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The material from the SaveHarry.com site is presented
here as an hour & a half lesson plan. There is a lot more
on the site that you could use, as well as a lot of other
related sites - health sites, Coca Cola & Mc Donalds etc,
& it could easily develop into a project about junk foods.
Preliminary information
Time: 1 1/2 hours??
Level: Intermediate upwards
Aims:
To give extensive & intensive reading - stages 2 &
3
To focus on .... see stage 4 - depends on the group.
To give short letter writing practice - stage 6
To give freer speaking practice - stages
1, 5 & 7
Assumptions:
That the stds will be interested in Harry Potter &
consumerism.
That the language in the text will not be too difficult.
Anticipated Problems and Solutions:
Some of the vocabulary may be challenging >> pre-teach
essential items.
Aids:
Text from the
SaveHarry.com web site, with kind permission.
Comprehension check task.
Letter examples from the site
Role cards
Procedure
Stage 1 - Warmer -
Harry Potter
10 mins tch<>stds, std<>std, tch<>stds
1. Those that have read HP tell partners what it's about.
If all have read some then they talk about their favourite
bits.
2. Feedback - you could ask: seen the film? better than the
book? as you imagined it when reading the book?
3. Ask if anyone has noticed who is promoting the film - Coca
Cola - what do they think about this?
Alternatively you could lead
in though Coca Cola & drinks, brainstorming different
drinks & vocab connected to Coca Cola - at the same time
introducing the CC related vocab in the text: cans, soft drink,
gulp, ...Then you could get the stds thinking about what the
link between CC & Harry Potter could be.
Stage 2 - Extensive reading
5-10 mins tch<>stds, std<>std
1. Set the task with a time limit of 2 minutes - stds read
& find out:
- Why
should we save Harry?
2. Handout texts
3. Stds compare ideas.
4. Feedback
Stage 3 - More intensive reading
10 mins tch<>stds, std<>std
1. Set the task & handout the comp. check.
2. Stds read & answer the questions individually.
3. Stds compare answers.
4. General feedback - pick up on any problems they may have
& ask further questions.
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Comprehension check
1. What are the names of the Harry Potter film? Why
do you think they changed the name for the US?
2. Look quickly over the text to see what the following
numbers refer to:
150.000.000
50
15.000.000
360
150
30
600
20
511.000.000
355
1.6 billion
4.1 billion
2.17 billion
92.000.000
3. According to the article, what are some of the effects
of drinking Coca Cola?
4. Why is the company lucky to get Harry Potter now?
5. Who else is being used to promote Coca Cola?
6. How do you think the company is going to bring the
drink to your kitchen sink?
7. Why do 'we lose with every gulp' - in the last line?
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Stage 4 - Language focus
10-15 mins tch<>stds, std<>std
This is left up to you as it does depend on the group you
are teaching & what you have been looking at recently.
There are several points you could focus on in the text -
tenses, vocabulary, discourse - see the problem section that
talks of the dangers of the drink: causes, is likely to, promote,
increase the risk of etc,
1. Ask the stds to underline all examples of the area.
2. Stds compare ideas.
3. Feedback - elicit the examples & any useful rules there
might be.
4. A practice activity - this could be a written exercises
to consolidate.
Could you tie it in with the coming stages in the lesson?
- the cause & effect language could be brought into the
letter writing.
Stage 5 - Response to the text
5-10 mins tch<>stds, std<>std
1. Stds in pairs discuss their opinions of the Save Harry
campaign.
2. Pairs up pairs into groups of four to see if they have
different ideas.
3. Feedback & general class discussion.
Stage 6 - Letter writing preparation
15-20 mins tch<>stds, std<>std
1. Introduce the idea of writing to the author, complaining
about the CC campaign - would they write a letter?
2. Handout letters - see below - &
ask them to read them & decide who is writing each &
what reasons are given. They could do this in pairs.
3. Feedback & focus on the language in the text that expresses
disappointment:
I was totally disappointed to hear that
It saddens me
It saddens me that it comes down to
I am very disappointed to learn that
I sincerely wish you had not
Get the stds to underline examples in the
text, elicit what they are & look at the form.
You could add in some more disappointment
exponents:
I am upset to hear that
I was shocked to hear that
4. Elicit the general format to the letters:
positive expression about the books > expression of disappointment
about Coca Cola with reasons given > expressions of hope
that the situation will change.
5. Stds write their own letters to the author. Monitor &
help out - encourage them to use one or two of the disappointment
expressions.
6. Stds swap their letters & they correct each others.
Hand back & they discuss the corrections.
7. Put the letters on the walls & all of the stds wander
round reading them. They could vote for the most interesting,
most effective, most disappointed...
8. Take in the letters to look at later - comment on each
& hand back the next lesson. If the stds are very motivated
by the theme, they could write a final version & send
it off to the author!
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Letters taken from the web site
Dear Ms. Rowling,
I am a fourteen-year-old Harry fan. I worship Harry
and was looking forward to the movie to come out, but
unfortunately I was totally disappointed to hear that
soft drinks was involved, encouraging children to drink
Coca-Cola. ... Drinking too much soft drinks would cause
obesity, and destroy our health. So I would love to
see the true Harry, but not "Harry on sell."
Carmen T.,
Hong Kong
Dear Ms. Rowling,
It saddens me that Harry Potter is now in cahoots
with Coca-Cola. When you said you were not going to
get into all that endorsement frenzy I was thrilled.
It seemed that there was someone with ethics and thinking
beyond the almighty dollar... It saddens me that it
comes down to money rather then what is right and better
for society. Harry Potter was such a gift to children
and it sounds like it is now about big bucks.
Sincerely,
Sarah W.
Dear Ms. Rowling,
Hello! I am very disappointed to learn that Coke
has bought the sole worldwide marketing rights to the
first Harry Potter film. I feel that your books have
done so much good for children, and they are so impressionable.
This is very much like giving your personal endorsement
to Coke! Children need our protection until they are
old and wise enough to form intelligent decisions. I
hope this decision is somehow reversible, and that you
would consider making some kind of change in this respect.
Susan A.
Toronto, Ontario
Dear Ms. Rowling,
I am 37. My daughter is 12. My sons are 11 and 8.
We love, adore, worship Harry Potter. We've read all
the books together-out loud and individually, alone.
You have an amazing mind. I sincerely wish you had not
sold out to Coca-Cola. As much as I love Diet Coke,
I try to keep my kids away from soda and they already
argue with me on that point. With Harry supporting Coke,
you've just made my job as a parent much harder.
Colleen K.
Dear Ms. Rowling,
Your books have done a great deal of good for my
nephew and many other children. I enjoy them myself.
It would be a shame to offset this contribution to society
by indirectly promoting the consumption of Coca-Cola,
a drink full of sugar and without nutritional benefits.
... As a published author, I know how difficult it is
to be successful in book writing. But I hope that the
children that have made your books a success will not
be betrayed.
Thomas S.
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Stage 7 - Roleplay
15 mins tch<>stds, std<>std, tch<>stds
1. Introduce the idea of the roleplay in groups of three -
a fan, the author & a representative from Coca Cola, scientist
against the drink's harmful effects.
2. Hand out the role cards - see below.
Go round & check all are OK on their roles. Give them
a few minutes to think of what they might say - encourage
them to take some notes.
3. Roleplay - go round, listen in & take notes on +/-
language output.
4. Content feedback - ask if they have resolved anything -
what arguments were put forward etc.
5. Linguistic feedback - on the board put some good examples
of language use & some problem examples - ask the stds
to decide which were the good & which the not correct.
Praise for the good ones & elicit the corrections for
the wrong utterances.
| You are the author of Harry Potter,
JK Rowling. You agree that it is a shame that Coca
Cola have the rights to the film but you feel the film
will reach more people if a company the size of Coca Cola
promotes it. You have recently bought a castle in Scotland
with the money but you don't really want to mention this
- it could be embarrassing. |
| You are a big fan of the Harry Potter
books & the film. You are very disappointed that
the author has given the promotion rights to Coca Cola.
You have children who are fans of the books. You have
heard a rumour that the author has just bought a castle
in Scotland with the money from Coca Cola. |
| You are a representative of Coca Cola.
You feel that the author has every right to choose
who she wants to promote the film. Coca Cola is a responsible
company & invests a lot of money in many charities,
including children's ones. You feel that Coca Cola is
no more harmful than milk. |
| You are a scientist who has been researching
the effects of Coca Cola on children. You are shocked
at what goes into the drink & feel that Coca Cola
is public enemy number one. You have lots of data to prove
your points. |
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On November 16, 2001, Warner Brothers will release in
the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada the
first movie based on the "Harry Potter" books.
In the days, weeks, and months that follow, the movie
will open in over 50 countries. (Check out the schedule
of opening dates to see when it opens near you.)
Coca-Cola is paying Warner Brothers an estimated $150
million for exclusive global marketing rights for the
first film, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone."
(It will be called "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's
Stone" in some countries outside the U.S.) Author
J. K. Rowling reportedly is receiving $15 million as
part of the deal. (Read their press release.)
Coca-Cola will feature "Harry Potter" on
packaging and in advertising of its carbonated and noncarbonated
soft drinks. Rowling is not allowing depictions of Harry
drinking Coca-Cola products, and Coca-Cola says that
literacy programs, including donations to Reading Is
Fundamental, will be part of its marketing program.
But the bottom line is that books adored by children
(and adults!) around the world are being used to sell
more junk food!
Soft drinks are junk foods.
The typical 12-ounce (360 ml) soft drink contains 150
calories and 10 teaspoons (40 grams) of refined sugars.
Americans gulp down more soda pop than anyone else.
Consumption has doubled over the past 30 years, with
companies now producing an average of almost 600 cans
per year for every man, woman and child!
Increasing scientific evidence shows that soft drinks
have helped fuel the obesity epidemic (twice as many
American youths are overweight or obese now than 20
years ago). In many other countries, too, people are
consuming more soft drinks, and obesity is a growing
problem. Read what top scientists have to say about
the link between obesity and soft drinks.
Obesity causes major social and psychological problems.
It also increases the risks of such deadly diseases
as diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, and heart
disease. Drinking a lot of soda pop is likely to replace
more healthful beverages - such as water, fruit juice,
and lowfat milk - and thereby increase the risks of
osteoporosis (brittle-bone disease) and cancer. Finally,
sugary soft drinks promote tooth decay.
Coca-Cola: Big Money for Empty Calories
The Coca Cola Co. and other soft-drink makers spend
enormous sums to promote their products. Over the past
decade in the United States, for instance, soft-drink
companies have spent about $6 billion on advertising.
In 1999, Coca-Cola spent $511 million on promotional
activities on top of $355 million in advertising. That
same year, Coca-Cola spent $1.6 billion on marketing
worldwide. Source: Advertising Age, September 2000;
February 1999. Such promotions are not challenged by
health campaigns mounted by government health agencies
or nonprofit organizations/NGOs. Those agencies should
sponsor major campaigns to promote healthful foods and
criticize junkier ones.
Despite all the money being spent on advertising, Coca-Cola
Co.'s profits are down - Coca-Cola Co. made $4.1 billion
worldwide in 1997, but in 2000 profits declined to $2.17
billion. Even so, Chairman and CEO of Coca-Cola, Douglas
"You-Know-Who" Daft, who made $92 million
in total compensation last year, promised an aggressive
advertising campaign to help push Coca-Cola consumption
and profits higher once again. He signed up Christina
Aguilera, Jakob Dylan of the Wallflowers, Disney characters,
and our beloved "Harry Potter" to help him
make Coca-Cola the "preferred beverage" around
the world. He has even said the company is researching
how to bring Coke products to your kitchen sink, so
you could fill up a glass any time you wanted!
All that to sell a product where we lose with every
gulp!
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