Included

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School-wideRequirement

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Grade 9Reading(additional)

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HonorsRequirements

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AdvancedPlacementRequirements

FRANKLIN HIGH SCHOOL

Summer Reading

2009

Page 2

School-Wide Reading Requirement

Three Cups of Tea

Everyone should enjoy reading, and reading should en-rich our lives. In an effort to make summer reading intoa school-wide initiative, all students will be required toread the same book, but may, depending on readinglevel, choose between two versions of the book. Thebook chosen for this year is Three Cups of Tea by GregMortenson and David Relin.

About the Book:

Some failures lead to phenomenal successes, and thisAmerican nurse's unsuccessful attempt to climb K2, theworld's second tallest mountain, is one of them. Dangerously ill when he finishedhis climb in 1993, Mortenson was sheltered for seven weeks by the small Paki-stani village of Korphe; in return, he promised to build the impoverished town'sfirst school, a project that grew into the Central Asia Institute, which has sinceconstructed more than 50 schools across rural Pakistan and Afghanistan. Coau-thor Relin recounts Mortenson's efforts in fascinating detail, presenting compel-ling portraits of the village elders, con artists, philanthropists, mujahideen, Tali-ban officials, ambitious school girls and upright Muslims Mortenson met alongthe way. As the book moves into the post-9/11 world, Mortenson and Relinargue that the United States must fight Islamic extrem-ism in the region through collaborative efforts to allevi-ate poverty and improve access to education, especiallyfor girls. Captivating and suspenseful, with engrossingaccounts of both hostilities and unlikely friendships, thisbook will win many readers' hearts. (Mar.)

Two Levels to Choose from:

Three Cups of Tea is available for readers of variouslevels. Franklin High School students may elect eitherthe original version (pictured at the op of the page) or the Young Reader ver-sion (pictured to the left). Parents are encouraged to help students choose themost appropriate level of the book.

The Assessment

Not all assessments need to be paper and penciltests. Greg Mortenson founded the Central AsiaInstitute as a result of his work described in thebook. In turn, the CAI has developed aprogram, Pennies for Peace.“Pennies for Peace educates childrenabout the world beyond their experienceand shows them that they can make a positive impact on a global scale,one penny at a time.Our best hope for a peaceful and prosperous world lies in the education of allthe world’s children. Through cross-cultural understanding and a solution-oriented approach, Pennies for Peace encourages children, ultimately our fu-ture leaders, to be active participants in the creation of global peace.”Next year, the school will participate in this program as a culmination of thesummer reading program. In addition, themes from the book may be inter-woven into course curricula as appropriate and the school is working toschedule a guest speaker from the Central Asia Institute to speak with stu-dents. In addition, students may be asked to write reflections on the readingand the initiative to be included in writing folders.