Harry Potter-Inspired Learning Activity:  Design a Wizard Sports Team

In this lesson designed for students in grades K-2, kids receive a handout with an outline of a coat of arms. They will use creativity, reasoning and language skills to answer questions and develop a new imaginary sports team based on everyone’s favorite wizarding world.

Older students love Harry Potter, too! See EducationWorld’s How Does Social Change Happen? as well as Character Sketch for a New Wizard and A Quest for Wizardly Efficiency.

Directions:

In the wizarding world, a popular sport involves scoring goals while flying on broomsticks. A new team at the magic academy is eager to begin recruiting players, but first the team needs a coat of arms (shield), team colors and a name.

Working as a whole class or having kids work in small groups, use the two-page handout—page 1 provides space for answering questions, and page 2 has a blank coat of arms. For younger students, questions can be answered orally rather than in writing.
 

1. Choose a name. The name should include a place (for instance, Chicago or Providence) and a name (think tough: the Bruisers, the Fast Flyers, etc.). Have students write (on handout) or answer orally: What place and what characteristics did you choose to include in your team’s name? Why?
2. Choose team colors. Unique team colors are important. Choose two colors to represent your team. What kinds of things can colors represent about your team (e.g., black = strength, red = courage, blue = honor, etc.)? What qualities would you look for in players for this team? Have students write (on handout) or answer orally: How do the colors you chose represent (symbolize, show) the qualities of the team and its members?
3. Create your team's coat of arms. Use the Coat of Arms template and markers, crayons or colored pencils to draw the team’s coat of arms based on the team you’ve created. Think about the values your team stands for (teamwork, kindness, cooperation, willingness to practice, willingness to learn from mistakes, good sportsmanship, being honest/not cheating, not giving up, helping other people, etc.) and how these can be represented with pictures and designs. Have students write (on handout) or answer orally: How does the design of your coat of arms represent (symbolize, show) the values your team stands for?
   
   NOTE:  Teachers may want to provide and discuss as a group images of sample coats of arms and/or different ways to segment coats of arms in order to get the ideas flowing. Also, consult the Coat of Arms Generator for ideas regarding what various colors and symbols might represent.
    

Ideas for extending the lesson:

Trivia Challenge: Review any content taught in class that week by having students break into their team groups and compete in a trivia game in order to review important facts. Cut out broomstick handles form brown construction paper. Add a “straw” (strip of yellow construction paper, piece of raffia, or piece of real straw) to each team’s paper broomstick handle for every correct answer. The first team to complete its broom (the number of straws needed can be determined by the teacher) wins.

Class party: Provide the class with a reward for a week of hard work by having them help prepare bread “Broomsticks.” Warm apple cider with cinnamon stick “broom handles” also makes for a fun treat.

Digital media:  Have students use flip cameras and record themselves doing team cheers that they invent. Or, have kids learn about journalism by interviewing team captains and producing written or videotaped stories about why teams chose their names, colors and coats of arms.

Technology: Help students use a word processing program to type their answers to the questions on the handout.

Oral presentation: Prepare students to give oral and visual presentations about their teams to a classroom of older or younger students.

Article by Sarah W. Caron, EducationWorld Social Media Editor
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Updated: 01/06/2015