To immediately immerse students in the setting of Roald Dahl's short story, "The Landlady," 7th graders were greeted with window signs in their English classroom door - a yellow chrysanthemum photograph, a B&B notice, and a travel marker to a nearby lodging - as well as a tray of vanilla and chocolate tea biscuits and lemon Lipton iced tea. 7th grade enjoyed munching on the tea and biscuits during an interactive read-aloud of the classic suspense story. Throughout the reading, the 7th graders were able to understand the other classroom changes, like the plush parrot hanging in a cage at the front of the room, the fireplace video crackling away on the Smartboard, and the small plush dachshund on the floor beneath it. 7th graders love when the story - from its sights to its tastes - comes to love in their own classroom.

As an annual tradition before starting a play adaptation of Charles Dickens´s A CHRISTMAS CAROL, 7th graders researched various Christmas customs in Victorian England to build background knowledge about the story´s historical context. From parlor games and Christmas carols to holiday dinners and decorating, students compared and contrasted Victorian traditions to modern day holiday customs. To write an authentic text for a real audience, 7th graders summarized their research in a 2-paragraph, friendly-letter formatted holiday card and delivered them to their assigned a HNOM faculty/staff member or administrator!