Summer+Reading+Handout

June 1, 2011

Dear Incoming Freshmen and Parents/Guardians:

This is the second mail out regarding our summer reading program. Included is basic information, instructions for the blog, and grading procedures. All grades will __go toward your first six weeks of school.__ You can find more information on the site. Questions can be directed to me via email.

__ We have one book selection you will be expected to purchase, read, and write about. __ The book is called //The// //Pigman// by Paul Zindel. Please make sure you have purchased and begun reading this book within one week of receiving this letter – the first posting deadline is July 8, 2010. ** Your first question should be answered BEFORE you read the book. ** Books can be purchased in the Global Office thru June 6, 2011.

__ Project Expectations: __ Students will combine the novel with online posted comments (as in a blog). This will connect them with peers technologically, allowing interaction with their class and teachers when they cannot physically meet. These online discussions help students in two ways. They prepare students for the end of year exams by requiring an open-ended response for all postings, as well as to prepare them for college classes, which are often closely intertwined with technology. Many classes are exclusively done via the web in this format.

__ Included in this mailer: __ - Basic information for using the class wiki (like a blog/class web page) and for setting up/changing accounts to post (or joining a new page as he/she moves up a grade level) - Alternative opportunities to posting online if internet is not available in your home - Project requirements for summer posting and other grades the first weeks back of school - Posting guidelines, question deadlines, and grading criteria - Guidelines to //appropriate// online discussion - Understanding what a wiki is and why we are using one - Information on how to communicate with Ms. D or other Global staff when they are not in the office over the summer

//Please read all of the attached information and follow instructions carefully.// // **Record your Wiki sign-in information someplace that is easy to find because you need it to post your comments!** //

I look forward to meeting and working with each of you and your families next year. Please contact me anytime, even over the summer, with any questions or concerns! Happy reading!

Sincerely,

Aprill Ann Dickerson English I & II Global High School @ Longview High School Email: adickerson@lisd.org Global High Office: 903.663.7233 Global High Fax: 903.663.7207 Global High web page: []

“I don’t have a computer or internet at home!”

Check out the following solutions:

1. Do you have internet access on your phone? * The responses on the wiki will be brief and therefore not too difficult to type on a phone if that is your only access. However, if they charge you for the data, this may not be the best, or most affordable, option. Phone connections might not be very fast either. Downloading the wikispace page to your phone may take a while. Check on that before you do anything else ….

2. Does your neighbor, another family member, or a friend have computer or internet access that you could use for a brief period? * Responding on the wiki, if you already prepared it handwritten and included your evidence from the text, should only take a few minutes.

3. If you have a laptop, several places in the area have free Wi-fi for you to access the internet if you do not have it at home. Just look for something similar to this symbol somewhere in the window - or

* They even have free wi-fi at area Dairy Queen, McDonald’s, and other fast food sites …. 4. The Longview Public Library provides free internet access on their computers, but you may have to become a member of the library in order to use that service. Find more information about becoming a library member here: []. * It is located at 222 W. Cotton Street, Longview, 75601. 903.237.1350 is the main number. The library is open Mon./Tues./Thurs. 10 am – 8 pm, Wed. 10 am – 5 pm, Friday 10 am – 6 pm, Sat. 12 – 5 pm, Sun. not open.

5. We will have some computers available to use at school but only on specific days and times*.

* **__Global Office student computers will be available July 2, 2-4 pm; August 3, 2-4 pm; and August 17, 2-4 pm__**. We will not make any changes in availability of this service, and you will not need to make an appointment. Just come to the Global Office at that time and be prepared to work __on your own__ to post your responses for your grade on the wiki page. **// They will not be available outside of these times due to our office hours, availability of technology, and teacher supervision availability. //**

6. Fed-Ex/Kinko’s stores also provide internet access on a store computer, but that service is restricted to store hours of course, and __it is not free__. But it is there as a last resort!

Ms. Dickerson’s Summer Reading Project - Summer 2011 Students will combine their reading of the novel with online posted comments (as in a blog) to technologically connect and interact with their teacher and peers when they cannot physically meet. ||
 * Project Objective:

- A copy of //The Pigman// by Paul Zindel - Access to the internet ||
 * YOU NEED:

A new copy is available in our Global Office. You may also purchase a used copy of the book at Amazon.com or Books-a-Million. __ Audio is great, but students are **required** to have a copy of the book to use for their postings and projects __. Check itunes if you want your own audio copy. Sometimes the Longview library has these to borrow as well. Make sure if you also obtain audio of the book that it is //unabridged//. You are welcome to sell your book back to us in good or better condition for 50% the original cost. See websites for links to online resources and more specific information on our program. ||
 * Copies of the book:

We will be using a “wiki” for our online communication. It is like a blog but without the need to have your own “page.” All you need is a username and password to sign in. Go here for more info on wikis and watch the little video: http://globoenglish10.wikispaces.com/What+is+a+wiki+and+why+are+we+using+it%3F You need to “sign in” to post comments. Set up a username and password, and to keep your identity private since wikis are a public space, use this combination: first initial, period, last name ( ** a.dickerson ** ). If that is taken, add numbers after it or something you’ll remember, like ** _go lobos ** (Ex.: ** a.dickerson_golobos ** ). Record your info some place easy to find so you don’t forget! To get started on Summer Reading assignments, go here:___ Bookmark it! ||
 * Get Connected!

I am available in the Global Office starting June 6-17, and after July 11, 2011, I am available via email at adickerson@lisd.org or by posting comments or questions on the discussion tabs at the top of the wiki. I will be in touch with Global High administrators throughout the summer. The Global Office is closed from June 20-July 18, 2011. Additional questions may be directed to Everett Brunson at ebrunson@lisd.org or Kristi Candler at kcandler@lisd.org. ||
 * Contacting Ms. D over the summer …

1. Read all Summer Reading info in this letter and here:___ 2. Set up a username and password here – www.wikispaces.com. 3. Use your own email or your parents’ to set it up. If you do not have email, go to Gmail, or other services that offer free email to set it up. If this still poses a problem, contact me. 4. Read your book and start posting! ||
 * // What do I need to do first? //


 * Summer Reading Requirements:
 * Read the entire book at your own pace, but please attempt to finish by at least the second posting deadline.
 * There will be questions posted for each chapter, at three different times, on the discussion board section of the wikispace page: _ . You must comment ** at least one ** **question per chapter**, answering the question and/or commenting on your peers' comments. The question will include instructions about the required post. __Each required comment per question is a daily grade, and posting comments on additional posts will count as extra credit.__
 * ** You must post your comments by the time the next question is posted or you will lose points ** from that portion of the grade. Each question will include the dated time frame for posting (it will cover 2-3 weeks), and this schedule of questions and due dates can also be viewed on the wiki: _
 * Late posts will result in a maximum of a 70 for that grade per our Global High grading guidelines for late work.
 * The book must be completed and all comments posted by the first day of school, August 23, 2010.
 * We will complete a project on the book during the first week of school. We will also take a test over this book in the first few days of school.
 * All grades will be counted towards the first six weeks' grading period.
 * Whether you returned the parent signature page or not from the first letter, you are still required to obtain a copy of the book, follow all project guidelines, follow all online discussion procedures, and communicate with Ms. Dickerson if you have any problems or concerns with completing this project. ||

What kind of comments? **__ WHEN POSTING COMMENTS TO ANSWER MS. D’S QUESTIONS: __** Your answers should follow the short answer/open-ended response rubric on TAKS – You will answer the question, use quotes (evidence) from the text that prove your answer, and then connect the answer and evidence by explaining it.
 * What do I post?
 * An example of a response using this technique will be posted under the first question. **__ “Do I have to use that format when responding to others’ posts?” __ These responses or comments do not have to follow the OER rubric or be as official as your initial response for a daily grade. However, you do need to follow the guidelines for online discussion (posted on the wiki) and make sure that your responses include your user name, and are //grammatically and conventionally correct//. If you post appropriately and your responses are labeled with your name, you will be awarded 3 extra credit points to be added to that question's daily grade. ||

Response to pre/post reading questions – 1 Daily Grade Response to Questions in chapters 1-5 = 1 Daily GradeResponse to Questions in chapters 6-10 = 1 Daily GradeResponse to Questions in chapters 11-16 = 1 Daily GradePosting after the deadline on any question = Maximum of 70Posting after August 20 of any responses = 0 for Daily GradeComments posted on any question in addition to initial response = 3 points extra credit per comment First Week Test and Project = 2 Major Test Grades ||
 * Grading Criteria:

The **first group of questions** about __The Pigman__ will be posted on or before **__July 8__**. Students will have 15 days to respond.**__The deadline for posting a response or comment to first five chapter questions is July 22.__**The **second group of questions** will be posted on or before **__July 25__**. Students will have 15 days to respond.**__The deadline for posting a response or comment to second five questions is August 8.__**The **third group of questions** will be posted on or before **__August 9__**. Students will have 14 days to respond.**__The deadline for posting a response or comment to final six questions is August 22.__****//School begins on August 23. All comments or responses must be posted by then to receive any credit.//** ||
 * Schedule of Questions/Grades: http://globoenglish10.wikispaces.com/Posting+Deadlines+%26+Grading