Teaching Harry Potter: Grammar Work
When studying a text, it can be challenging to decide which grammatical structures to focus on. This often depends on the level of the course. Some teachers I’ve spoken to feel it’s reductionist to tackle grammar in texts, arguing for a more ‘Language Arts’ approach. I disagree. The beauty of using texts with students lies in studying language in context—all aspects of language, including grammar. Also, it’s important to work with students’ (and parents) expectations.
For my Harry Potter courses, I’d focus on the following grammar points:
A2/B1 Level:
In Chapter 1, a focus on possessives. This ties neatly into family vocabulary and helps students understand Harry’s family tree, which is a great way to discuss the characters’ relationships. Students could identify characters in Harry’s family tree as given in Chapter 1 and then share their own family trees to compare with Harry’s.
We could then use other examples from the chapter to revise key vocabulary or check understanding, focussing on the Dursley’s house, Mr Dursley’s job etc. perhaps with students writing quiz questions.
B2 Level and Above:
At higher levels, I’d start with word classes. I find that revising nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs at the beginning of higher level courses reviews essential metalanguage for subsequent lessons This activity also highlights any gaps in students’ linguistic knowledge and prepares them to analyze the rich descriptions and stylistic choices in later chapters. After having students label word classes in key sentences, we might compare a passage with adjectives and adverbs with the same passage without and discuss the difference in tone and clarity. Students might then create their own sentences, experimenting with how adding or removing modifiers affects the message.
These activities help students see grammar as a living, dynamic part of the story, rather than abstract rules to memorize.
When choosing grammatical structures to focus on:
- Have a firm idea of the level of your class.
- Read the chapter critically and think about the kinds of activities you’d like to do, what kind of language do the students need at this point?
- You only need to decide on the grammatical points for the first chapter(s) before the course begins. Keep a note of the students’ issues to choose what to tackle in subsequent chapters, but bear in mind that it can take time to create materials based on the text.
- You can base the grammar part of the class on as little as one sentence in the text, you do not need to concentrate on the overarching structures.
When Choosing Grammatical Structures to Focus On:
- Know Your Class Level
- Have a clear understanding of your students’ proficiency level to choose grammar points that are appropriately challenging.
- Read Critically
- As you read the chapter, think critically about the kinds of activities you’d like to do. What kind of language will students need at this point in the course?
- Plan Gradually
- You only need to decide on grammar points for the first chapter(s) before the course begins. As the course progresses, keep a note of students’ recurring issues to inform your choices for subsequent chapters. However, remember that creating materials based on the text can take time.
- Focus Small
- The grammar part of your class can be based on as little as one sentence in the text. You don’t need to tackle large, overarching structures in every session.
