Teaching with Harry Potter

The Harry Potter phenomenon created a surge in reading with a lasting effect on all areas of culture, especially education. Today, teachers across the world are harnessing the power of the series to teach history, gender studies, chemistry, religion, philosophy, sociology, architecture, Latin, medieval studies, astronomy, SAT skills, and much more.
These essays discuss the diverse educational possibilities of J.K. Rowling’s books. Teachers of younger students use Harry and Hermione to encourage kids with disabilities or show girls the power of being brainy scientists. Students are reading fanfiction, splicing video clips, or exploring Rowling’s new website, Pottermore. Harry Potter continues to open new doors to learning.

Valerie Estelle Frankel teaches English at Mission College and San Jose City College. The author of 90 popular culture books and more than 100 stories and essays, she lives in Sunnyvale, California.

Edited by Valerie Estelle Frankel
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 288
Bibliographic Info: appendix, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2013
pISBN: 978-0-7864-7201-7
eISBN: 978-1-4766-0122-9
Imprint: McFarland

Introduction 1

Part I: Reaching Kids—A New Wave of Young Readers
From Hogwarts Academy to the Hero’s Journey
Lana A. Whited 4
The Nuances of Rule-Breaking
Tenille Nowak 21
Harry Potter and the Child with Autism
Denise Dwyer D’Errico 32
Strange Apostle: Assessing the Conflict Between Today’s Christianity and Modern Culture
J. Malcolm Stewart 42
Boy Wizards and Girl Scientists: Rowling’s Contributions to Science Outreach
Kristine Larsen 56

Part II: Innovative Approaches for the Internet Generation
Two Boy Heroes (and a Sparkly Vampire) Teach the SAT
Valerie Estelle Frankel 70
Fan Fiction, Remix Culture, and the Potter Games
Jen Scott Curwood 81
The Battle to Save Australian Teen Spirituality
Clare Diviny 93
J.K. Rowling’s Innovative and Authoritative Online Presence
Savannah Sharp 107
Exploring eNotes.com: A Grounded Theory of Harry’s Place in Language Arts Pedagogy
James B. Kelley 117

Part III: Meaning in Children’s Books Within the University
Legit Lit: Of Spells and Serious Scholarship
J. Steve Lee 130
Scribere Paedegogia: The Magical Art of Teaching Composition
Cynthia K. O’Malley 141
Getting Medieval in the Classroom
Reneé Ward 152
To Grow Up Blake in a Potter World: Teaching Songs of Innocence and of Experience
Whitney E. Jones Francis 168
Casting Lumos on Critical Cultural Studies: Gender, Hegemony and Other Social Stereotypes
Amanda Firestone 179
Introducing English Literature in Pakistan
Asma Mansoor 188
Portkey to the Scholarly Disciplines
Elisabeth C. Gumnior 196
The Queen City Muggles: Town and Gown Go to Hogwarts
Susan Johnston 209

Appendix: Worksheets and Supplemental Materials 219
Bibliography 255
About the Contributors 267
Index 271

• “A fascinating collection of essays”—Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts