Teaching That Sticks
A complete curriculum integration tool designed by educators for real classrooms
Teaching literacy and social-emotional learning through stories students care about. designed especially for reluctant readers
welcome educators
Welcome to The Misadventures of Hazardous Harold—a complete teaching ecosystem designed by educators, for educators. Harold is a tall, gangly 9-year-old who learns life's biggest lessons through spectacular mishaps and genuine friendship with his loyal Jack Russell Terrier, Spike. But more importantly, he's a proven vehicle for teaching social-emotional learning, character development, and critical thinking to students ages 8-13.
Here's what makes Harold different: this isn't supplementary reading material. It's a comprehensive curriculum integration tool where literature, character development, and real-world learning align seamlessly. The five thematic arcs (Foundation Years, Growth Years, Challenge Years, Mastery Years, and Growing Up Years) map directly to developmental stages and support the skills students need at each level.
And when parents at home are having conversations sparked by Harold's stories, and students are reflecting on their own growth through structured activities, and you're teaching aligned lessons in the classroom—that's when transformation happens
Why Educators Love Harold
What Makes Harold a Classroom Game-Changer
Seven reasons educators trust Harold for meaningful learning and real results
✅ Curriculum Alignment - Complete lesson plans aligned with US Common Core and Australian standards
✅ Social-Emotional Learning Built In - Every story teaches real skills: responsibility, honesty, patience, perseverance, mindfulness
✅ Saves Planning Time - No need to hunt for discussion questions or activities—they're all here
✅ Authentic Character Development - Harold's growth across the series models the real learning arc you want for your students
✅ Relatable Stories - Students genuinely care about Harold, which means they're genuinely invested in learning
✅ Grade-Level Organization - Resources are organized by grade so you can implement exactly what works for your students
✅ Parent Partnership Built In - Your students' parents are reinforcing these same lessons at home through the Parents' Zone
How the 3-Zone Ecosystem Works
One Story, Three Connected Zones
When classroom teaching, parent partnership, and student reflection align, learning transforms
Thhis is where Harold becomes a powerful teaching tool. While students engage with the stories in your classroom, three zones work together in harmony:
Educators' Zone You get complete lesson plans for all 29 books, organized by grade level and aligned with curriculum standards. Discussion frameworks, comprehension activities, character development exercises, and social-emotional learning connections are ready to go. You're not creating these from scratch—they're built by educators who understand what works in real classrooms.
Parents' Zone Parents are having guided conversations at home about the same stories, using the same themes, and reinforcing the same lessons. When a student comes home and talks about what Harold learned about honesty, their parent has tools to extend that conversation. The homework isn't busywork—it's meaningful family engagement.
Students' Zone Students aren't just passively reading or answering comprehension questions. They're actively reflecting on character development, making connections to their own lives, and engaging with materials designed to help them see themselves in Harold's journey.
The Result? Your students experience a cohesive learning ecosystem where classroom teaching, home conversations, and personal reflection all point toward the same growth. When parents and teachers are aligned, students develop deeper understanding and lasting behavioral change
What You'll Get in the Educators' Zone
Everything You Need to Teach with Confidence
Complete lesson plans, curriculum alignment, and practical resources ready to use tomorrow
When you join, you'll unlock comprehensive teaching resources designed to save time and maximize impact:
Complete Lesson Plans for All 29 Books Structured, grade-level appropriate lesson plans for every book in the series. Each plan includes learning objectives, discussion prompts, comprehension activities, and social-emotional learning connections.
Curriculum Alignment Every lesson is mapped to US Common Core standards and Australian curriculum requirements. You'll know exactly how Harold supports your required learning outcomes.
Grade-Level Implementation Guides Resources are organized by grade (3-8) so you can easily implement books that match your students' developmental stage. Know exactly which books work best for which grades and why.
Discussion Frameworks Structured conversation guides that help students dig deeper into character motivation, consequence analysis, and personal application. Discussion becomes purposeful, not random.
Character Development Tracking Tools to help students reflect on how Harold grows throughout the series and how they're growing too. Growth isn't invisible—students see it clearly.
Sensitive Topics Guidance Arc 5 (Growing Up Years) addresses mental health, digital citizenship, and puberty in age-appropriate ways. You'll have clear guidance on how to facilitate these conversations.
Parent Communication Templates Ready-made letters and resources to share with parents about what you're teaching. This helps families understand how they can extend learning at home.
Flexible Implementation Options Use Harold as your core literature curriculum, supplement an existing program, or use individual books for targeted teaching. The resources work with your approach.
See What's Possible
The Ecosystem in Action
How hazardous Harold's classroom lesson extends into homes and student hearts
Here's a real example of the ecosystem in action:
Your Grade 4 class reads Book 3: Birthday Bash (about patience and impulse control). You use the aligned lesson plan to discuss how Harold struggles with waiting and how his impatience creates problems. Students reflect on times they've acted impulsively and what happened.
Meanwhile, parents at home are reading the same book and having conversations about patience. A student comes to class and says, "My mom and I baked cookies last night and I had to wait for them to cool!" Suddenly, the lesson has extended into their real world. When they struggle with patience later in the week, they have a shared reference point with both teacher and parent.
That's the power of the ecosystem. Your teaching isn't isolated—it's amplified
implementation flexibility
Choose Your Approach
Harold works however your classroom works
Option 1: Core Literature Curriculum Use Harold as your primary literature and character development curriculum for the year. The 29-book structure naturally spans multiple grades.
Option 2: Supplemental Program Integrate Harold books into your existing curriculum. One book per month paired with your required standards, or use specific books to teach targeted skills.
Option 3: Targeted Teaching Use individual books or arcs to address specific needs in your classroom. Teaching about consequences? Book 1 is perfect. Building resilience? Books in Arc 3 are ideal.
Option 4: School-Wide Implementation Coordinate across grades so students experience Harold as a continuous thread through their elementary years. Across grades 3-6, students follow Harold's complete journey.
ready to simplify your planning
Join Educators Who've Reclaimed Their Planning Time
Get immediate access to:
lesson plans
guides, and
complete teaching resources
[Button: Get Access to Lesson Plans, Guides & Resources]
When you provide your email, you'll immediately receive:
Complete Lesson Plans for all 29 books
Grade-level implementation guides
Curriculum alignment documents (Common Core & Australian standards)
Discussion frameworks and comprehension activities
Character development tracking tools
Parent communication templates
Access to the Educators' Community
We respect your privacy. We'll only send you Harold's news, freebies, and updates on new books and resources. You can unsubscribe anytime.
frequently asked questions
Questions Educators Ask
Everything you need to know about implementing Harold in your classroom
-
Absolutely. Harold is designed to complement or become your core curriculum. The resources are flexible—use them as written or adapt them to fit your specific program and standards.
-
Most books work well as a 1-2 week unit, though you can compress or extend depending on your pace. The lesson plans provide timing guidance.
-
You can use individual books effectively, but the series is designed so students grow alongside Harold. Teaching the complete arc (either within one year or across multiple grades) creates the most powerful impact.
-
The lesson plans include scaffolding options and extension activities so you can meet students where they are. Struggling readers can access audiobooks ; advanced readers have deeper reflection prompts.
-
Arc 1 (Foundation Years): Grades 3-4
Arc 2 (Growth Years): Grades 4-5
Arc 3 (Challenge Years): Grades 5-6
Arc 4 (Mastery Years): Grades 6-7
Arc 5 (Growing Up Years): Grades 7-8
You can adjust based on your students' developmental readiness.
-
The grade-level guides help you use books strategically across your combined classroom. Younger students might read earlier arcs while older students work with later books, or the entire class reads together with differentiated activities.
-
Yes. Every lesson is mapped to both US Common Core and Australian curriculum requirements so you can see exactly how Harold supports your required learning outcomes.
-
You'll have ready-made parent communication templates that explain the Harold program, what students are learning, and how parents can extend learning at home.
-
Yes. Every book teaches specific SEL competencies (self-awareness, responsible decision-making, relationship skills, etc.). The lesson plans highlight these connections clearly.
-
The resources include depth-of-engagement activities so students who've already read books can engage more deeply with discussion, writing, and reflection rather than re-reading.
-
Audiobook and Interactive Audio versions are under development and their release will be announced to Circle Members first.
-
As new books are published, corresponding lesson plans and resources are added to the Educators' Zone. You'll be notified of all updates.
Classroom-Ready Listening Mode (In Development)
Hazardous Harold Interactive Audio Editions are being designed with classroom integration in mind.
Planned features include:
• Clean narration mode
• Chapter timestamp guides
• Pause-and-reflect prompts
• Curriculum-aligned discussion cues
• SEL integration notes
These tools aim to support differentiated literacy instruction in both Australian and US classrooms.
Pilot editions currently in development.
Interactive Audio Editions are currently in development. Release timelines will be announced to Circle Members first.
join the educators’ community
Connect with Other Harold Educators
Share strategies
discuss student responses.
collaborate on best practices
Connect with other educators implementing Harold, share classroom strategies, discuss student responses, and collaborate on best practices.
[Join Educators' Community] (link to community space)
Access Teaching Resources & Lesson Plans