Activities,+Exercises,+&+Assignments

Obviously, not everyone is a Harry Potter fan. So while sites like [|Mugglenet.com] and [|the Leaky Cauldron] are terrific for some folks, they are not universally appealing. What is universal, however, are the principles of such affinity spaces to bring together fans of a certain subject or genre of book, film, television show, etc. To use affinity spaces as an exercise or assignment would take a long-term commitment or ongoing project mindset.
 * Harry Potter Connections**

A few initial days in the computer lab would be necessary to get this work off the ground. Students would research various fan fiction sites based on their area of interest. A good place to start would be a general search of [|Fanfiction.net] where they can hunt for ideas using wide genres to narrow their interests. Once they have discovered a few suitable communities, they will join and begin reading some of the fanfic posted concerning their favorite, tv show, book, movie, anime - getting to know the authors, moderators, and general culture of the site. They have the option of searching out a beta reader to proof their work, using friends, the teacher, or a combination. The ideal result would be for students to begin writing a peice of fan fiction and to be, hopefully, published on the subsequent site. If students cannot, for whatever reason, write works suitable for posting, they can still participate on discussion boards, make constructive comments to other pieces on their chosen affinity space. Students would also be required to read and comment on several classmate stories on different sites, exposing them to other fan spaces and genres beyond their immediate perspective.
 * Project Scenario**