Celebrate Harry Potter Book Day (Thursday 9th October) by imagining you are journalists reporting on a magical story.
This engaging lesson allows children to step into the wizarding world and become reporters for a day, creating their own magical newspaper.
In the Harry Potter books, the Daily Prophet is a wizarding newspaper read by witches and wizards. In this lesson, pupils will write a report for their own magical newspaper, using their imagination or details from the story.
It is helpful if pupils are familiar with the characters and plot. Take time to read or listen to the first few chapters of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone before beginning.
Register for your free Harry Potter Book Day event kit.
What’s in this Harry Potter Book Day download?
- Full PDF lesson plan with step-by-step guidance
- Newspaper front page template for pupils to create their reports
Starter activity
Begin by reading aloud from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, chapter 5, from “‘Three up… two across’ he muttered” (p55) to “Harry and Hagrid made for the counter” (p57).
Explain that pupils will act as journalists for a magical newspaper, like the Daily Prophet. Encourage them to create imaginative names, such as The Magical Mail.
Discuss the role of a journalist and offer pupils a choice of two articles: report on Harry Potter’s visit to Diagon Alley or invent a story about a robbery at Gringotts Wizarding Bank.
Pupils can work with others choosing the same article to plan ideas together. Those writing about Diagon Alley can refer to chapter 5. Pupils reporting on the Gringotts robbery can use their imagination to decide what was stolen, how the thieves broke in and whether any clues were left.
Curriculum links for English
Year 3/4 Writing – Composition
- Plan writing by discussing and recording ideas
- Draft and write by organising paragraphs around a theme
- Use simple organisational devices in non-narrative material
Year 5/6 Writing – Composition
- Plan writing by developing ideas and drawing on reading or research
- Draft and write using appropriate grammar and vocabulary
- Use organisational and presentational devices to structure text and guide the reader