STREGA NONA STORIES By Tomie DePaola: INTERDISCIPLINARY UNIT OF STUDY

Children love the stories of Strega Nona and will love all of the stories they will hear throughout this unit. Learn Italian, understand spells and embrace the wonders of Strega Nona with your class.

Strega Nona Stories by Tomie DePaola is an interdisciplinary unit of study that incorporates various subjects and skills into the exploration of the popular children's book series. The guide is designed to help teachers and educators engage students in reading, writing, critical thinking, and problem-solving activities, while also introducing them to elements of Italian culture and language.

The unit of study includes an overview of the series, an exploration of the characters, an analysis of the setting and themes, and a range of activities that incorporate language arts, social studies, science, and math. Students are asked to read and analyze the text, create character sketches, write book reviews, design maps of the town, and learn basic Italian phrases and vocabulary.

The teaching guide also includes interdisciplinary activities such as cooking lessons, where students learn how to make pasta, create a science experiment where students explore the properties of herbs, and study the history and geography of Italy. By integrating different subjects and skills, the teaching guide aims to provide a holistic approach to learning that engages students in a fun and interactive way.

This 95 page interdisciplinary unit of study should be used with Strega Nona and all her stories by Tomie dePaola.



It includes resources and activities for:

. Vocabulary work (defining, using in sentence, word boxes, word search)

. Character Maps and comparisons

. Story Maps, retelling, sequencing

. Comprehension Questions - short answer, multiple choice

. Extended writing prompts

. Magic Potion study- What is Magic? Write a magic potion.

. Science: Experiments to accent "magic"

. Social Studies: Learn About Calabria/ Learn Italian

. Look at other Strega Nona stories with activities

Discuss character development and consistency

. Fun with Pasta: Make pasta with your class, Make pasta art activities,

Make a recipe book, Explore different kinds of pasta

. Write your own Strega Nona story

. Bulletin board ideas