Check out the 2011 Citizen Writer Contest presented by Reading Rockets. This year, the writing prompts have connections to civics, citizenship, and our communities. The goal is to encourage students to think and learn more about America’s people, places, and ideals as they work on the prompts — which incorporate several genres and even some visual literacy.
For the contest, four very different kinds of writing prompts, designed to match a student interests and stretch their creative skills, were selected. For kids who enjoy visualizing their ideas, the mapmaking challenge could be a perfect fit; or, if you have students gifted in music and poetry, they might want to try the songwriting and verse challenge. Find out more about each prompt by clicking on one of the links below:
The contest began on March 1, 2011 and all entries must be received by April 30, 2011. Winners will be announced by May 16, 2011 and prizes distributed by May 24, 2011. There are four grade levels for entries:
- Level I: K-grade 2
- Level II: grades 3-5
- Level III: grades 6-8
- Level IV: grades 9-12
For full details about the rules, please see the Official Contest Rules page. For details about contest prizes, visit the contest page.