Grades 10-12... click here A.P. Government... click here A.P. US History... click here Incoming Freshmen -- Books to read: A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines - STUDY GUIDE - DOWNLOAD HERE The Greatest Salesman in the World, by Og Mandino STUDY GUIDE - DOWNLOAD HERE Incoming Freshmen! Please read >> One of the hallmarks of a St. Edward High School education is to instill in our students a love for reading. Our school philosophy refers to the fact that we prepare “our students for life-long learning." Indeed, what can be more beneficial to academic success, and a rich, meaningful life, than the ongoing search for knowledge experienced through reading. To enhance this, St. Edward High School has undertaken a dramatic initiative regarding our Summer Reading Program. A main component is the identification of a "common title" that our underclassmen (freshmen and sophomores) will read. This title will be distinct from an upperclass "common title" to be read by all juniors and seniors. As an incoming ninth grader you, a member of the Class of 2012, you and your classmates will be reading the assigned underclass book. That experience will serve to create an immediate bond between yourself and your classmates, and represent something you can share upon your arrival at St. Edward in August. The all school title is A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines. Grant Wiggins (the narrator of this story), in this powerful exploration of race, injustice, and resistance, struggles to impart a sense of pride to Jefferson before he must face his death and learns an important lesson as well: heroism is not always expressed through action – sometimes the simple act of resisting the inevitable is enough. Additionally all incoming freshmen are required to read The Greatest Salesman in the World, by Og Mandino. This treasure weaves mythology with spirituality into a much-needed message of inspiration in this culture of self-promotion. Mandino believes that to be a good salesperson, you must believe in yourself and the work you are doing. It is a simple but profound spiritual philosophy about how to succeed in the world’s marketplace, easily understood and easy to take to heart. Study Guides for both books will be available here soon (check back weekly) and will be mailed to incoming Freshmen in a future mailing to assist them as they do their Summer Reading. Students will be assessed on these Summer Reading books after the start of the school year. Be aware that the two summer reading test grades will be averaged together to determine a summer reading grade, which is worth .25 credits and will appear on your first quarter report card. The introduction of a community book, along with a required reading that can be used across our curriculum, are designed to make Summer Reading a more meaningful experience. We as a learning community firmly believe these initiatives will directly contribute to fulfilling our Mission Statement values educating the “Minds and Hearts” of young men who also possess “the competence to see and the courage to act.” Note: The rest of this page (below) does NOT apply to incoming freshmen. Grades 10-12 -- Overview of the Summer
Reading Program 1. The school-wide book: A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines (available in the SEHS Bookstore, SEHS Library, online, and in local bookstores and libraries). A description of this book is located below. 2. A student-selected book: You will choose a second book from a list of books located here. Please note that you will need your student ID number to make your selection online. You may select a book or change your selection anytime until Friday, May 30.
Grades 10-12 (Student-Selected Books) 2008 Summer Reading (This site will allow sophomores, juniors and seniors to make and/or check their book selections for summer reading.)
Study Guides, Grades 10-12 Study guides for the student-selected books MAY be created by faculty members. These study guides will be posted as received by the webmaster. Not all faculty members provide study guides. A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines - STUDY GUIDE - DOWNLOAD HERE What Was Asked of Us - STUDY GUIDE - DOWNLOAD HERE If you have any questions about summer reading, please email Mr. Seiler.
Description of the Common Book: A Lesson Before Dying (Grades 9-12)
The Best and the Brightest - STUDY GUIDE
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This
award-winning novel is set in rural Louisiana in the late 1940's. Grant Wiggins
is a teacher in a one-room school house who narrates this powerful
exploration of race, injustice and resistance. Jefferson, a young Black
man in a small town, is wrongly convicted of murder and sentenced to death.
Grant
is soon commissioned to visit Jefferson in jail and help him recognize
his value as a human being in those painful days before his execution. Through
his efforts Grant not only successfully imparts a sense of pride and value
in Jefferson before his death, but also grows himself as he comes to realize
that heroism does not require an act of bravery but may me manifested through
simple acts of kindness.