Character Matters Essay Content
Grades 4-12
Deadline - Friday, November 20, 2009
“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically... Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education.”
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
What is the Character Matters Essay Contest?
The Character Matters Essay Contest provides a platform for insightful discussions and reflections on experiences that call for honesty, respect, responsibility, courage, self-discipline, and many other virtues. All students have encountered various experiences in their lives where their character has been tested, inspired, and strengthened. This essay contest provides students an opportunity for conscious reflection on these experiences. It originated from the Templeton Foundation “Laws of Life” essay contest, http://lawsoflife.org, which emphasizes “the core values, ideals and principles by which we live.”
How does the contest work?
The Character Matters Essay Contest is for all students in grade 4 through 12 in public, private and charters schools in San Diego and Imperial Valley Counties.
There are three contest divisions: elementary school, grades 4 & 5; middle school, grades 6-8; and high school, grades 9-12. There are three students winners in each category. First place winners receive a $100 check and a plaque; second place winners receive a $75 check and plaque; and third place winners receive a $50 check and a plaque.
Students should write a 2 to 3 page essay on the topic why character matters (see prompts below) which may be word-processed or handwritten. Each teacher submits two essays from his/her class. That means that the teacher is the first reviewer. Each teacher who submits two essays from her/his class will receive a $50 discount coupon to the summer conference.
Each teacher must submit, with the two students essays, an official contest entry form. All students whose essays are submitted by their teachers will receive a certificate of participation. All nine teachers of winning students will receive a gift from the Character Development Center including the conference discount coupon.
Students winners and their teachers will be notified by mail or email. The awards will be delivered to the teacher at his/her school. The winning teacher and the school principal will decide the best venue for presenting the award to the winning student usually at the school’s awards ceremony.
What is the teacher’s role?
We recommend the following plan:
SEPTEMBER
• Announce the contest opportunity
• Discuss/brainstorm with students about "laws of life," definitions of character, and why character matters
• Plan bi-monthly class meetings to discuss character and how the essay connects to your school's character education program
OCTOBER
• Brainstorm possible topics with your students on how character makes a difference in their lives or in the lives of others
• Work with students on the structure of their essays: introduction, supporting paragraphs, conclusion, voice of the essay, and purpose of writing their particular essay
• facilitate an opportunity for peer editing of the rough draft
• Have your students write or type their final draft
NOVEMBER
• Set the date you want the students to turn in their essays to you
• Be sure you have an entry form for the two or three essays you select to be entered into the contest
Submittal Directions
- Select one or two student essays for submission.
- Fill out the entry form and attach it to the students’ essays.
- Make a copy of the students’ essays and the form for your records.
- Essays/entry form must be postmarked by Friday, November 20, 2009
- Mail the completed entry form and students’ essays to:
University of San Diego
SOLES Character Development Center, Rm. 246 – B
5998 Alcala Park
San Diego, CA 92110
How is the Character Matters Essay Contest related to the California Standards, and other writing requirements?
The University of California's requirements for college preparatory English classes mandate that students write at least two pieces each of narrative, expository, descriptive, and persuasive essays that are 600-800 words in length, and that students also write one of each of these types of essays that is 1300-1500 words in length. Among these essays, several should be reflective compositions in which students both describe individual incidents and relate these incidents to more general and abstract ideas. This essay contest helps fulfill this requirement.
How do I help students decide their topics?
Have a discussion with your class on what character is and why it matters. Visit the following website for resources on character education: http://midgefrazel.net/character.html.
Before students write their essays, use warm-up activities to generate ideas or topics. Teachers often use journal entries, famous quotations, short inspirational essays and questionnaires.
Encourage students to use their personal experiences (either positive or negative) to generate ideas.
Role models and historical or literary figures are also frequently used by students as supporting examples of character.
What writing prompts have been used successfully?
- Who has been the most important person in your life in helping you establish your values?
- Describe how that person influenced your character.
- Describe a personal experience that helped you show some character traits/values such as respect, responsibility, courage, honesty, or self-discipline.
- How has a figure in history or a famous person helped you better understand the importance of character in your life?
- How has a book, poem, film, or piece of art or music helped you appreciate how values influence your actions and behavior?
- How have values such as respect, responsibility, courage, honesty, or self-discipline influenced what you do and decisions you have made?
