Strega Nona
Strega Nona is about a grandma witch who has a magic pot. She is having problems doing chores around the house so Big Anthony comes to help. One nigh for dinner, Strega Nona uses her magic pot to make spaghetti for her and Big Anthony. She does not realize that Big Anthony is watching her. He hears her special poems to start the pot and stop the pot from cooking but walks away before he sees her blow three kisses for the pot to stop boiling. When Strega Nona goes out of town and tells Big Anthony not to touch her magic pot. Big Anthony tells the people in the town about the magic pot. The people do not believe him so he proves he is telling the truth by cooking with the pot. After the town is fed, Big Anthony tries to stop the boiling. Without the three kisses, he fails. There is so much spaghetti cooking that it starts to overflow and the people of the town begin to panick. Luckily, Strega Nona comes home just in time to stop the spaghetti and makes Big Anthony eat ALL of the spaghetti he has cooked as a punishment.
I chose Strega Nona because it is a book that I read as a second grader. I liked this book so much because I am Italian and I call my grandma Nona. I always liked to share with the class things I knew about Italy. I still enjoy this book as an adult and think that children enjoy the adventure in this story. I also think this books is a good example for children to understand why it is so important to follow rules.
The response that I would have students do would take place in a second grade classroom. In English Language Arts, my students would create a story box. The box would have to be decorated in a way that relates to the story. They would also have to fill the box with props that go along with the story. This activity covers the second grade standard: Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot which is under the Reading: Literature strand.
I could also use this book in other subjects. In social studies, we would study the cultural and geographical features of Italy which covers the social studies strand of geography and the standard: In second grade, students begin to interpret the information found on maps. At this level, students understand that maps can answer the following questions:
• Where is something located?
• What is the place like?
I chose Strega Nona because it is a book that I read as a second grader. I liked this book so much because I am Italian and I call my grandma Nona. I always liked to share with the class things I knew about Italy. I still enjoy this book as an adult and think that children enjoy the adventure in this story. I also think this books is a good example for children to understand why it is so important to follow rules.
The response that I would have students do would take place in a second grade classroom. In English Language Arts, my students would create a story box. The box would have to be decorated in a way that relates to the story. They would also have to fill the box with props that go along with the story. This activity covers the second grade standard: Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot which is under the Reading: Literature strand.
I could also use this book in other subjects. In social studies, we would study the cultural and geographical features of Italy which covers the social studies strand of geography and the standard: In second grade, students begin to interpret the information found on maps. At this level, students understand that maps can answer the following questions:
• Where is something located?
• What is the place like?