Myth, Metaphor & Symbolism in the World of Harry Potter will be a new English course offered to exclusively seniors next year, and will be taught by Ms. Christine Lawler, one of Cam High’s English teachers.

The new Harry Potter class is now one of the 10 different English classes offered at Cam High. It is an A-G approved class that counts for English credits. Oxnard High School and Channel Islands High School both already offer this class. 

Ms. Sierra Kaval created the curriculum and teaches the class at Oxnard High School. Kaval’s class centers around all seven Harry Potter books with reading done in and out of class. 

Students work on journals or Thoughts, Questions, and Epiphanies (TQE’s) while reading the series. Similar to a regular English class, students are administered quizzes after chapters, which consist of Kahoots (online quizzes), student made quizzes, etc.

After students finish a book there is a writing assignment. For example, students did research on Greek mythology and created Iron Chef Slides to present to the class. Students are also sorted into their respective houses (through Pottermore) — which consists of Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, Slytherin, and Ravenclaw — and students can gain points for their house through class assignments. The class has elements of a traditional English course with the unique twist of the wizarding world of Harry Potter.

Junior David Lee plans to take the class next year, and he said, “I am excited to be able to break down a literary work that has fantasy aspects, instead of books focusing on moral dilemmas or the breaking down of societies.”

The number of periods will depend upon registration, according to Ms. Marci Pinuelas, counselor at Cam High. There will be an update on class registration details later in the year.