FDR Middle School Reading Assignment Snowballs

BRISTOL---FDR Middle School ELA Teacher Heidi Jo DeVincent recently assigned her 7th-grade students House Arrest, by K.A. Holt, a book about a good kid who does a bad thing and is placed under house arrest for a year. The book was such a hit that the students purchased the sequel, Knockout, and began reading together. The kids were hooked and De Vincent was struck by how this classroom assignment turned into an amazing experience.

Wanting to keep the momentum going, DeVincent emailed Holt, an award-winning author of middle-grade novels, to let her know how much the students enjoyed the books. In response to that email, the author offered students a 20 minute Q & A session with her. The event will take place on Thursday, March 14, 2019.

“As a teacher, this is the type of reaction I hope for when I assign a book. Students just did not want to put the books down. We are all very excited about the experience,” said DeVincent.

She believes that the books resonated with her students because they are real, which makes it easy for students to connect with the text and find enjoyment in any passage. “K.A. Holt's books do just that. They make you feel like you know the characters. You feel their pain. You feel their delight. They could be you,” she added.

Until recently, DeVincent was not familiar with Lang’s works. The books were recommended by a colleague, 7th-Grade Humanities Teacher Tom Volpe.

The Q & A will take place in the auditorium using Google Hangouts. Approximately 75 students are expected to participate. Students will submit their questions during a classroom writing assignment and about 20 questions will be selected and presented to the author.