The One of a Kind Homeschool Writing Contest
Fall 2011
Winners Announced Below
Check out our young writers' essays and give them positive feedback on their work.
The judges complained that writing was great across the board and the decision was too hard! Once again, we had to run anti-plagarism tests to verify the work belonged to the students. Congratulations not only to the winners of each category but to ALL the writers for their great work!
Expository Writing:
The 5 W's
September 2, 2011 to December 5, 2011
Contest Details
Expository Writing: Journalist Report
The 5 W's: Write On 20 and 21
This homeschool writing contest starts September 3 and concludes December 5, 2011. All submissions must be received by December 5, 2011.
Prizes
There will be two age groups
- Ages 8 to 12
- Ages 13 to 17
The winner of each age group will receive a United States Savings Bond, $50 denomination.
The contest will judge the ability to use the 5 W's to report an event.
You will need Write On #20 and 21
from Write On: The Kid Friendly, Mother Pleasing Gentle Way to Learn to Write.
You may use it from the text or Download it here.
Directions
- Read Write On 20 and 21 as examples of using the 5 W's: Who, What, Where, When, Why.
- It is recommended that you complete Write On 20 to practice using the 5 W's.
- This is not required, it is for your practice.
- You will NOT submit Write On 20 with your entry.
- Choose an event you will write about for your journalist report.
- The event should be non-fiction. This is a true occurence.
- The event may be current or historical.
- It may be political, scientific, human interest, or any other genre.
- The event may be local, regional, or international in scope.
- Your essay should contain FOUR of these elements:
- Who
- What
- When
- Where
- Why
- How
- You may chose any of these four elements that make the most sense for your report.
- The elements should be used to develop four distinct paragraphs.
- The elements may appear in any order.
- The length of your report is different for the two age groups:
- 8 - 12 year old writers: 150 to 400 words
- 13 to 17 year old writers: 250 to 500 words
- The submission box will appear on this web-page on December 1, 2011.
- You may enter your submission as early as December 1, 2011.
- Your submission must be received by 11:59 P.M. on December 5, 2011 at the latest.
- Winners will be announced on this web-page on December 12, 2011.
Rules
- This contest is open to homeschool students between the ages of 8 and 17.
- Entries must be submitted in the submission box on this page on the dates specified above.
- Parents may assist younger children in typing their submission in the submission box for younger students. The work must be the students.
- Plagarism will disqualify an essay.
Judging
- Two independent judges evaluated the essays between December 5, 2011 and December 11, 2011.
- Essays were judged on quality of writing, organization of ideas, paragraph development, following directions, and ability to reflect the significance of the event reported.
Winner - Age 8 - 12: Josiah - The Tragedy (age 11)
Winner - Age 13 - 17: Kayli - Egypt Holds Historic Elections (age 15)
Deadline: Midnight December 5, 2011
This is where you will enter your essay. Submissions will be accepted from December 1 to December 5, 2011.
Submitted Essays
Here are the essays from the developing authors:
Egypt Holds Historic Elections - Kayli(15)
Egypt is holding elections to select one-third of the members of their 498-member lower parliament, also known as the People’s Assembly. This parliament ...
For the Love of Liberty - Isaiah(13)
It was 9 AD. The thus far unconquerable Romans were seeking to expand Roman law, culture, and power. West of the Rhine, one of the longest rivers in ...
The Tragedy - Josiah(11)
Eight year old William Turner wanted to be a sailor and convinced his parents to let him become a cabin boy. In a few years he became second ...
Changing Many Lives - Anna(10)
Have you heard about the sixth largest recorded earthquake? The movement was tremendous, measuring 8.8 on the Richter Scale. Because of the earthquake ...
Big Band Dance in Bella Vista - Adriana(11)
Not rated yet
Where in Arkansas can you find three hours of big band music, dancing, and a $100 raffle, plus a free dance lesson? Why, the Bella Vista Big ...
A Blue Bear for Curing Disease - Carson(12)
Not rated yet
Donna Fladhammer has three children, all living with a rare disease called PIDD. PIDD stands for Primary Immune Deficiency Disease which means the ...
Marco Polo Reaches China - Samantha(8)
Not rated yet
Marco Polo and his Uncle Maffeo and his Father, Niccolo, are now some of the first Europeans to reach China! To get to China he had to travel ...
Ladies of Texas - Truitt(10)
Not rated yet
Recently the George Ranch Historical Park held Texan Market Days where people re-enacted life during the 1800's. One interesting fact that stood out ...
Perry Hopes You Forget - Geneva (14)
Not rated yet
Campaigning for the presidency of the United States of America is Texas Governor Rick Perry, a 61 year old Republican with two children. He ...
Read the submissions from our previous writing contests
The essays submitted are great examples of students employing effective writing techniques.
January to April 2011: Persuasive Writing: Organizing Advantages
September to December 2010: Character Sketch
April to June 2010: Dialogues From Days Gone By
January 10, 2010 to March 15, 2010: Introductions and Conclusions
Tell Others About Our Writing Contest
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You can also tweet others about our homeschool writing contest.
Interested in Other Contests?
Kevin's website about Legos has a Writing Contest (150 word minimum) about Lego Building Blocks. For you fans, there is also a video and photo contest.
Information on the Lego Stories Writing Contest
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