Platform 9 and 3/4: Step Inside Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Facilitator: Nicole Olson

Modules: 8

Ages: 10+

Self-paced course starts: September 2026

Live classes start: September 2026

What’s It About?

Have you ever finished a chapter of Harry Potter and felt like Hogwarts was a real place you could actually visit? That feeling isn’t an accident — it’s literary craft. And in this course, you get to go looking for it.

We’ll move through Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone together, noticing the choices J.K. Rowling made that bring her world to life. You’ll start to see things you might have read right past — the way she hides clues in plain sight, the meanings tucked inside names, the way she makes you trust a character before pulling the rug out. Once you start noticing, you can’t stop.

And then there’s the playing. Depending on what lights you up, you might write a quidditch rulebook for beginners, help Harry and Ron come up with ways to get Draco expelled, crack Snape’s logic puzzle, make a dragon egg, design and advertise Smeltings School, or create your own box of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans. There are dozens of ways to go deeper — artwork, crafts, cooking, writing, building, exploring — and there’s always the option to design your own.

Along the way you’ll naturally become a sharper reader and more confident writer. But that’s almost a side effect. Mostly, you’ll just be having a very good time inside one of the best books ever written.

  • Reading comprehension
  • Alliteration
  • Characterization
  • Critical Thinking
  • Foreshadowing
  • Word Play

Additional project-based opportunities:

  • Acting/Drama
  • Art
  • Crafting
  • Cooking
  • Imagination exercises
  • Logical thinking
  • Making connections between literature and real life
  • Math
  • Point of View
  • Research
  • Writing
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Alliteration
  • Characterization
  • Critical Thinking
  • Foreshadowing
  • Word Play

Additional project-based opportunities:

  • Acting/Drama
  • Art
  • Crafting
  • Cooking
  • Imagination exercises
  • Logical thinking
  • Making connections between literature and real life
  • Math
  • Point of View
  • Research
  • Writing

From families who’ve tried it…

My daughter LOVED this class

She has never been an avid reader, but I had no problem getting her to read the chapters…This class has really helped her reading comprehension and critical thinking.

A creative blend

of presentations, discussions, and projects make it a great choice for a variety of learners.

My son really enjoyed

working online with other students from around the world. Nicole Olson was engaging and always found ways to turn the students’ comments into a learning opportunity. It was such a good experience that we have signed up for the Book 2 course.

My 11-year old daughter loved this class

She met kids from around the word – such a great experience. She was so excited about reading this book with Ms. Olson. She touched on every mode of learning and encouraged outside the box thinking, which is a wonderful and rare teacher attribute…[my child] can not wait for book 2.

We are in the UK

and [my child] loved making friends from other countries. As for me, I am thrilled, as she was a reluctant reader until she joined Nicole’s class. I cannot praise her enough; so much thought and effort went into her lessons. 

A really fun approach

to educating students about literary analysis. My daughter struggles with reading comprehension and this class definitely helped her learn how to dig a little deeper into the story. And Nicole is incredibly encouraging; my daughter always finished a class feeling confident about her progress.