Thursday, January 15, 2009

White House Writing Contest














Don't you love getting letters? Everyone does, but nobody's writing anymore. Letter writing is an art that may soon be lost to texting and e-mail.

Introduce young readers and writers to one of the most personal and meaningful ways to communicate with Letters from the White House. This national creative writing contest encourages students in grades PreK through 12 to explore the useful arts of letter writing and journaling, take a look at the history of our country, and tap into their own creativity when they imagine and write about themselves as having a role in a past, present or future White House. Contest resources for educators and parents can help make this a fun and meaningful project for the classroom, after school program or for families at home.

To enter the contest, students can write and submit either a letter or journal entry about an imagined or researched experience of living or working in the White House. For example, students may:

*Submit an entry of historical fiction writing as a President or as a member of a First Family of the past, such as Woodrow Wilson, Abigail Adams, or Amy Carter.
*Research the variety of staff and volunteers who spend time working at the White House and write a letter or journal entry as a White House chef, a member of the Secret Service, or a White House volunteer.
*Imagine a future White House and write as the 50th U.S. President or the White House hovercraft driver.

Letters from the White House is presented by Reading Rockets, AdLit.org, and the National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance (NCBLA) in celebration of Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out, the NCBLA's critically acclaimed publication about American history.

The contest will launch on January 20, 2009, Inauguration Day, with entries due on February 16, 2009, Presidents Day. Five finalists will be chosen in each competition level and a grand prize winner will be named in each level on April 30, 2009, the 100th day of the new presidential term.

To learn more about our Letters from the White House contest for older readers and writers (grades 4-12), visit AdLit.org.

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