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Breaking a World Record: Reading Aloud! Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)
About the Campaign · About Reading Aloud! · Registration · Event Needs · Event Staff · Certification Documents · How Can You Help · Media About the Campaign What is the Shoot for the Stars: A Record Breaking Year for Middle Schools campaign? In January, Florida Education Commissioner John L. Winn kicked off a yearlong middle school reading initiative at the State Board of Education meeting in Orlando. Dubbed "Shoot for the Stars: A Record-Breaking Year for Middle Schools," the initiative consists of three major contests: Commissioner Winn's FCAT Reading Scores Challenge, Chancellor Yecke's Summer Book Reading Challenge, and the Governor and First Lady's Reading in the Arts Statewide Book Read. Commissioner’s FCAT Reading Scores Challenge The first event of the initiative was the "Commissioner's FCAT Reading Scores Challenge." Each middle school that increased both the percentage of students meeting high standards in reading and the percentage making learning gains received certificates from Commissioner Winn and Governor Bush, Just Read, Florida! posters, and flags commemorating their achievement. These schools entered into the final qualifying round. Somerset Academy Charter middle school made the most overall improvement in both categories and won a grand prize of $10,000, courtesy of Beall’s Department Stores, Inc., for their school media center. Chancellor Yecke's Summer Reading Book Challenge The second contest in the initiative is "Chancellor Yecke's Summer Reading Book Challenge" and is based on guidelines used by the U.S. Department of Education for their summer reading challenge. The Florida sixth, seventh or eighth grader who reads the most books (a minimum of fifteen books are required) and fills out a short online summary notecard for each will receive prizes, as will his or her school. Winners will be announced in September. The recommended reading list was developed by the Just Read, Florida! Office (JR,F!), in conjunction with the Florida Department of State's Division of Libraries, Florida Association of Media in Education and Florida middle school students. One winner will be selected from each grade level (sixth, seventh and eighth grade) and will receive $300, courtesy of Beall’s Department Stores, Inc. and a $25 gift card to Barnes and Noble. The winners' schools will also receive $500 for the media center. Summaries are due August 25, 2006, and winners will be announced in September. Governor and First Lady's Reading in the Arts Statewide Book Read This year’s "Governor and First Lady's Reading in the Arts Statewide Book Read" entitled Florida’s "Journey into Never Land" will be patterned after "Florida's Journey into Narnia" contest, during which more than 3,000 essays, 2,400 illustrations and 50 short videos were submitted for competition. Middle school students will be able to compete again through essays, illustrations and short films, with prizes for individual student and teacher winners. The competition, based on the book Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, will be announced in September and winners will be notified in December. Breaking a World Record: Reading Aloud! In addition to the "Shoot for the Stars: A Record-Breaking Year for Middle Schools" initiative, there is another exciting opportunity for Florida’s middle grades students and schools. Entitled "Breaking a World Record: Reading Aloud!", Florida is seeking to break a current reading record in the Guinness World Records™ database with Florida’s almost 628,000 middle school students participating. Why is Just Read, Florida! launching this initiative? Just Read, Florida! has many reasons for launching Breaking a World Record: Reading Aloud! Primarily,:
About Reading Aloud! What record are Florida’s middle schools attempting to break? Reading Aloud!, overseen by Just Read, Florida!, is Florida’s attempt to break a world record in reading. According to Guinness World Records™, the record attempt is for Most People Reading Aloud Simultaneously in Multiple Locations. In other words, Florida hopes to break the record for the largest number of people to read the same piece of literature aloud, simultaneously, in multiple locations. Who holds the current record? The current record for Most people reading aloud simultaneously in multiple locations is 155,528 pupils from 737 schools throughout United Kingdom who read William Wordsworth’s poem Daffodils, on March 19, 2004. How does it work? From 11:00 am EST to 11:30 am EST, on September 28, 2006, tens of thousands of sixth, seventh and eighth graders in Florida schools and libraries, will watch a live public broadcast/webcast from Disney’s MGM Studios. During the program, Governor Jeb Bush will lead a statewide read-aloud using an excerpt from the book Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. How did you determine participation/interest from schools and/or satellite sites? As a preliminary measure, schools who were interested in participating in this event were asked to submit an interest form reflecting the approximate number of students expected to participate in the fall of 2006. As of August 8th, the Just Read, Florida! office has received interest statements from 205,663 students in 294 schools throughout Florida. An online registration has been created for schools to sign up and provide the required information for the record attempt and its certification. Registration How do students register? STUDENTS DO NOT REGISTER. The registration process is set up for schools and satellite sites. Participating students fill out a sign-in sheet distributed by the organizer of a registered location, which can be their school or a satellite site. The sign-in sheet is filled out on the day of the event and is observed by witnesses. If a student’s school is not registered for the read-aloud, students should inquire first with their school about participation before going to a registered satellite site, since the student’s school may not know about the event, but decide to participate. Who can register? A school or satellite site seeking to have their students participate in the record attempt must designate an individual from their institution to register as the organizer of the event. This person is responsible for carrying out of the record attempt at their location and its certification at the institution. The organizer will need to provide their full name, title/occupation, organization, address, phone/fax/cell numbers and a valid email address, upon registering their institution. This person must provide an email address since updates and documents regarding the record attempt will periodically be sent to the organizer’s email account. What schools or satellite sites can register? The following schools and/or satellite sites can register their sixth, seventh and eighth grade students for the record attempt:
How do I register schools/satellite sites? The organizer of a school or satellite site can register their students by visiting www.justreadflorida.com. Before registering, the organizer must click on the link entitled "Schools/Satellite Sites On Board" to see if the school or satellite site is already registered. Only one person, who is an adult and who, upon registering, is considered the organizer of the event for each school or satellite site, will be able to register their location and its students. Once a location has registered, the same location will not be allowed to be registered by another individual. The point of contact/organizer will be responsible for updating their account with the necessary information required for participation in the event and certification of the record breaking attempt. The following information for each participating institution must be provided and includes the:
Registering allows the organizer to receive email updates on the Reading Aloud! campaign and updates on new resources and materials posted to their password protected account on the Just Read, Florida! website (www.justreadflorida.com). Registering also allows JR,F! to estimate the number of students who will participate in the September 28th record attempt, which is required by Guinness World Records™. I am a library registered as an event site for home school students, but why am I not reflected on the Schools on Board list? You must advise your home school students that when registering, they must select your location as their event site. You must be registered as a satellite event site for them to select you from the drop down menu. I am home schooled so where do I participate? You must register your home school and upon doing so, when asked what your event site will be, you should select from the participating satellite sites in the drop down menu. What is the deadline for registration? While there is no deadline to register schools or satellite site, JR,F! asks that you register online reflecting the number of participating students by 5:00 pm EST, Friday, September 22, 2006, so that logistical needs can be addressed in a timely manner. In addition, the number of participating students will be submitted to Guinness World Records ™ and included in the media materials. Is it possible to register on the day of the event, rather than before? Yes. A school or satellite site that has not already registered can do so on the day of the event, provided that the school can meet the guidelines to carry out the record attempt and its certification. Accessible upon successful registration by the event organizer, the event registration resources are available on-line at www.justreadflorida.com and include an event checklist, the reading material, witness statements and a certification checklist. How will Just Read, Florida! capture the actual number of participants for the September 28th event? The Reading Aloud! team at Just Read, Florida! will use two strategies to capture the actual number of schools and students participating. The strategies are:
How do I find out if my school or a satellite site is registered? To find out if your school or a satellite site is registered, please visit www.justreadflorida.com. The list is automatically updated when a school or satellite site is registered. Additionally, this feature will allow you to see who the organizer is for that location, and by clicking on his or her name, you can get their email address. Event Needs How do I obtain the reading material/literature? The organizer of the registered school or satellite site can download the online version of the excerpt authorized for the record attempt through their password protected account, or educators can purchase the book at a discounted rate as follows: Book discounts are available through Hachette Book Group USA. For individual orders, call (800) 759-0190 where the paperback is listed as item #078684907X. The cost is $7.99 plus $6.50 per book shipping and handling, plus tax where applicable. For bulk orders for classrooms/schools, call Disney Hyperion, the publisher, for details at (212) 522-8112. The excerpt that is being used is from Chapter Eleven. The excerpt begins on page eighty six (86) with "Molly’s heart leaped as a grey shape flowed from the water..." and ends on page eighty eight (88) with "Molly told them all that her teeth were green. ..." Do we begin to read with the title of the excerpt or with the first word of the first paragraph of the passage? You will begin to read with the first word of the first paragraph of the passage. How long is the program that is being broadcast? It is a thirty (30) minute program that begins at 11:00 am EST and ends at 11:30 am EST, which includes:
What local channel in my area is broadcasting the Reading Aloud! event? Local listings for public channels broadcasting the live record attempt from Disney’s MGM Studios can be accessed at: www.floridaknowledgenetwork.org. What is the web address for the Webcast? You can access the Webcast through the following sites on the day of the event:
What if we don’t have TV or Internet Access in every room? We suggest the following options if you do not have TV or Internet access in every classroom:
What if I only want to participate in the Reading Aloud! portion of the program? Although it is a thirty (30) minute program, you can opt to participate in just the Reading Aloud! portion of the program, which is currently scheduled for 11:25 am EST. Is there an official time clock that I should use for this event? We are using the Time and Frequency Division of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). It uses the national time scale UTC(NIST) as its time reference. The official time/clock can be accessed at http://nist.time.gov/timezone.cgi?Eastern/d/-5/java What kinds of activities can be done to maximize this event at an educational facility? Through their password protected account, the registered organizer of each location can view some suggested educational and motivational activities for the students. Some of these activities build upon the storyline, themes, lessons and learnings of the book Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. Event Staff What staff will be needed to carry out and certify this event? Each registered educational facility will need the following staff for the Reading Aloud! event:
Who can be an organizer? A staff member of the educational facility can serve as the organizer for the event. This person is responsible for overseeing the event and carrying out the guidelines required by Guinness World Records™ for certification. Although you can use any volunteer or staff person, we recommend the organizer be the media specialist, reading coach, reading teacher or language arts teacher for each school. This person cannot serve in any other capacity. In other words, the organizer can not serve as a witness or as the notary. What are the duties and responsibilities of the organizer? The organizer is responsible for the following:
How many witnesses are required? For the day of your record attempt, there must be at least one witness as defined below for every fifteen to twenty (15-20) students involved to ensure that everyone is participating in accordance with Guinness World Records™ guidelines. The current guideline of fifteen to twenty (15-20) students is based on how many people can be monitored by an individual at one time. As the record is open to all middle school students, basing this on an average classroom size would not be feasible. In addition to these witnesses, you will also need two (2) "independent" witnesses for each school/satellite site. These "independent" witnesses as defined below cannot have a vested interest in the successful outcome of the attempt. So, if you have twenty (20) students reading together, you will need one (1) witness in that room, plus two independent witnesses. If you have one hundred (100) students reading together, you will need five witnesses in that room, plus two independent witnesses and so forth. Who qualifies to be a witness? The current guideline of fifteen to twenty (15-20) students is based on how many people can be monitored by an individual at one time. As the record is open to all students, basing this on an average classroom size would not be feasible. Although the following can be used as witnesses at the institutions where the record attempt is taking place, two overall witness statements must be provided by two other independent witnesses who do NOT have a vested interest in the successful outcome of the attempt. The following are candidates to be witnesses:
Who qualifies as an independent witness? Independent witnesses are people who have "standing" in the community. Guinness World Records™ specifies that these two witnesses must be "independent of the person(s) breaking the record", meaning they are not normally associated with, or related to, the record organizers or participants, which means that they must be of the following professions:
Witness statements may not take the form of pre-printed statements that are simply signed by the witness. Each statement must be compiled by the witness themselves (on their own headed notepaper/letterhead where possible) and include the witnesses’ signature and full contact information (including name, address, telephone number and/or email address). The statements should confirm (with detail where necessary) that you have abided by the guidelines. Each statement must make clear exactly when that particular witness was "on duty" (i.e. 11:25 am EST) on 9/28/06) in the presence of a notary. Can individuals who hold teaching certificates serve as witnesses?Yes. They should list their occupation followed by a slash symbol and the words "certified teacher". For example: Manager of Special Projects/certified teacher Can PTA or PTO members serve as witnesses? No, parents are not able to serve as witnesses. They can, however, serve as notaries, photographers or videographers. Thank you for all of your help and hard work. Does each classroom/location within the school need two independent witnesses in addition to the witness for every 15-20 students? Regardless of whether you have your students divided up among their classrooms, media center, gymnasium, cafeteria or other location, you are only required to have two independent witnesses for the school, not each location within the facility. The two independent witnesses are certifying that the record attempt was carried out in accordance to rules and guidelines. This does not eliminate the fact that you are still required to have your one regular witness for every 15-20 students that oversee the sign-in sheets, handing out of the reading passage and lead the read aloud with the Governor. Can retired individuals of the professions that are listed still qualify to serve as an Independent Witness? Yes, a retired individual qualifies as an Independent Witness as long as his/her profession is one from the required list. What are the duties and responsibilities of the witnesses? The witness’ role is to ensure that everyone is participating in accordance to the guidelines. The respective notarized witness statement from each witness shall confirm the exact number of students at that site. Who can be a photographer? Photographs/pictures do NOT have to be done by a professional. We recommend that you involve the local PTA or other staff members. What kind of equipment can be used? Photography does NOT need to be done with a professional camera. Photographs may be submitted in:
Who can be a videographer? Video footage does NOT have to be done by a professional. We recommend that you use members of your PTA or the other staff. What kind of video equipment can be used? You do not need to have a professional video camera. Video footage of the record attempt should be done in one of the following formats:
Who can be a lead reader? This staff position is only required if your site is unable to obtain TV or Internet access for the broadcast portion of the record attempt. The lead reader can be any staff person, PTA member, volunteer or dignitary. What are the duties and responsibilities of the lead reader? The lead reader’s role is the person responsible for leading the synchronized read-aloud with the students at his or her respective site. They are to read the approved reading material/passage for the record attempt at the exact time as the read aloud portion of the broadcast program, scheduled for 11:25 am EST and in accordance to the official time/clock that can be accessed at http://nist.time.gov/timezone.cgi?Eastern/d/-5/java. Certfication Documents What materials do I have to submit to Just Read, Florida! after the attempt? The following documents must be submitted after the record attempt:
What is the deadline to submit the certification package to Just Read, Florida!? All of the certification materials MUST be received by the Reading Aloud! team at Just Read, Florida! by October 13, 2006. What language must all claim documentation be submitted in? All certification documents MUST be submitted in English. Please make sure that if your original claim documents are in any other language, they MUST be translated into English and should be certified by a notary. Should we send any or all of our materials to Guinness World Records™ directly? No. All record attempt materials MUST be submitted to the Reading Aloud! Team at the Just Read, Florida! office. Otherwise, the claim for your students will not be processed. All of the participating schools’ information must be sent in one master package by the lead organizer, Carolyn Vega at Just Read, Florida!, to Guinness World Records™. Where should the complete certification package be sent to? All school/event sites should submit their certification materials, after the record attempt, to:
Just Read, Florida! Phone#: (850) 245-0503 What is in the cover letter and where can I find it? This pre-printed form is accessible by the organizer through their password protected account as a downloadable document. The cover letter, which should be on the institution’s letterhead, should reflect the names of each event staff person and his or her role. The cover letter advises Just Read, Florida! of what supporting materials for the institution’s record attempt are attached. What is in the witness statements and where can I find an example? Witness statements may not take the form of pre-printed statements that are simply signed by the witness. Each statement must be compiled by the witness themselves (on their own headed notepaper/letterhead where possible) and include the witnesses’ signature and full contact information (including name, address, telephone number and/or email address). The statements should confirm (with detail where necessary) that you have abided by the guidelines. Each statement must make clear exactly when that particular witness was "on duty" (i.e. 11:25 am EST) on 9/28/06) in the presence of a notary. The organizer of each site can access a sample witness statement for both the witness and the independent witness from their password protected account. It is available in a downloadable format and should be used as a reference for the respective witnesses to create their own. Can the witness statements be pre-filled? You can cut and paste the information from the witness statements onto the witness’s letterhead, but the blank areas must be filled in by witness on the day of the event in the presence of the notary. Additionally, you should exclude the word "SAMPLE" when cutting and pasting this information. What if our location received media coverage/independent corroboration in the form of media coverage? If your location received media coverage from local or national newspapers, magazines or television or radio news reports, we ask that you please submit that to the organizer of the registered institution so that he or she can properly document it and include in the site’s certification package. How many pictures are required for each location? Try to include a wide variety of photographs of the students during the event. This might include photographs taken from various angles and positions, as well as taken at different stages of the record attempt (i.e. at the start, during the attempt, at the end and afterwards). The more photographs that are available, the greater the chances of one of the photographs considered suitable for certification. Should the pictures be labeled? Where possible, tell us who the people are in the pictures. The record attempt claim number (173905) and participating students’ school name should be listed on each picture as well. What kind of video footage is required for each location? Try to include a wide variety of shots of the students at the location during the event. This might include shots taken from various angles and positions, as well as taken at different stages of the record attempt (i.e. at the start, during the attempt, at the end and afterwards). What is in the sign-in sheet and where can I get a sample? A headcount of all participating students MUST be taken prior to the record attempt by registration deadline of September 22, 2006. Participants must sign and print his or her name, along with their grade level, one time only on a notarized form witnessed by two persons. No ditto marks are accepted. An example of the sign-in sheet can be downloaded by the event organizer by accessing his or her password protected account and the executed document is considered supporting materials and MUST be returned with your certification packet after the record attempt. Can the sign-in sheets be pre-filled? With the exception of the student’s actual signature, all of the information on the sign-in sheets can be filled out ahead of time. Just remember that this will obviously not take into account those students who are not participating on the day of the event because they did not come to school that day. What is the Agreement Regarding Supporting Materials and where do I get it? This MUST be signed and returned with your certification package and supporting materials after the record attempt. This allows you and anyone else who is supplying material, such as photographs and videos, to give Guinness World Records™ permission to republish those materials. The six (6) page agreement can be by accessed by the organizer of each school/satellite via their password protected account. The agreement may not be altered. Doing so will automatically disqualify your location’s claim. Pages two (2), four (4) and six (6) of the Agreement Regarding Supporting Material should be completed by the organizer and those supplying visual evidence – the photographer(s) and/or videographer(s). Witnesses and event staff who contribute to your evidence do NOT need to sign this. Independent media coverage will not be republished, so you do NOT need newspaper or TV crews to sign this. If Guinness World Records™ is interested in using their material, they will contact them directly. Please note that page seven has been omitted from the downloadable package. This page is directed to the lead organizer, Carolyn Vega, and reflects the checklist and mailing address for the master certification package to be submitted to Guinness World Records™. Will the record be published in the Guinness World Records™ book? Unfortunately, due to a very large number of records that Guinness World Records™ maintains on their database and the limited amount of space in their book, they are unable to guarantee that any record will appear in the book. However, exciting records that are supported by good quality phographs have a better than average chance of appearing. Will you I get my materials back? Due to a large volume of materials that Guinness World Records™ receives, it is not possible for them to return items that are submitted. Does an official from Guinness World Records™ or Just Read, Florida! need to attend my record attempt? No. The proof requirements listed above are intended to provide the Reading Aloud! Team at Just Read, Florida! and ultimately Guinness World Records™, with enough evidence to evaluate the record claim from our respective offices. What happens once the record is approved? You will be sent a certificate from Just Read, Florida! in recognition of your school’s participation in breaking a world record and your record will be added to the Guinness World Records™. Again, please note that Guinness World Records™ cannot guarantee that the record will appear in their book. Do I receive payment of achieving a world record? No. Can I use the Guinness World Records™ logo and/or brand name on my products, letterhead, publicity material, etc.? No, not without express permission from Guinness World Records™. Please note that state is publicizing the record attempt as: Breaking a World Record: Reading Aloud! Why must all my claim documentation be submitted in English? Guinness World Records™ receives claims from all over the world. It is simply not possible for them to have every piece of documentation translated into English themselves, or to have researchers who speak every language. How Can You Help? Serve as event staff for a participating middle school or satellite site Each site requires an organizer, notary, witnesses, photographers, and videographers, etc. Please review the requirements for each staff person before contacting the organizer of the site, unless you seek to be the organizer for a venue yourself. Offer the use of your camera equipment Each venue requires photos and video footage. Should you own a camera that you can loan or donate for the purposes of the carrying out and certifying of the record attempt, contact the organizer of a participating site. All parties of the record attempt are NOT responsible for any damage to, or loss of equipment. Contact the organizer for the site where you wish to assist. Sponsor the reading material Although a downloadable version of the excerpt is being used as the reading material for the record attempt, the book Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, is also being used as this year’s selection for the Governor and First Lady’s Reading in the Arts Statewide Book Read. Whether you can donate a classroom set, or a book for each student at any site, we are sure that the students and their respective teachers would greatly appreciate your generosity. Contact the organizer at the respective site that you wish to assist. Contact information for the schools and its organizer` is available by clicking on the "Schools on Board" link at www.justreadflorida.com. Sponsor book related costumes/site props/characters Motivate the students at each site by sponsoring fairy wings, pirate hats or bandanas, eye patches etc. that reflect the story of the book. Sponsoring set designs like that of a ship or even characters such as a pirate, Peter Pan, Captain Hook and/or the Lost Boys. Contact the organizer at the respective site for further details. Contact information for the schools and its respective organizer is available by clicking on the "Schools on Board" link at www.justreadflorida.com. Sponsor T-Shirts Motivate the students at each venue by sponsoring t-Shirts that reflect the Breaking a World Record: Reading Aloud! logo as well as the school name or sponsoring entity. Contact the organizer at the respective site for further details. Contact Us Any and all questions regarding the record attempt can be handled by the following methods:
Media All media inquiries should be directed to the Florida Department of Education Press Office by: Email: DOEPressOffice@fldoe.org Phone: (850) 245-0413 |
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