Our 8th graders are in the midst of entering their first essay contest of the year.  The contest is hosted by the local VA branch (the essay contest is linked here).  This week, we are taking information gleaned from our Veteran Interview (and narrative/biographical writing) and further summarizing that information to fit into the prompt “The Bill of Rights and Me.”  Students will take relevant information from their veteran interview, coupled with their opinions on the most important amendment within the Bill of Rights, and write a persuasive essay to explain their opinions.

Our rough drafts are due on Thursday (with students given time in class to write).  At that point, students will be knee deep in peer editing cycles and student-teacher conferencing.  Being able to accept and give critical feedback is an important part of this process so we can assist each other.  We all have unique strengths and by sharing those, we can assist each other.

Feel free to ask your child to look at their essay (or ask them about their favorite amendment in the Bill of Rights).  Our final drafts are due on Tuesday so they should have made good progress thus far.