Ms. Vigna
-
I really enjoyed reading all the main idea quotes you gathered for chapters 3 and 4 last week! Out of the all the replies I received as comments on the blog post or as emails, I don’t think any two quotes were the same! But that’s totally fine because you all explained your thinking. This…
-
Oh, man! It’s been SO fun to reread The Sorcerer’s Stone. I’ve uncovered all kinds of clues that J.K. Rowling dropped in this first book to hint at future events (even the ending of the series!!). These first two chapters made me wonder lots of questions like why Dumbledore would WANT Harry to grow up…
-
Hello, Potterheads (that’s the name to describe someone who LOVES Harry Potter)! I’m SO excited to begin this magical reading journey with you! I looked at the summer calendar to divide the book into reasonable sections (real world use of math!!), so let’s say everyone should read chapters 1 and 2 by next Friday, June…
-
Anyone who knows me knows that MY most recommended book from the 2015 Battle of the Books list is Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (I’m using “philosopher’s stone” instead of sorcerer’s stone for several reasons: I used to live in England and that’s the title they use there, it’s the title in the version linked below,…
-
I recently developed a math workshop lesson on math vocabulary using the ideas discussed in “Four Practical Principles for Enhancing Vocabulary Instruction” and “Oral Language Needs: Making Math Meaningful.” Using this information as inspiration, I created several stations focusing on practicing math vocabulary: Visual Dictionary, Vocabulary Tic-Tac-Toe, Connect Two, Vocabulary Magnets, and Math Revising. In…
-
For the past several months, a group of dedicated fourth grade writers has been working for an extra hour after school to write newspaper articles. Yesterday, we celebrated the publication of their hard work: the first issue of Rotary Reporters! The writers kicked off the final session by silently going through their Writing Folders, Writing Notebooks, and resources…
-
This fall, HBB’s PTA generously funded after school programs. I had so many ideas for clubs that I wanted to run: literary magazine, student newspaper, inquiry investigations, etc. For this first round, I decided on a Cinema Club, in which students would watch classic films and write reviews of them. Our first two films have…
-
For years, I resisted reading the Harry Potter series. I insisted that, “Modern fantasy isn’t my genre!” Wizards and witches? I don’t think so. Magical creatures? Please. Pop lit? Not for me. Not being unreasonable though, I decided to finally read the series so that I could at least have actual reasons for not liking…
-
It’s almost that time! You’re nearly a third grader! While you’re enjoying the last remaining days of summer, I’m busy getting our room ready for learning. See you next Thursday, September 9th.
A SEA OF TALK 