~2010 BFUHS Literary Kick Off~
The purpose of this site is to provide information, resources, and links about Bellows Falls Union High School's Literary Kick-Off Program. This site will also provide detailed information and links about the summer school-wide book selection. Staff, students, parents, and community members are encouraged to contribute to the online discussion of the book by adding comments, questions, and discussion on this site's blog.
In addition, as you read the book, there are questions, themes, and discussion topics over the book in general, as well as over each specific chapter. There will also be information regarding summer programs centered around the book and about the author's visit.
Continue to check back for regular updates and new information!
In addition, as you read the book, there are questions, themes, and discussion topics over the book in general, as well as over each specific chapter. There will also be information regarding summer programs centered around the book and about the author's visit.
Continue to check back for regular updates and new information!
First They Killed My Father:
A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers
by: Loung Ung
We are excited to be reading Loung Ung's First They Killed My Father as the first book of the BFUHS Literary Kick Off, and are thrilled to start the 2010-2011 school year off with a visit and presentation by author Loung Ung.
During the school day on Wednesday, September 8, 2010, Loung Ung will visit BFUHS to speak to the students and staff about her life and her book as the culminating event of the Literary Kick Off.
Parents and the community are then invited to an evening presentation and book signing by Loung Ung on Wednesday, September 8, 2010, at 7pm in the BFUHS auditorium. This event is free and open to the public.
During the school day on Wednesday, September 8, 2010, Loung Ung will visit BFUHS to speak to the students and staff about her life and her book as the culminating event of the Literary Kick Off.
Parents and the community are then invited to an evening presentation and book signing by Loung Ung on Wednesday, September 8, 2010, at 7pm in the BFUHS auditorium. This event is free and open to the public.
| BFUHS poster.pdf |
Title: First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers
Author: Loung Ung
Publisher: HarperCollins (2000)
Length: 238 pages
Grade Level Equivalent: 7.5 (SCHOLASTIC)
Summary: The perils of life under the brutal Pol Pot regime in Cambodia change a young woman’s life forever as she and her family find themselves fugitives of war, without even their names to remind them of what they lost.
Topics: Major topics and themes covered in the book:
-war -women’s rights -communism
-refugees -land mines -totalitarianism
-family -social conditions -justice
-genocide -politics -memoirs
-ethnicity
Honors:
Author: Loung Ung
Publisher: HarperCollins (2000)
Length: 238 pages
Grade Level Equivalent: 7.5 (SCHOLASTIC)
Summary: The perils of life under the brutal Pol Pot regime in Cambodia change a young woman’s life forever as she and her family find themselves fugitives of war, without even their names to remind them of what they lost.
Topics: Major topics and themes covered in the book:
-war -women’s rights -communism
-refugees -land mines -totalitarianism
-family -social conditions -justice
-genocide -politics -memoirs
-ethnicity
Honors:
- National Bestseller
- Named the 2001 Asian/Pacific American Librarians’ Association award for "Excellence in Adult Non-fiction Literature"
- Named one of the 2009 Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners by the Young Adult Library Association
| Book synopsis.pdf |
About the Literary Kick Off
The Literary Kick-Off Program was initiated by Bellows Falls Union High teacher Craig Divis in 2010. Divis is a Social Studies Teacher and Department Coordinator at BFUHS and was honored as the 2010 Vermont Teacher of the Year.
The program is designed with two main goals in mind: 1) to provide students with a structured summer educational project, and 2) to excite students about the upcoming school year with the author of the chosen book coming to speak to the students and community.
By the end of the school year, every student will receive a copy of the book. The chosen book will be one that is interdisciplinary in nature, has a connection to Vermont, and is written by an author who is available to speak to the student body and community.
Students will be reading the book over the summer. They are encouraged to read it with their parents and use this website and the Rockingham Free Public Library as resources. Staff members will be designing interdisciplinary lessons and activities around the book for their courses in the fall for the first weeks of school.
At the start of the new school year, teachers will be connecting the content of the book and the author to their content area with engaging activities, discussions, and projects. It is up to each teacher to decide how he/she will use the book in his/her specific classes.
School-wide activities will include a Student Competition for all students. There will be four winners chosen who will be honored with a special dinner with the author. The winners will be honored at the school-wide assembly and the evening community event on Wed., September 8th.
The culminating event and highlight of the Literary Kick-Off Program is a visit and presentation by the author of the book, with the intended goal being to inspire and motivate the students at the start of the new school year.
The Literary Kick-Off Program was initiated by Bellows Falls Union High teacher Craig Divis in 2010. Divis is a Social Studies Teacher and Department Coordinator at BFUHS and was honored as the 2010 Vermont Teacher of the Year.
The program is designed with two main goals in mind: 1) to provide students with a structured summer educational project, and 2) to excite students about the upcoming school year with the author of the chosen book coming to speak to the students and community.
By the end of the school year, every student will receive a copy of the book. The chosen book will be one that is interdisciplinary in nature, has a connection to Vermont, and is written by an author who is available to speak to the student body and community.
Students will be reading the book over the summer. They are encouraged to read it with their parents and use this website and the Rockingham Free Public Library as resources. Staff members will be designing interdisciplinary lessons and activities around the book for their courses in the fall for the first weeks of school.
At the start of the new school year, teachers will be connecting the content of the book and the author to their content area with engaging activities, discussions, and projects. It is up to each teacher to decide how he/she will use the book in his/her specific classes.
School-wide activities will include a Student Competition for all students. There will be four winners chosen who will be honored with a special dinner with the author. The winners will be honored at the school-wide assembly and the evening community event on Wed., September 8th.
The culminating event and highlight of the Literary Kick-Off Program is a visit and presentation by the author of the book, with the intended goal being to inspire and motivate the students at the start of the new school year.
Goals of the Literary Kick Off
- To further emphasize, promote, and increase literacy throughout the school and the community.
- To promote diversity amongst the students and the community in an effort to broaden their understanding and knowledge of the world and its citizens.
- To instill a sense of unity and community amongst the student population.
- To excite the students and instill enthusiasm for the new school year.
- To promote interdisciplinary lessons and activities in the school.
- To encourage students to be reading and learning over the summer.
- To increase the role of parents and community in the education of students.
Questions?
E-mail BFUHS Principal Chris Hodsden at [email protected]
or
Craig Divis at [email protected]
or
call BFUHS at 802-463-3944
