s society that affects people’s day-to-day life more than AIDS or HIV. My mother works in the mental health field therefore, I grew up seeing the side affects of mental illnesses.
Today’s society if a person is diagnosed with a mental illness there is an invisible label on that person. In the Wizarding World there is also a label on those who are a werewolf. Both werewolves and mental illnesses change a person’s life. Once a month the werewolf has it transformation and they have no control over their actions. A person who has a mental illness, like Bi-Polar disorder or schizophrenic, also has no control over their actions. Both are being overruled by their disorder and are not their selves during those times. Many of people who know of wizards who have been bitten treat them differently and may not associate with them. Then again there are wizards who do associate and accept their disorder and allow them to live a normal life. Lupine, for example, had his friends in the Harry Potter books to help him live a good life and did not neglect him because of his illness.
In Harry Potter and History it was noted that there is “The anti-werewolf legislation passed by the Ministry makes it almost impossible to find employment and generally pushes them toward the fringes of wizarding society” (299). In today’s society there is not legislation against mental illness and jobs due to discrimination, however there is the unspoken rule employers use. In today’s job society employers will keep searching and/or decline a person from a job offer due to their mental illness, but will not use that reason. Both werewolves and mental illnesses face this situation. Another comparison is people in today’s society are nervous to have children around a mental disabled person for an unknown reason. On page 304 in Harry Potter and History, Brugger mentioned that “It is absolutely certain that a such a person would not be allowed to work with children—just as Professor Lupin lost his job at Hogwarts when parents learned that he was a werewolf”. The Wizarding World and today’s society is very similar when it comes to having a disability whether it be a werewolf or bi-polar.
In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Snipe was able to create a potion to help Lupin with his transformation. The potion was able to help Lupin’s werewolf side effects and allow him to be calm. Before a full moon, Lupin would take the potion and then stay inside his office until the moon passed. In today’s society there are all different kinds of medicine to aid a person through their lives. This allows them to live a normal life without having an uncontrollable life. Both potion and medicine are there to help a person control their life and to live a normal life.
Seeing that there are many of different comparisons to being a werewolf in the Wizarding World is surprising. The authors are able to attention on how others treat wizards who were bitten. Some are going to accept and will not change their opinions, while others will push them away. The similarities are also surprising because they both are able to create a connection between the two.

Reading Journal 1-Victoria

Posted by Victoria in Reading Journal One

In Harry Potter and History, Were the Malfoys Aristocrats: The Decline and Fall of the Pureblooded, Laura Loiacono and Grace Loiacono talked a lot about the social class. Both the Muggle world and Wizarding world have a social class standing. Laura and Grace were able to compare the two throughout the chapter, and mentioned how each social class differed as well. Each type of family within the same social class lived a different lifestyle. The Muggles kept within their social class, and sometimes would marry out of their social class. However, in the wizarding world there was another level of keeping to their social class. They had to maintain their status by if they were going to marry a pureblood, half-blood, or a Muggle born. For example, the Malfoy’s had to maintain their class and only marry purebloods. Laura and Grace stated that “neither magical nor Smuggle elite families would tolerate marriages to just anyone who a young family member fell in love with” (178). Their families had to maintain this high level and would not allow a non-pureblood to be married in. However a paragraph down in the book says, “The marriage of James Potter and Lily Evan must have created a stir in families such as the Malfoys and the Blacks, because Lily was Smuggle-born” (178). James and Lily were in a different social class than the Malfoy’s; therefore the mixed marriage was tolerated, but created talk in a higher class. The higher class in the Wizarding world had a few more things to keep in mind than the Muggle world when keeping to their social class.

Even though the Wizarding world did not follow the aristocracy, but they can be listed and defined by books. On page 175 in Harry Potter and History it says, “they have their own version of Debrett’s”. It is titled Nature’s Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy and it lists all the purebloods. Which that then creates another line between social classes. Which that then creates the line for purebloods, half bloods, and Smuggle born. The difference between the Muggle world and Wizarding world is very small. The only thing that keeps it separated is that the Wizarding world has to manage purebloods, half bloods, and Muggle born. However, there are many of wizards who believe that all Wizards in their world are equal. In the book and in Harry Potter and History Albus Dumbledore, The Wesley’s, The Tank’s, and James and Lily Potter are just a few to be named. They are the reason to why the line between social classes keeps getting pushed further and further. Laura and Grace said “After the First Warding War, the pureblood aristocracy was somewhat diminished but still very much present during Harry’s childhood” (189). Which means after the Battle of Hogwarts in the seventh book, the pureblood aristocracy may have been more diminished than before. Which that then creates another divides in the social classes and then will make at the Wizards equal. In the Muggle world as each day passes more divides are being drawn in between the social classes with social class climbers. And that will create a new way to look at the social class in the Muggle world and Wizarding world.