J.K. Rowling Unit Study with Free Printable Pack

I remember reading the Harry Potter books for the first time and thinking of how special it would be to one day share the story with my kids.  That day finally arrived, leaving us all obsessed with The Boy Who Lived and wanting to learn all we can about the author who created him.  That’s where our J.K. Rowling Unit Study comes into the picture.

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My kids haven’t read through the entire series yet, but at this point they’ve finished the third book, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.  We plan to park here for a while since my kids are still young and the content gets heavier as the story moves on.For now, that leaves us plenty of time to learn more about J.K. Rowling and how Harry Potter came to be.  Here’s a look at the resources we’ve been using to help us learn more about him and the author who brought him to life.

J.K. Rowling Unit Study Resources

Prior knowledge of the Harry Potter series is helpful when studying the life and work of J.K. Rowling, but it’s not necessary to be a diehard Harry Potter fan.  If you’ve been the Muggle of all Muggles and have no clue why J.K. Rowling is an author worth studying, a quick glance at Wikipedia will help.

If you’re familiar with Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling’s wizarding world, my kiddos and I recommend using Who Is J.K. Rowling? as the starting point for your unit study.  Like the other books in the Who Was? series, Who Is J.K. Rowling? is a quick read with a plethora of biographical information presented in digestible chunks for kids of all ages.

Here are some additional basic biography resources we found useful:

• Joanne Rowling from Bloomsbury.com (Harry Potter’s London Publisher) – Of all of the online biographies I found, this one is probably the best for basic unit study purposes.  There’s a good mix of information on her early life, writing career, and literary achievements.
• Mythmaker: The Story of J.K. Rowling – My oldest found this one at our local library and enjoyed it thoroughly.
• J.K. Rowling from Scholastic.com – This author bio contains great detail about Rowling’s books, statistics, and awards she’s received due to her success with the Harry Potter series.
• J.K. Rowling on Pottermore – There’s only a brief Rowling bio on Pottermore, but the information there is always up to date and accurate.  I must offer a word of caution here: try to stay focused while visiting Pottermore.  After a few curious clicks, you’ll get so caught up in all things Harry Potter you’ll forgot why you visited in the first place.

Additional J.K. Rowling
Unit Study Resources

• My J.K. Rowling *Free* Printable Pack – You can access this printable pack in the Subscriber Resource Library using the password in your most recent email from Table Life Blog. Not a subscriber? Sign up using the form below.

• Harry Potter themed projects from Scholastic Teachers
• Harry Potter Unit Study from Homeschool Learning Network
• About J.K. Rowling from J.K.Rowling.com – The FAQs and Rumors and video of Daniel Radcliffe interviewing her are my favorites from this site.  The Who Do You Think You Are link on the video page is also interesting, but might not appeal to kiddos.
• J.K. Rowling quotes – These are perfect for copywork or discussion.

Just for Fun

• My kids never need an excuse to visit Art for Kids Hub, but they were super excited about these drawing tutorials for Harry, Ron, and Hermoine.  These are especially good for younger kids.  My four year-old had a blast drawing the characters.
• Harry Potter coloring book
• Hogwarts Sorting Quiz 
• The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook
• Harry Potter Potions Class Experiments

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I hope you’ll find these unit study resources helpful as you explore the life and accomplishments of J.K. Rowling with your children.  We’ve had a wonderful time learning more about her and her story and we’re happy to pass our road map on to you!

Did you know J.K. Rowling and The Boy Who Lived share the same birthday? Yep, just like Harry Potter, the author who created him celebrates her birthday on July 31.

Be sure to check out more Birthday Lessons in July from iHomeschool Network by clicking the image below.

You can also find tons of fantastic Harry Potter homeschool ideas through this incredible HP linkup at iHomeschool Network. Grab a butterbeer or pumpkin juice and take a look!

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