Veterans Day Essay Contest for Grades 3-5



Veterans Day Essay Contest for Grades 3-5

Teachers, please share this information with your students.

3rd Grade Topic: Thank a veteran in one page, handwritten on the front side of the paper only. Remember to acknowledge all their sacrifices, including being away from their families, while they protected our freedom as Americans.

4th Grade Topic: Answer the following question in one page, handwritten on the front side of the paper only. What makes the United States of America a “beautiful” place to live?

5th Grade Topic: Answer the following question in one page, handwritten on the front side of the paper only. Why is the United States of America known around the world as “the land of the free,” and how has that title been earned by our nation’s veterans?

Submission Details: Each essay must include the student’s name, grade level, and homeroom teacher’s name written on the back of the paper.

Submission Deadline: November 6th @ 3:45 P.M.

Submission Location: Mrs. Henley’s Mailbox in the Teachers’ Lounge

Scoring Details: Attached Rubrics

Winners: One winner will be chosen from each grade level. The winner will be recognized at the Veterans Day Program and read his or her essay to our honored guests, as well as receive an Award Certificate from the school.

EXPOSITORY WRITING RUBRIC

Student____________________ Teacher_____________ Score______

4-EXCELLENT 3-ACCEPTABLE 2-BELOW AVERAGE 1-UNACCEPTABLE

Score for Clear, Well Organized, Well Developed Ideas

___4

___3

___2

___1

EXPLANATION OF CLEAR, WELL ORGANIZED, WELL DEVELOPED IDEAS

! Main idea (thesis) is clearly written in the introductory paragraph.

! Topic sentences in the middle (body) paragraphs give support to the central thesis (main idea) and are supported by detail sentences (facts, statistics, etc.)

! Concluding paragraph summarizes points presented.

! Transition words/phrases connect paragraphs smoothly. (First, Finally, In addition)

! Introduction, body, and conclusion provide logical sequencing of ideas, leading to an understandable explanation, instruction, comparison/contrast, problem/solution, etc.

Score for Sentence Variation in Paragraphs

___4

___3

___2

___1

EXPLANATION OF SENTENCE VARIATION IN PARAGRAPHS

! Introductory participial phrase Examples: (Towering over the ruins, the pharaoh's statue...)(Buried by years of sandstorms, the ancient statue...)

! Compound sentence Examples: (Jenny left the room angrily, but Andy did not move.)

! 2 independent clauses separated by a semicolon Examples: (Jen left the room; Andy stayed.)

! Appositive phrase Examples: (Jillian, my cousin from Paris, travels around the world.)

! Introductory prepositional phrase Examples: (In the back of the class, Sam yawned quietly.)

! Introductory adverb clause Examples: (Although Sam yawned, he was paying attention to the lesson.) (Until, Before, After, When . . .)

Score for Word Choice

___4

___3

___2

___1

EXPLANATION OF WORD CHOICE

! Vivid, lively verbs are used. Examples: (Weak: Sally was angry. Strong: Sally breathed fire.)

! Imaginative, unusual adjectives are used. Examples: (happy, contented, blissful, delighted)

! Vague, overused, repetitive language is avoided. Examples: (a lot, very, really, then, big, pretty, and . . .)

Score for Figurative Language

___4

___3

___2

___1

EXPLANATION OF FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE - Give the reader a mental picture using the following:

! Metaphor (After dark, Pleasantville is a ghost town.)

! Simile (Addie's room looked like a tornado debris field.)

! Personification (The Civil War tore its way through the United States, ripping holes in the hearts of Americans.)

Score for Grammar, Usage, Mechanics

___4

___3

___2

___1

EXPLANATION OF EDITING FOR GRAMMAR, USAGE, MECHANICS

! No run-on sentences. (Incorrect: Let's go to the park, it's a lovely day.)

! No sentence fragments. (Incorrect: Although Aunt Patty cooked dinner.)

! Subject/verb agreement (Incorrect: One of the toys are missing. Correct: One of the toys is missing.)

! Correct, consistent verb tense usage (Do not accidentally mix present and past tenses.)

! Punctuation is correct.

! Capitalization is correct.

! Spelling is correct.

! Paragraphs are indented correctly.

Total Score

_______

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