Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

by J. K. Rowling

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Student Question

Generate questions for "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" using Bloom's Taxonomy.

Quick answer:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, written by J.K. Rowling, is a fantasy book in which Harry discovers that he is a wizard and enrolls in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The story takes place during Harry's first year at his new school, where he discovers that the evil Lord Voldemort killed his parents when Harry was a baby. He also finds out that he is not like other wizards because he can speak to snakes (a skill known as parseltongue). Along with new friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, they find themselves in many dangerous situations trying to stop Voldemort from gaining control of the Philosopher's Stone.

Expert Answers

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Bloom's begins with lower level thinking and moves to higher levels.  The first level is recall, where you just remember on-the-surface facts.  An example of a recall question would be:  Who is Hagrid?  There is one right answer and it is in the text.

The next level is comprehension.  It's a little more complex, but the answer is still in the text.  An example would be, Why does Harry leave the Dursley house?

The comes application.  At this level, you are beginning to move beyond the text.  At this point there is still basically one right answer, but you take what you learn in the text and apply it elsewhere.  An example:  Apply the hero's journey to Harry's first year.

The next level is analysis, where you use evidence from the book to make an argument.  For example, you could explain how Harry's school is similar and different to your...

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school.

Analysis is often called taking apart, and synthesis is where you put it back together.  An example would be:  Create the rules for your own school of magic.

Finally, evaluation is where you make a judgement.  This is the most sophisticated level because it requires you to form an opinion.  An example would be:  Should Harry and Ron have lied about the troll?

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Level 1: Knowledge - recall of information:

How old is Harry when the book starts?

Level 2: Comprehension - understanding the information, being able to put it into one's own words:

Why doesn't Harry like living at the Dursleys? (requires reader to take the information and restate it)

Level 3: Application - using a concept in a new situation

What would Hermoine do if Harry asked her to lie to Professor McGonnogal? (requires reader to apply their understanding of Hermoine's character)

Level 4: Analysis - separates the information into organizational parts; understands and applies information be re-explaining

Compare and contrast Harry's life at Hogwarts with his life on Privot Drive.
Compare and contrast Hogwarts with your school.

Level 5: Synthesis - puts parts together to form a whole to create a new meaning

Write a student handbook for new students at Hogwarts.

Level 6: Evaluation - makes a judgment about the value of the material

IsHarry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stonea useful book for students to read?  Why or why not?
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I will do the new Bloom's, but there is an old version as well I can do if this one doesn't work.

 Remembering:

Recall the names of Harry's two best friends at Hogwarts.

Understanding:

Describe the major conflict Harry and his friends go through in the novel.

Applying:

 Illustrate a timeline of events that led Harry and his friends to understand why Lord Voldemort was seeking the Sorcerer's Stone.

Analyzing:

Compare Snape as an antagonist to Voldemort as an antagonist.

Evaluating:

Defend Harry's decision to choose Gryffendor house even though the Sorting Hat declared he would be a good Slytherin.

Creating:

Create an alternate story where Harry chooses to be a Slytherin.  

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