Things Are Falling Into Place This Autumn!

As an English teacher how can I resist a play on words! Do forgive me, if you are unamused by the title. Needless to say, this season we have had some great opportunities to mingle and get-to-know each other. Students finished presenting their summer reading posters to their classes. We have officially begun our first book of the year: Dragonwings by Laurence Yep. This week students completed a web-quest on Chinese Immigration and today are watching the TEDTalk "The Danger of a Single Story" in order to develop a deeper understanding of Moon Shadow, the protagonist, in the novel and his experience immigrating to America.

The rigor of the curriculum is picking up speed, and most students are gradually coming along and making progress. The term officially ends November 8th. Make certain to check SIS, take care of any outstanding questions or concerns before the term closes.

Despite the workload, we have also found some time to participate in events offered at school. From hosting Ms. Wilcox, vice president and associate publisher at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, who published Kwame Alexander's The Crossover, to visiting the Boston Museum of Science, we have been busy.

For professional development, I had an opportunity to attend the annual conference of the New England Association of Teachers of English, where I was able to listen to author Jerry Craft talk about his new graphic novel entitled New Kid, and was able to purchase a few more great YA reads for the classroom. Things as you can see, are definitely falling into place.

We Are Underway for the School Year!

With September a distant memory, Adams cluster students have been busy at work, finishing up their summer reading requirements. The summer reading book project is due tomorrow, Wednesday, October 2nd. The next two weeks, we will wrap up our initial work, by reviewing The Pearl, The Friends, and Let the Circle Be Unbroken. Interested students will also have the opportunity to attend a talk in the library with Ms. Mary Wilcox, vice president and associate publisher at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, the same company that published Crossover, by Kwame Alexander. Crossover was one of the choice books students could have selected to read to complete their summer reading requirement. Interested students should click on the following link to the Google sign up form to attend the talk tomorrow: Oct. 2nd W-Block HMH Publisher Talk in the Library

Students will be happy to learn that Google Classroom codes are now available for ELA class. Please refer to the chart and enter the correct code. Please join the appropriate classroom.

Mrs. Callum’s ELA Class Section #s:	Google Classroom Code
Purple -Section 04	ewbiaye
Blue - Section 06	6rbw3ge
Green - Section 11	5cjffv
Red - Section 13	erhra0h
Yellow - Section 15	erlybe