K i d s W r i t i n g S H O W C A S E - 2009
INFORMATION ON THIS PAGE: 1) To Kids; 2) To Teachers or Youth Organization Advisors and Counselors; 3) Submission Invitation; 4) Showcase Mission; 5) Writing Rules; 6) Showcase Selections; 7) $1 Investment; 8) Teachers Instructions; 9) Poetry Book Discount; 10) Permission; 11) A Letter to Aspiring Young Writers.
1) TO KIDS > Hi, elementary and middle school-age aspring writers! Welcome to our brand new "Kids Writing SHOWCASE" where you are invited to write and submit a rhyming poem of up to 16-lines, or an essay of up to 150 words. This SHOWCASE is where your parents or guardian, family members, friends and schoolmates - and YOU! - will enjoy the thrill of seeing YOUR work or your name as a young writer published online.
2) TO TEACHERS or ADVISORS/COUNSELORS > Welcome and thanks for visiting our new "Kids Writing SHOWCASE". And a special thanks to the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) for posting a link to the Kids Writing Showcase on their website: www.wcte.org/elem.
3) SUBMISSIONS > Elementary and middle School teachers and counselors, and advisors of Boys & Girls Clubs and other youth organizations, are invited to submit their students' by-lined (first-name/last-initial) rhyming poems of up to 16 lines or essays of up to 150 words to our Kids Writing SHOWCASE on this website: www.jackjosephprather.com.
4) SHOWCASE MISSION > Our new Kids Writing SHOWCASE is designed to help elementary and middle school-age students improve their writing and communications skills by motivating them to think deeply about something or someone important to them, and then to write about how and why this has inspired and helped them, or been difficult to cope with; and, to request students to invest their time, effort and $1 in order to become "stakeholders" in their own personal development as creative writers.
5) WRITING RULES > 1) Do not write anything negative about any person. 2) Do not refer to any person by name. 3) Be fair to yourself and others. 4) Let your writing express how you feel. 5) Create a poem or essay about a person who positively influences you, or about a situation that you find helpful or inspiring, or about how you hope to overcome whatever is bothering or hurtful to you. 6) Limit your rhyming poem to 16 lines or fewer, or your essay to 150 words or fewer. 7) Write clearly and legibly. 8) Submit your poem or essay, the Permission Form signed by your parent or guardian, and $1 to your teacher according to her/his guidelines. 9) Your teacher may assist you to correct spelling and grammar. 10) Your original edited submission, Permission Form and $1 fee will be mailed with those of your classmates in one batch to us by your teacher, advisor or counselor.
6) SHOWCASE SELECTIONS > If your poem or essay is chosen as a "Showcase Selection" by our judging panel, it will be published online on this website under your by-line (first-name/last-initial). We will then e-mail to your teacher, advisor or counselor a "Showcase Recognition Certificate" to present to you. Her or his name, school or orgnization name and location, and the names of all participants, will also be published online. The judges are: Jack Joseph Prather, your website host, award-winning writer and author of "SPEAKING UP in Poetry & Prose" and many published poems and fiction/non-fiction articles; Pamela Ludlam Prather, Resource Development Director of a County Boys & Girls Club, editor of two published books, and a professional writer for 15 years for non-profit employers and clients; and, Barbara Diane Emon, retired Kindergarten teacher with 30-plus years of classroom experience, a BA Degree in Early Childhood Education, and a Master's Degree in Growth and Human Development. NOTE: the judges will honor Showcase Selections but firmly believe that all participants in this program should be congratulated for their efforts and participation!
7) $1 INVESTMENT > The $1 investment per-submission to the showcase is designed to emphasize the importance of young writers becoming "stakeholders" in the improvement of their own writing and communications skills, and to help offset some of the website expenses. 8) 8) SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS > (Wow, kids, I always wanted to give instructions to a teacher!) Please mail the package of original edited entries from your class or group (suggest you make copies), a cover letter that lists all participants by their first-name and last-initial, the signed Permission Forms from a parent or guardian (see form below), and a check for the total amount due to: Jack J. Prather, 828 Sandburg Terrace, Hendersonville NC 28791. Or, to pay by credit-card via a secure PayPal invoice, please e-mail your request with billing information to prathergroup@aol.com.
9) POETRY BOOK DISCOUNT > There is absolutely no obligation to purchase anything to participate in the Kids Writing SHOWCASE. This is a special offer to administrators, teachers, advisors, counelors, and parents or guardians affiliated with participating schools or organizations to purchase signed copies of "SPEAKING UP in Poetry & Prose" by Jack Joseph Prather (2007 PublishAmerica, isbn 1424108713) for $14.95 each, and we will pay for the postage, shipping and handling - a $3 value discount. To take advantage of this discount, simply mail your book order with a check for payment as described. Or, if you prefer payment via a secure PayPal credit-card invoice by e-mail to you, please provide your complete order information by e-mail to prathergroup@aol.com.
10) PERMISSION > This The following is a "Permission Form" for reproduction by the teacher, advisor or counselor for the purpose of obtaining the signature of a parent or guardian of each participant in the new online elementary and middle school-age "Kids Writing SHOWCASE" , according to the instructions described on www.jackjosephprather.com. This signed Permission Form will allow the child of the parent/guardian to participate in the elementary school-age "Kids Writing SHOWCASE" on the World Wide Web, and permits the use of the child's first-name/last-initial with the original submitted material if selected, or within the list of submissions from his/her class. The mission of the Showcase is to encourage and enhance the writing and communications skills of students, to motivate them to create a brief poem or essay, and to have them invest $1 in order to become a "stakeholder" in the SHOWCASE. The completed and signed form must be submitted to the teacher, advisor or counselor, who will then mail it to the Judging Panel with all of her or his submissions.
PERMISSION FORM (reproduce and attach to each entry):
I grant permission for my child__ ward__ to participate in the elementary, middle school, or youth organization online "Kids Writing SHOWCASE" as outlined at www.jackjosephprather.com:
Entrant's Name______________ Last-Initial______ DOB___ Grade___
Parent or Guardian Signature_________________________________
Print Name_________________________________ Date__________
Teacher/Advisor/Counselor (circle)_____________________________
School or Youth Organization_________________________________
Address_________________________________________________
Submitted: Poem Title_______________ Essay Title_______________
11) A LETTER TO ASPIRING YOUNG WRITERS >
Dear Students:
You are invited to participate in the first online "Kids Writing SHOWCASE" for elementary and middle school-age students at my new website: www.jackjosephprather.com.
The SHOWCASE is designed to motivate and inspire you to improve your communication and writing skills. Your teacher, advisor or counselor is in charge of the program in your class or group and will be your guide to creating a rhyming poem or essay.
As always, pay attention to your teacher!
Your poem or essay may be chosen by our judges for the Showcase and may be published online under your first-name/last-initial "by-line". If so, you will receive by e-mail a Certificate of Recognition from this published poet and writer.
The names of all participants from your class will be published online in a similar way, along with your teacher's name and school address.
Won't it be a thrill for you, and your schoolmates, friends and family members to read your work or see your name online?
Of course, nothing in life is free and this is gonna' cost you a lot of dough! Okay, so it's only candy money - $1 per submission - and that buck will make you an investor and "stakeholder" (your teacher will explain that one) in your own writing improvement.
So, turn off your Internet games for awhile and write a poem or essay. Do it or I'll drive (my wife won't fly) from North Carolina to see why not! Just kiddin', creative writing is fun and fulfilling. Try it, you'll like it.
Go ahead and become the author of a "meaningful to you" rhyming poem up to 16 lines or an essay up to 150 words.
And, unless you are perfect, your teacher, advisor or counselor can help you correct your spelling and grammar. And, she or he will give you a Permission Form to get signed at home, collect your dollar, and submit all of it in a package from your class or group to our three-judge panel.
What should you write about? Well, give some deep thought to a person or situation in your life that is important, that motivates you, that inspires or helps you - and write about that.
Or, write about something that bothers or pains you. NO, you sitting in the back, you can't trash a classmate, a teacher or your brother just because they may bug you and give you grief! In fact, you can't mention any names at all. What you can do is describe what bothers or pains you, and how you hope to cope with it in the future to make it better.
Writing about goals is good. Praise for another - that's good, too. Thanking someone special - that's especially good. Hey, the final subject is yours, you are the author, you pick - then just do it!
You can write serious stuff or you can be funny. You can even be a little bit sarcastic. But you must not be mean or hurtful to anyone about anything at anytime because if you do . . . well, you get my point.
Try to express yourself in such a way as to make things better, not worse. Face the good things and the bad things in your life with understanding and compassion (caring) for yourself and for others. Then, try to capture your feelings in a poem or essay.
That's what I try to do. (It even works once in a while.)
I look forward to meeting all of you girls and boys online and in e-mail. Until then, good luck!
Sincerely, Jack Joseph Prather
P.S. - You should listen to your elders like me; after all, I'm 127 years old.