Young Authors Writing Project
Greater Cabarrus Reading Association
Young Authors Writing Project
The theme for the 2021-2022 Young Authors’ Project is “Building and Designing the Future.” Young authors are encouraged to write about ways that they can impact the future by their actions, how engineering and building have impacted our past, present, and future, and how they can "build" relationships, or "build bridges" to mend relationships, just to name a few ideas. It could be about the impact of a special experience, moment, story, or person in your life, and how that has impacted how you choose to engineer your future. Authors may write prose or poetry, fiction or nonfiction. All entries must be submitted electronically via the GCRAGoogle Form.
Why Should You Consider Participating in Young Authors...
- The Young Author's Writing Project is a wonderful way to encourage writing across all grade levels.
- Students who submit writing have the potential to win at 3 different levels: School, County, and State.
Additional Information
- As part of the NCRA Young Authors Project students may submit an original design for the cover of the winning entries publication. All young artists who would like to submit a cover or design must follow the NCRA Young Author Art Design Criteria and complete the Entry Form provided to be eligible for state judging.
Ways to Implement the Young Author Theme
Makers Space
| Library
| Art
|
Makers Space
- What make some one an engineer
- Improve a current invention
- Describe how to make a Sandcastle, Snowman, Fort,
Library
- SPARK the conversation and discuss "Building and Designing the Future" by reading aloud titles suggested below.
- Research an inventor or engineer and discuss their impact on life as we know it now.
- Discuss what it means to fail and how we can learn from our mistakes.
Ready to Use Lessons & Materials
- Designing Elements of Story in Little Blue and Little Yellow K-5
- Great American Inventors: Using Nonfiction to Learn About Technology Inventions 3-5
- Create a Great Future: STEM Career Research Using Close Reading 6-12
- Lesson Plan for Grades 7-12
- A Poem of Possibilities: Thinking about the Future grades 11-12
- Video: Crash Course/ What is Engineering
- School Library Journal Ideas
Engineering Literacy: Creating Readers for Life Building and Designing the Future
Monday, Nov. 8th 2021 at 9pm
This is an online event.
Recommended School Deadline: October 31st
YA Digital Upload: Monday, November 10th
YA Digital Judging: November 15th-17th
State Deadline: December 1st
Chair: Barbara Falkenbury
***Remember to visit ncreading.org, click on YA tab. There are linked resources (Book Titles, PPT guidelines, activities) to use at your school***
Guidelines
All entries must be original creations.
Only 1 writing entry per person may be submitted. (*NOTE: Authors may also choose to submit for the art contest, but again, may only submit one piece of writing and one piece of art, total.)
If You Are Submitting Art
Students can physically build/create for this year's art contest. The only requirements are a picture of what they created (submitted as a JPEG) and a title of what they created. They will also need the permission form signed by their parents.
Would you like to Design the Cover...
- As part of the NCRA Young Authors Project students may submit an original design for the cover of the winning entries publication. All young artists who would like to submit a cover or design must follow the NCRA Young Author Art Design Criteria and complete the Entry Form provided to be eligible for state judging.
Format for Submitting
All entries should:
Use 10 point, “Times New Roman” font, single spaced, for the body of the piece.
Include an original title, typed in bold, 12 point type, with only the first letter of each major word in the title capitalized.
Include author information after the body of the piece. Skip two lines and then center the following information in 10 point:
Author’s First and Last Name, Grade ______ (numerical) or Forever Young
Teacher’s First and Last Name (Teacher: Name)
School Name
Local Council Named
SUBMISSIONS of Local Council Winners:
You will submit your entries by uploading these into the GCRA council writing folder. When you upload each entry, please name it as follows: the child's grade level (PK, 00 for kindergarten, 01 for first, and so on through grade 12, and then Forever Young entries will be labeled 13), then the author's last name and first name, then the local council name. You may use initials for your local council. However, Tar River and Twin Rivers will need to type out their names to avoid confusion.
GradeLevel_LastNameFirstName_CouncilName
Here are several examples; PLEASE FOLLOW EXACTLY (very important):
Kindergarten:
00_willemsmo_GCRA
Fifth Grade:
05__dicamillokate_GWRC
Forever Young:
13__owensdenise_GreaterCabarrusRC
Length of Entries: It is super easy to check word count by using the Tools button in Google Docs. Be sure to check all entries to ensure they meet entry requirements. Any entry submitted to the state level will be disqualified if it exceeds the word limit.
Grades Pre-K-1: Entries should have no more than 200 words.
Grades 2-5: Entries should have no more than 300 words.
Grades 6-8: Entries should have no more than 400 words.
Grades 9-12 and Forever Young: Entries should have no more than 500 words.
Greater Cabarrus Reading Association
Feel free to Like and Share our posts on Social Media
We are on Instagram: @WeAreGCRA