I am a middle school English Language Arts teacher at Elgin Academy in Elgin, Illinois. During the 2017-2018 academic year, we will read a variety of novels including but certainly not limited to: Island of the Blue Dolphins; Chasing Vermeer; Hatchet; Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry; and Call of the Wild. We will write poetry, personal narrative essays, persuasive essays, and delve into a lengthy research project titled: Biographers' Tea whose components include all facets of research paper writing as well as focus on oral presentations.