Large #1

 Large #1- Author Visit

Promotional Materials: 

 Order your copy now at https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/647178/living-beyond-borders-by-margarita-longoria/

Planning: Designate a time period that would allow the most contributors to participate. You will want to ask authors if they are willing to participate and if so, what would they be expecting as compensation. Would this fall under volunteer hours or exposure and promotion? If guests will seek compensation, you will need to ask for guidance for funding and allotment. You must also plan:

• Will all local authors be willing to participate?
• Collaborate and plan with teachers ahead of time. This would work best if planning begins in the Fall, as teachers would be able to accommodate anthology into their curricular needs.
• Author visit should be planned ahead of time, in early January, and set for May, preferably after STAAR EOC testing is complete. 
• Seek guidance from administrators to ensure safety measures are in place and teachers can help monitor students
• Ask if you can have volunteers assist during the sessions
• Preferably, a school auditorium would fit the most amount of students and will facilitate a panel discussion
• You will need to plan on bringing in lunch for the presenters or taking them out for lunch between both sessions
• You can plan to hold book signings and sales at the end of the day
• Ask students to use prior knowledge, and fill out a Venn diagram after the author's visit, to plan a writing piece they can present based on their knowledge gained

Preparations: 

ELAR 9th and 10th-grade teachers will prepare by using this nationally recognized anthology by Margarita Longoria, MHS librarian, in class. Teachers and school librarians must collaborate to ensure that students have read all or a majority of the selections from the anthology. Planning must be allotted between the content teachers and the librarians. Various genres are included within the anthology that can be accommodated to fit the curriculum. 

Qualifications: 

In order to be eligible to attend the event, students must have maintained good attendance (must have been in class to read the majority of the book), participated in class discussions over reading, and hold a class grade of at least 85% or be TSI complete in English. 

Procedures: 

1. Students & personnel will follow Mission CISD, or corresponding ISD, safety protocols

2. Students and staff will practice social distancing as best as possible before, during, and after the visit.

3. Hand sanitizer will be available at all times 

4. Students will sit evenly spaced as space permits.

5. Staff will monitor students to avoid congregation.

Purpose: 

Students will attend the Author Visit presentation for Living Beyond Borders, which is a book that they have been reading in class and which has gained national recognition. Students will gain from this visit by hearing author discussions and having the opportunity for a Q & A with authors in attendance. 

Students will benefit from this presentation because they have connected with this text that celebrates our diverse culture. They will be able to hear from professionals living throughout the RGV and make personal connections which will enhance their literary understanding.

Students will have a writing task to complete the next class day which asks them to expand on what they learned during the author's visit, share their ideas, and connect this experience with their prior knowledge to successfully answer written responses. 

Pay-off: 

Participants will activate prior knowledge with their own experiences and reading. They will be able to connect writing, artistic ability, and freedom of expression with real-world applications. Students will learn from current writers and contributors to the Mexican-American experience, which makes up the largest community in the region. They will be able to see how their shared experiences contribute to the story of the United States and how the same experiences can be faced in any border area.