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Candice Westcot

7th Grade English

662.349.6660

Weekly Book Chats

*IF ANY OF THE WEEKLY BOOK CHATS INTEREST YOU, CHECK OUT THE LINKS POSTED BELOW EACH SUMMARY FOR A FREE AUDIO VERSION OF THE BOOK.

Ask Me No Questions - Audiobook | Listen Instantly!

Since emigrating from Bangladesh, 14-year-old Nadira and her family have been living in New York City on expired visas, hoping to realize their dream of becoming legal U.S. citizens. But after 9/11, everything changes. Suddenly being Muslim means you are dangerous - a suspected terrorist.

When Nadira's father is arrested and detained at the U.S.-Canadian border, Nadira and her older sister, Aisha, are told to carry on as if everything is the same. The teachers at Flushing High don't ask any questions, but Aisha falls apart. Nothing matters to her anymore - not even college. It's up to Nadira to be the strong one and bring her family back together again.

https://stories.audible.com/pdp/B008DJ05C8?ref=adbl_ent_anon_ds_pdp_pc_pg-1-cntr-0-16

Interview with the Robot by Lee Bacon

Fugitive. Criminal. Robot.

A sci-fi adventure for young listeners, Interview with the Robot introduces a unique heroine who seeks the truth about herself.

Eve looks like an ordinary 12-year-old girl, but there’s nothing ordinary about her. She has no last name. No parents or guardian. She’s on the run from a dangerous and secretive organization that will stop at nothing to track her down.

And most astonishing of all: she’s a robot, a product of Eden Laboratories. When Eve discovers the truth, she realizes everything she thought she knew about herself is a lie. Eve manages to escape, fleeing the lab, the only home she’s ever known.

After being arrested for shoplifting, Eve is interviewed by Petra Amis from Child Welfare Services. Her incredible story unfolds during the interrogation, with flashbacks to her life inside Eden Laboratories, which has a dark secret. Listeners follow Eve from her first moment of consciousness to her evolution as a nearly-human companion to Emory, the son of the founder of Eden Laboratories.

Exploring a range of topics that drive our society and our lives—topics such as artificial intelligence and human nature - Interview with the Robot is a story told by a startlingly original protagonist, a story that explores the vast potential of technology and the deep complexities of humanity. 

https://stories.audible.com/pdp/B082P5ZTHD?ref=adbl_ent_anon_ds_pdp_pc_pg-1-cntr-0-1

https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/desotocentralmiddleschool1

C Westcot

[date]

7th/8th Grade Summer Reading

7th Grade (Select ONE of the following books to read over the summer.)
The Only Thing to Fear by Caroline Tung Richmond
See You at Harry’s by Jo Knowles
Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip by Jordan Sonnenblick
Tell Me by Joan Bauer
Worthy by Donna Cooner
We Could Be Brothers by Derrick Barnes

8th Grade (Select ONE of the following books to read over the summer.)
Backlash by Sarah Darer Littman
Same But Different by Holly Robinson Peete
Making Bombs for Hitler by Marsha Skrypuch
Holding up the Universe by Jennifer Niven
The Scourge by Jennifer Nielsen
Game Changer by Tommy Greenwald

TEAMS Resources

Reminders/Important INFO

*IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM DESOTO CENTRAL MIDDLE SCHOOL*


Parents and Students:

As we embark on digital learning, please make sure that you are checking the school website page for any important updates as well as my website for weekly assignments and announcements. 

Digital Learning Student Information

Please visit the following link to for important set-up information regarding student email accounts and Microsoft TEAMS: https://dcm.desotocountyschools.org/dcmstechpage

**If you are having technical issues with your pw or email account, please see the image at the bottom of my website with help ticket instructions.

 

Accessing Student Assignments on Office 365/Microsoft TEAMS

1. Go to dcsdms.org

2. Click Office 365

3. Login

4. Click Teams

5. Select 7th Grade ELA Class

6. Choose the "notebook" tab at the top

7. Click the purple back arrow next to the welcome letter to see other tabs in the notebook

8. Click the "classnotes" tab to find your assignment

***please see a detailed document below with images on how to access teams assignments***

 

Parent/Student Contact Information

Parents: ALL contact and information regarding website updates and student resources will be done through SchoolStatus

 

Additional Student Resources

*These resources are NOT class assignments*

The following links are great resources for digital books, magazines, and grade level learning activities

getepic.com (30 days free)

audible.com (free downloads for kids books)

scholastic.com (at home learning resources/magazines and students work pages)

gutenberg.org (project gutenberg reading library)

z-lib.org (searchable library)

Teacher Bio

Education

I earned my Bachelors Degree from the University of Mississippi. I became a licensed ELA teacher through Teach Mississippi Institute with the University of Mississippi. I am currently working on my Masters Degree in Literacy with Belhaven University.

Experience

I have been teaching since 2011 and working for Desoto County Schools since 2013. I have been a DCMS Jag since 2018. #jaglife #itsagreatdaytobeajag

Hi, my name is Candice "CJ" Westcot and I teach 7th grade English Language Arts at DCMS. I am absolutely in love with my Jag family. I couldn't think of a better place to call home. I remember hearing someone say, "If you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life." I am a very energetic and fun loving person. I love to connect with my students and make them feel seen and important in any way that I can. I want them to walk out of my classroom having learned all they can to prepare them for school and life. It is an honor to be able to teach our youth and each day is a new adventure.  I hope my students leave feeling encouraged and challenged on a daily basis. I am looking forward to another amazing year at DCMS! #jaglife #itsagreatdaytobeajag #realjags