Seventh Graders Shine with Impressive English Presentations
Jan 12, 2026 | by Ildi Carlisle-Cummins
Seventh graders in Ms. Berger's English classes have really made an impression this year with a series of excellent presentations featuring original art, screenplays and content from a student interview with famed political theorist and activist Angela Davis.
Most recently, Sahar Murty-Shaikh reached out to Angela Davis while conducting research for the "20th Century American Speech" project. Ms. Davis replied to Sahar - twice! - via email and gave Sahar permission to quote her for the project. Sahar says that her correspondence with Ms. Davis was mostly about the idea of prison abolition and that it made her think about how systems impact peoples' life experiences, leading them to make choices that may seem drastic.
Towards the end of last semester, a group of 7th graders wrote and directed this imagined "next scene"where the novel The Giver leaves off.
And early in the fall, seventh grade students read a variety of books from the fantasy genre for our "Fantasy Book Club" unit. Each small group's "book club" made a slideshow about their book, which they presented to the whole class at the end of the unit. Some students went above and beyond to create their own art, which was not a requirement, to include in their slideshows. Many students made high-quality, sophisticated slideshows with impressive graphics, animation and layout/design.
We can't wait to see how this talented class evolves as they move through PCS!