Numerus subtracticus

Just found this highly amusing. Hmz.

Bottom-ranked school shoots to top after introducing Harry Potter-themed curriculum
By DAVID WILKES source

A primary school has been praised as "outstanding" in an official government report after introducing Harry Potter-themed lessons, it has been revealed.

The fictional young wizard created by J K Rowling has helped standards at Robert Mellors Primary and Nursery in Arnold, Nottinghamshire, rise dramatically after pupils picked him to be the inspiration for all their classes.

This term has seen the seven to 11 year olds learning subtraction with the help of a Potter-esque "spell", writing their own plays based on the best-selling books and even keeping fit by pretending to get on and off imaginary broomsticks.

Year classes have been named Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin, after the school houses at Hogwarts, the wizards' school attended by Harry in the novels and hit movies.

The children wave wands as they join in the fun of learning and staff have got in the spirit of things by donning wigs and costumes.

So enthralled are the pupils by their lessons that behaviour in class has improved as well as their results shooting up.

The school, in a deprived area, has jumped from the bottom 25 per cent of schools nationally to just outside the top 5 per cent over the last three years after deciding to let pupils pick a theme for the curriculum each term.

JK Rowling's magical Harry Potter series has improved standards across the curriculum

Previous themes have included the Titanic, Africa and Princes and Princesses.

During the most recent visit from Ofsted, the inspector witnessed a maths lesson where the children were motivated to learn about subtraction by pretending that it is a magic formula created by Harry Potter.

Pupils were not allowed to answer questions without first saying a spell - "numerus subtracticus", which they devised themselves.

The official report describes achievement at the school as "outstanding".

"Pupils enter the school with standards well below average. Over the last three years, standards and achievement have improved greatly and were above average in Key Stage 2 tests in 2006," it says.

"Pupils are enthusiastic about their work in mathematics and particularly enjoy practical tasks and those that allow them to investigate mathematics. Some pupils said they enjoyed calculations because they knew what they were doing and they liked getting things right.

"They commented that mathematics is fun because they are always challenged and their teachers link it to the work they are doing in other subjects. Lessons observed were taught through the topic being covered in literacy. For example, subtraction was seen as a spell by 'Harry Potter'."

The interim report added: "Behaviour in lessons was of the highest standard and reflects pupils' enjoyment.

"Pupils were confident and all were able to work independently when required. The youngest children did not need to be told to put on aprons when working with liquids: they knew the expectations and responded accordingly."

Yesterday headteacher Donna Chambers said: "Other schools do topic-based learning, but not to the extent we do.

"With maths, the teacher will say 'today we are learning how to do inverse operation'. They put on their Harry Potter hat and wands, and work it out in their books."

Mrs Chambers, who was previously deputy head at Eastwood School in Nottingham, joined the school just over three years ago because she wanted a challenge.

"Historically the school had a really bad reputation, which is why I applied for the job here," she said.

"But that has now all changed.

"Letting the children choose a theme for each term has had a massive impact on their enthusiasm and motivation.

"We don't have any behaviour problems at all, even though we attract children who have been previously excluded."

Looking at the example lessons below I can only conclude one thing - their primary school life is so much more fun than mine. =(

Example lessons from the "Harry Potter curriculum"

•Maths: subtraction is seen as a "spell" which has been created by Harry Potter. Children have to say the magic words "numerus subtracticus" when they give an answer eg "58 minus 14 - numerus subtracticus - equals 44".

•English: to learn about dramatisation, pupils create their own scripts for plays based on the text from chapter two of J K Rowling's debut novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

•Art: imagine what Harry Potter would do if he painted a version of Vincent Van Gogh's 1889 masterpiece The Starry Night. The Potter-inspired versions featured witches, dragons and other beasties.

•History: the history of flight, starting with a discussion of Harry Potter's broomstick, then discussing if that is real and tracing the real development of aviation, including the Wright brothers.

•Geography: comparing the children's home town of Arnold, Nottinghamshire, with Goathland, North Yorkshire, where the scenes of Hogsmead Station were shot for the Potter films.

•Computers: take a virtual tour of Harry's fictional school Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on the internet, then create a map of Robert Mellors Primary and Nursery School using similar information.

•Science: put a stick of celery in a beaker of blue dye and see how it takes in the fluid, turning the celery from green to blue. Discuss whether Harry Potter could use this to turn one of his foes a different colour.

•Music: learn how to create a mood by performing a piece of music relating to the theme "Hogwarts at night". Using percussion instruments, the children made appropriately spooky sounds.

•PE: balance and co-ordination is taught by getting the pupils to pretend they are Harry Potter and his friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger getting on and off their broomsticks (pupils used imaginary broomsticks).