Learning From the News – Harry Potter: Exploring the Dursleys’ House KS2

Lesson Plan: Harry Potter: Exploring the Dursleys’ House
Lesson overview: Pupils will learn about scale drawings and floor plans
Key Stage 2 maths, Year 4 and Year 5 Unit 5: Measuring
Objectives
Pupils should learn to:
·  measure and calculate perimeter and area (Unit 6) / Outcomes
Pupils should understand:
·  what scale drawings are
Resources
·  Video lesson starter: http://www.teachers.tv/videos/learning-from-the-news-harry-potter-tour-studio and whiteboard to show the video on
·  Graph paper and rulers for each pupil
·  A metre sick
Starter
·  Whole class activity: Show the video http://www.teachers.tv/videos/learning-from-the-news-harry-potter-tour-studio
·  While watching, get the pupils to write down three key facts
Main activity 1
·  Whole class activity: Explain that the film makers used information from the stories and made floor plans using a scale before they started building the set. If the pupils have not learned about area and scale drawings before, give them an activity like this
·  Explain that scale can be measured by using a metre stick. One metre can be equivalent to one square on their graph paper, for example. Demonstrate this with the classroom. Make a quick scale drawing of the classroom on graph paper. Now get the pupils to comment on the scale you used (it will be too small). What should it be changed to?
·  Show them how to put a key at the bottom for scale used (eg, 1cm = 1metre)
Main activity 2
·  Independent activity: Ask the pupils to draw a bird's eye view of their bedroom on graph paper using the same scale they decided on above (it will be a rough guess as they probably won’t know the true size of their bedroom) with a key at the bottom
·  Group work: Put the pupils into groups and ask them to imagine they are set designers and explain that they are going to work out how to build the Dursleys’ house – Number Four Privet Drive. Get the groups to brainstorm information about the house – how many bedrooms does it have? Does it have a dining room? And so on
·  Independent activity: Using the information each group has worked out about the Dursleys’ house, get each pupil to make their own approximate floor plan on graph paper, using the same scale as above
·  Challenge the pupils to work out the area of each room
Plenary
·  Homework activity: Ask them to take their bedroom floor plans home and see how accurate they were, and draw up a new one

Lesson plan – Harry Potter: Exploring the Dursleys’ House: Maths p.01

Useful links p.02

Teachers TV links p.03

Page 4 of 4

Useful links

·  An imagined floor plan for the Number Four Privet Drive: http://www.hp-lexicon.org/atlas/britain/atlas-b-privet.html

·  A map of the Dursleys’ house used in the Harry Potter film: http://wikimapia.org/5727717/Dursley-039-s-house-Privet-Drive-Harry-Potter-location

·  An area and perimeter lesson plan: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/maths/shape_space/shapes/read6.shtml

·  Other lesson ideas: http://www.enotes.com/harry-potter-lesson/

·  Other lesson ideas: http://homeschooling.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=homeschooling&cdn=education&tm=7&f=10&tt=14&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http%3A//webcenter.netscape.teachervision.com/lesson-plans/lesson-2670.html

·  Information about Number Four Privet Drive: http://www.hp-lexicon.org/muggle/privet_drive.html

Related Teachers TV Videos

·  http://www.teachers.tv/videos/resource-review-primary-primary-maths

·  http://www.teachers.tv/videos/where-maths-grows-on-trees

·  http://www.teachers.tv/videos/ks2-maths-darts

·  http://www.teachers.tv/videos/nine-nits-is-all-theres-room-for

Page 4 of 4