Saturday, May 26, 2012

Setting the Scene for Summer Reading

My test of a good novel is dreading to begin the last chapter.  ~Thomas Helm 

We are pleased to present the W.C. Mepham Summer Reading Program. Summer should be filled with joyful times, and we hope that reading will be an important part of your summer plans. Below is a required reading list from which you can select a book.  Students who are having difficulty choosing a book should ask their teachers, a librarian, or the English Department Chair for help.

Please note, each Regents and Honors level student entering grades 9-12 is required to read one of the books on the list.  All students will be assessed on their summer reading in September.  

Students entering English 2 Honors, Senior Experience, and Advanced Placement English courses have different requirements. They will read the books that are designated for their courses.  AP and Senior Experience students will also be given a writing assignment to complete over the summer.  Enjoy the summer with a good book!

Incoming Ninth Grade (E1) - select one
Incoming Tenth Grade Honors (E2H) - required reading 

Incoming Tenth Grade (E2) - select one 
Incoming Eleventh Grade Advanced Placement (11AP) - read both 
Incoming Eleventh Grade (E3) - select one 

Thursday, May 10, 2012

MIT App Inventor

MIT App Inventor
The computer club meets every Monday after school in the Learning Center. Right now we are creating apps for Android devices. All you need to get started with MIT App Inventor is a Google account to log in, which all Mepham students already have.

According to the MIT App Inventor homepage, "Creating an App Inventor app begins in your browser, where you design how the app will look. Then, like fitting together puzzle pieces, you set your app's behavior. All the while, through a live connection between your computer and your phone, your app appears on your phone.You can build many different types of apps with App Inventor. Often people begin by building games like MoleMash or games that let you draw funny pictures on your friend's faces. You can even make use of the phone's sensors to move a ball through a maze based on tilting the phone.But app building is not limited to simple games. You can also build apps that inform and educate. You can create a quiz app to help you and your classmates study for a test. With Android's text-to-speech capabilities, you can even have the phone ask the questions aloud. To use App Inventor, you do not need to be a professional developer. This is because instead of writing code, you visually design the way the app looks and use blocks to specify the app's behavior."

If you are interested in joining, please see Ms. Stack in the library and she'll get you started.