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Photo by Haley Burdeos.

READ WRITE TEACH

My name is Nancy Dickinson, and this is my website. I live with my family and teach English in a suburb just south of Houston, Texas. I have experience scoring both the AP Language Exam and the AP Literature Exam. I consider my experience as a reader the most effective influence in my teaching. I hold a BA in English from Texas A&M University and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Texas at El Paso. Although I worked for the master's, I have to admit I lucked into the bachelor's degree. My recent teaching experience includes AP English Language, AP English Literature, dual-credit, and ESL. I was named the National Council of Teachers of English Central Area Teacher of the Year in 2010. I'm proud of that award because I was nominated by my student Kritaarth Mahankali, who I will always remember for his stick drawings of pirates on timed writings. I was also named a finalist for Fortbend ISD Teacher of the Year in 2014. For that distinction, my name was placed on a tile on the floor of my high school. In 2015, I took advantage of an AP Fellowship which allowed me to attend more AP Summer Institutes than anyone would need to attend in a three-month period. That's when I began consulting for the College Board under the guidance of sage Phyllis Wright. I currently work with a group of outstanding English teachers at Ridge Point High School, serving as the school's UIL Coordinator and English Department Leader. I have coached UIL Literary Criticism and UIL Ready Writing for several years. My student Kaitlin Cabaniss won second place at State in Ready Writing in 2012. For that, I bought her ice cream. I've been teaching 24 years, and every year I come across a new challenge and new philosophy of teaching. I've been trained in teaming, standards-based instruction, mapping, Michael Eaton, Jane Shaffer, accelerated reading, data teams, professional learning communities, and blended learning just to name a few. I love what I do and can't imagine my life without annoying high schoolers in it. The photo above was taken by Haley Burdeos, one of the most optimistic and enthusiastic people I've meet. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin by way of Ridge Point High School.

2022 ENGLISH SUMMER READING

Ridge Point High School Summer Reading 2022
Theme: Journeys

For summer reading, Ridge Point High School invites students to read texts in which characters make a journey. Whether that journey be more figurative or literal, we ask students to consider the effect of the journey on the individual. Students at all grade levels are required to select at least one title from the list below. We invite students, faculty, and community members to select the text or texts they find most appealing and be prepared to discuss in class when school starts. For additional district summer reading information, click here.

Circe by Madeline Miller
Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas
The Devil’s Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea
Dune by Frank Herbert
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai with Patricia McCormick
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexcian Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Mosquitoland by David Arnold
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge
With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

Please make yourself aware of the content of the books that you choose to read. For summaries, reviews, and other information, research the selection that is best for you by using websites such as amazon.com or goodreads.com. For additional information on all books, including book trailers, click here.

Summer Reading 2019
All grades and all levels
For summer reading, Ridge Point High School is exploring themes of heroism in the face of adversity. Students at all grade levels are required to select at least one title from the list below. We invite students, faculty, and community members to select the text or texts they find most appealing and be prepared to discuss in class when school starts.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
The Book of Unknown Americans by Christina Henriquez
The Color of Water by James McBride
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon
David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell
The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
In the Time of Butterflies by Julia Alvarez
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Wild by Cheryl Strayed

Please make yourself aware of the content of the books that you choose to read. For summaries, reviews, and other information, research the selection that is best for you by using websites such as amazon.com or goodreads.com.

Summer Reading for the 2018-2019 School Year

English IV College Now: All students enrolled in College Now must read Malcolm Gladwell's David and Goliath and the three following essays:

“Salvation” by Langston Hughes
“On Compassion” by Barbara Lazear Ascher
“Two Ways to See a River” by Mark Twain

English IV AP: Students enrolled in English IV AP must read The Stranger by Albert Camus in addition to ONE of the following fiction selections:

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Summer Reading for the 2017-2018 School Year

English IV College Now: All students enrolled in College Now must read Malcolm Gladwell's David and Goliath and The Stranger by Albert Camus.

English IV AP: Students enrolled in English IV AP must read The Stranger by Albert Camus in addition to ONE of the following fiction selections: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt OR All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr OR The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen.