Do The Write Thing
Do the Write Thing Essays are due to Mrs. Cliffe-DeBorde on Tuesday, November 14th at the beginning of class. All essays with signed cover pages will be entered into the contest as well as be taken for a major project grade. Essays that do not have a signed cover page will only be taken for a major project grade. As well as being a major project grade, each step will be taken as a daily grade.
Schedule...
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Parents: Please discuss the issues of violence with your children. Help them to come up with ideas about how they are affected by violence, even if they do not feel they are "directly" affected by violence. As well, discuss with them what they think the causes of violence are and what they can do about it. Exploring the official Do the Write Thing website together would be a wonderful conversation starter!
Student Program Rules Do the Write Thing
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Students may use any form of written expression (e.g. essays, poems, plays or songs) as long as the language is positive and not derogatory. Students may submit only one entry per year. All entries must be the work product of only one student. |
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Students should address the following three questions:
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Entries should be approximately 500 to 1,000 words in length. Written forms of expression, such as poetry, that are usually shorter, may contain fewer than 500 words. |
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Entries must be typed or written legibly in black ink on 8½" x 11" paper. Only one side of the paper may be used. The pages should be numbered. |
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Entries must be in English. |
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If the student participant uses a quotation or another person’s material in his or her entry, the entry must identify whose work is being used by citing the original author’s name, or citing the source of the material. Writings based upon plagiarism will not be advanced in the judging process. |
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Entries must have a Cover Sheet with the Consent Statement signed by the participating student and a parent or guardian. Entries without a signed Cover Sheet will not be advanced in the judging process. |
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Entries must be submitted with the original writing and one photocopy of the writing. |
Entries will be judged by a panel of community leaders appointed by the Do the Write Thing Committee of Houston/Harris County, a coalition of business, community and government leaders. Entries will be judged on the basis of content, originality and responsiveness to the three questions:
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How has violence affected my life? |
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What are the cases of violence? |
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What can I do about violence? |
In their writings, students should be encouraged to describe what they think are the causes of violence, and to offer specific suggestions about what they, as individuals, can do to reduce violence in their homes, schools, and neighborhoods. Personal responsibility for responding to the problem of violence should be emphasized. Students should be encouraged to share personal experiences about the impact of violence on their lives and the lives of their peers.