At the beginning of the year Mrs. DeLuca sorts her 7th and 8th grade students into different Hogwarts Houses based on the Harry Potter books. Mrs. DeLuca assigns her students a personality quiz to sort them into the four houses. All of the houses represent different personality traits and qualities. The quiz determines which personality traits they have connecting with each of the houses. Mrs. DeLuca also asks her students to write about which house they think they belong in and this helps determine which house students will be placed in. She has the students stand in front of the classroom while she places the sorting hat from Harry Potter over their heads and tells them which house they are going to be in for the rest of the year.
During each quarter the students earn points for their houses. They can earn points through outstanding academic achievement such as getting over 100% on a test, winning the Spelling Bee or by demonstrating RISE qualities such as being helpful to the teacher and other classmates or being nominated as a Student of the Month. They have a risk of losing the points if they are disrespectful or not behaving appropriately.
The house with the most earned points receives a reward at the end of the nine weeks. The students enjoy being in the houses because it helps build teamwork, while still being fun and competitive in and out of the classroom. They see a difference in their classmates’ behavior, in their attitude, and in their school work.
Malena, a student in the Hufflepuff House said, “Students are trying not to drag down their team so they work harder on their assignments.”
Allison is in Ravenclaw and relates to the house by being creative and artistic. She said, “I enjoy drawing, I make jokes with my friends a lot, and make them laugh.”
Mrs. DeLuca enjoys reading the Harry Potter books and watching the Harry Potter movies in her free time. She was thinking of a way to introduce and encourage students to demonstrate RISE qualities. RISE stands for respectful, inclusive, safe, and engaged. Mrs. DeLuca is a Hufflepuff. She relates to the house by being loyal and hard working. She has been working through the challenge of making the students realize that this is a team effort and there are consequences for their actions.
Each house represents different personality traits and qualities. Hufflepuff represents patience, justice, and loyalty and are hardworking students.. Gryffindor represents courage, bravery, and chivalry and are usually adventurous students. Ravenclaw represents creativity, learning, and wit and students who excel academically Slytherin represents ambition, cunning, and leadership among the most ambitious students.
Jakob Primous relates to his house, Gryffindor, by being adventurous and courageous. He believes that the houses keep most people on track and motivated.
Katelynn Okuluar and Anthony Tuscano are freshmen and formerly in the Slytherin house. Katelynn relates to Slytherin by being ambitious and cunning. Her advice to the current Slytherins is “don’t ruin the point of it and don’t get too competitive that it would hurt you more than help you.”
Anthony considers himself a Slytherin because he demonstrates leadership and ambition. Anthony said, “The Houses help students become better people and it gives them a better mindset, keeps them out of their comfort zone, and creates ambition. Hogwarts helps create a better student in the different qualities of each person.”
The Hufflepuff House won Dunkin’ Donuts for earning the most points during the first nine weeks of this school year. Gryffindor is currently and is hoping to win the second nine weeks.
