• Books,  The Little Virtues

    Mindless Production: The Littlest of Little Virtues, (Part 3)

    “Not that the little virtues are in themselves contemptible; but their value is of a complementary and not of a substantial kind; they cannot stand by themselves without the others, and by themselves and without the others they provide but meagre fare for human nature.” NATALIA GINZBURG, THE LITTLE VIRTUES Here’s a bit of irony: I decided to leave the classroom and start a small run-from-home business so I could spend more time with my kids during their earliest years. But I often find myself complaining that my kids leave me little time to do my work, even though I chose this work so I could spend time with my…

  • Books,  Novel Study,  Reading Workshop,  The Girl Who Drank the Moon

    A Simple Way to Teach Theme Using “The Girl Who Drank the Moon”

    When you ask your students to list themes they noticed in The Girl Who Drank the Moon, they’ll surely have a lot to say. It’s got all the big ones–good vs. evil, family, loss, etc. If you’re looking to lead a discussion on theme during your novel study, I’ve got some notes that might come in handy. Here are some themes I jotted down as I read: Memory The characters struggle with both the pain of remembering and the consequences of forgetting. Ultimately, the book suggests that it’s better to remember something painful than to forget it, because remembering offers a path forward. Here are some ways this theme comes…

  • Books,  The Little Virtues

    That Their Love of Life Should Never Weaken: The Little Virtues, Part 2

    “What we must remember above all in the education of our children is that their love of life should never weaken.” Natalia Ginzburg, the little virtues While re-reading The Little Virtues, the above sentence stuck out to me. It made me think of all the times, both at home and at school, that we fall into a trap that whispers something like this: We must diminish a child’s love of life today so that he will have a life worth loving tomorrow. We do this when we dismiss pervasive boredom, discomfort, embarrassment or frustration as “character building.” Of course discomfort is part of life and learning, it does build character.…

  • Books,  Novel Study,  Reading Workshop,  The Girl Who Drank the Moon

    A Simple Way To Teach Irony Using “The Girl Who Drank The Moon”

    When using a mentor text to discuss a literary device, you want to find a really clear example of that literary device. That’s one reason why The Girl Who Drank the Moon makes such a good novel study, it contains straightforward examples of climax, suspense, foreshadowing, symbolism and irony. Once again, multiple perspectives is the vehicle for our literary device–irony. By giving the reader access to multiple perspectives, the author allows us (the readers) to understand much that the characters are unaware of. Irony lies in the differences between what the reader knows and the characters know. Here are some examples: We know families and elders are wrong about the…

  • Books,  The Little Virtues

    The Little Virtues by Natalia Ginzburg

    When I was pregnant with my first child, I came across an article about “The Little Virtues,” an essay by Italian writer Natalia Ginzburg. It was a breath of fresh air. I’d already gorged myself on parenting advice by reading books on eating, sleeping and first aid. But I longed for something both deeper and broader, a template that cut to the quick of parenting. I found that template in “The Little Virtues,” which begins this way: “As far as the education of children is concerned I think they should be taught not the little virtues but the great ones. Not thrift but generosity and an indifference to money; not…

  • Books,  Novel Study,  Reading Workshop,  The Girl Who Drank the Moon

    How to Teach Foreshadowing Using “The Girl Who Drank the Moon”

    By the end of The Girl Who Drank the Moon all the loose ends have been neatly tied up. This makes it an excellent jumping off point for a discussion about foreshadowing. Foreshadowing is best understood after the fact. So an easy way to discuss foreshadowing in The Girl Who Drank the Moon is to ask students how one of the big reveals at the end of the book was suggested by details throughout the beginning and middle of the book. Here’s an example… Using Big Reveals to Discuss Foreshadowing Big Reveal: At the end of the book we learn that the Protectorate was imprisoned by Ignatia’s greed for sorrow.…

  • Fall/Autumn,  Reading Workshop,  Seasonal,  Thanksgiving

    How to Celebrate Thanksgiving Without Losing Instructional Momentum (Reading Workshop)

    If you’re looking to do something festive around Thanksgiving, but don’t want to derail your reading workshop with a giant interruption, you have some options. Here’s a look at my Thanksgiving mini-unit which aims to squeeeeeeze in some skills-based activities right before Thanksgiving break. 5 Thanksgiving Read Alouds for Elementary Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet, I LOVE this book. It’s beautifully crafted and it tells the origin story of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. I highly recommend this book. If you miss it in November, incorporate it into one of your nonfiction units later in the year. Turk and Runt by Lisa Wheeler, This one is a Thanksgiving Day comedy–so much…

  • Books,  Novel Study,  Reading Workshop,  The Girl Who Drank the Moon

    How to Teach Suspense Using “The Girl Who Drank the Moon”

    The Girl Who Drank the Moon is a GREAT example of steadily growing suspense. The author uses multiple perspectives to keep the reader in the loop about impending danger. All of this culminates in a climax that is so straightforward it could be the quintessential example of climax. In short, you could use this book as your mentor text for both suspense and climax. Building Suspense Through Multiple Perspectives The reader is aware of growing danger for each character because we have access to multiple perspectives. The characters, on the other hand, are trapped inside their own perspectives, so they don’t see the danger coming, at least not as well…

error

Was this helpful? Save this resource for later use!