|
 SFHS Community Read 2009-10
(media release June 15, 2009)
New this year, St. Francis High School has chosen one book to include in the summer reading list. All students, faculty and staff will read the chosen book (students will continue to have other summer reading books from literature and honors social studies classes. This book will replace one of the social studies selections.)
 |
Download the document below for guiding questions to prepare for the start of school in August and for opportunities to share.
Bookmark our blog, check back over the next few weeks for updates, and be sure to post your comments.
Click the link below to go to:
St. Francis High School Three Cups of Tea
BLOG...
|
|
Additional Resources:
The Pennies for Peace website has curriculum, rubrics, national standards for math, social studies and English/language arts.
www.penniesforpeace.org
Visit Greg Mortenson's Central Asia Institute's website for more guidelines, photos, etc.
www.ikat.org
|
The book we have chosen is the #1 New York Times Bestseller Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace, One School At a Time by Greg Mortenson and David Relin. This is the book that all of Sacramento was invited to read last year, and Mortenson was a featured speaker in Sacramento early this year. You may have the book already or know someone who will share it with you.
We chose Three Cups of Tea because it supports our Catholic social teaching theme for next year, "Option for the Poor and Vulnerable," and we believe it will engage all community members in an exploration of the values and issues that arise from the reading in light of our Catholic social justice themes for the year. Parents are encouraged to read along with their daughters and engage them in discussions. Consider viewing TV programs on Pakistan and Afghanistan that have been available on PBS and National Geographic; they can help enhance understanding of the difficult choices the United States must make in the region. If you have younger children, there is both a young adult version and a children's version available. Refer to the Three Cups of Tea website for book descriptions.
Mortenson is not a perfect person; he makes some uninformed and poor choices. However, we think our students and their families will be inspired by his commitment to the poor and the vulnerable. In the book, you will find those who practice their religion through their love for others and those who use their religion as an excuse to promote their own power and wealth. This book also provides us some insights into how poverty and the lack of education contribute to the conflict in that part of the world.
We encourage you to purchase the paperback book soon and begin to enjoy it. If you purchase Three Cups of Tea from Amazon.com, $1 of your purchase price will be donated to the Central Asia Institute which assists Mortenson in bringing education to girls in the remote villages of Pakistan and Afghanistan. If all students and faculty and staff do so, we can raise enough to contribute significantly to building a school in one of the villages or to providing a high school education to girls. Consider also ordering a children’s version to bring to school in the fall to donate to one of our elementary schools.
We have many enjoyable plans for weaving this story throughout our curriculum and enhancing our understanding of the 2009-2010 social justice themes.
Guidelines Used in Selection of Community Read:
- Inspirational, informative for teens
- Worthy of engaging the entire SF community (e.g. show positive personal transformation)
- Relates to the social justice themes for 2009-2010 (see below)
- Applicable to several curricular areas (e.g. economics, math and/or science could explore national or world-wide impact of climate change, disease, or social challenges that arise in the reading; theology could explore our relationship with God and our response to others; literature and social studies could look at the impact of books on the society; technology could help students understand the rapidly changing world)
- The book must be accessible, of an appropriate reading level and in paperback
- The book may be fiction or non-fiction
Catholic Social Justice Teaching
Core Principles for 2009-2010:
Rights and Responsibilities
The Catholic tradition teaches that human dignity can be protected and a healthy community can be achieved only if human rights are protected and responsibilities are met. Therefore, every person has a fundamental right to life and a right to those things required for human decency. Corresponding to these rights are duties and responsibilities to one another, to our families, and to the larger society.
Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
A basic moral test is how our most vulnerable members are faring, in a society marred by deepening divisions between rich and poor. Our tradition recalls the story of the Last Judgment (MT 25:31-46) and instructs us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first.
|
Students can access the Summer Reading List through the MBS online bookstore website:
 click here...
How to View the Summer Reading List
- Click on "Order My Books."
- Choose "Credit Card" and click on "Continue" (you will not have to actually enter credit card info or buy anything in order to see the list).
- Select "Term: Summer," choose "Summer Reading," and click on "Continue."
- Select the courses you will be taking next year and the summer reading books will be indicated.
You may purchase books elsewhere; just make sure the isbn's match those shown.
Visit the Bookstore webpage for discontinued book lists, suggestions for other online vendors, and additional information regarding book buying.
|
