Carol Shmurak and Tom Ratliff talk with McGee students about being writers and authors.
Local
Authors Visit McGee School
McGee
School integrated language arts classes participated in an author study on the
Matty Trescott series written by Carole Shmurak and Thomas Ratliff who write
under the pen name of Carroll Thomas. The
book series, which includes four published books, is a nice blend of historical
facts and fictional events dealing with the life and times of Matty Trescott,
part of which take place in Simsbury, Connecticut.
Students in all language classes were assigned to read one of the books,
which were purchased through funds received by a Legacy Grant.
After reading the novels, students were involved in several literacy
building activities such as designing postcards, creating study guides, and
making connections to the historical time period of the books.
Students were asked to write letters to the authors as a part of a
“Dine with the Authors” contest. The
following students were selected as winners, in grade six: R. Colangelo,
C. DelConte, M. LeBlanc,
J. McNair, J. Roncaioli, S. Snow, in grade seven: K. Zagorski, and selected from grade eight were L. Budja, B. Chorzepa,
R. DiMattia, S. Holmes,
J. Galo, K. Johnson, R. Keyworth,
A. Patel, A. Scotti, and D. Szynkowicz.
Students dined on pizza while discussing the characters, theme, and plot
of Blue Creek Farm, Matty’s War, and Ring Out Wild Bells.
These students had the privilege of dining with the authors on Friday,
March 28. Finally, all students
benefited from the informative presentation given by Shmurak and Ratliff in
McGee’s library as a culminating event in the study of this literature. Students asked impressive questions of the authors about the
writing process, character development, and the literary themes in each book.
A great learning experience was had by all!
By
Ms. Landino
Winners of "Dine with the Authors" Contest
