COMPLETE 2007-2008 TEACHER PACKET
Houston/Harris County Challenge

Instructions: Complete Lesson Plan
All forms needed to enter. 

Participating in Do the Write Thing helps students learn to
express themselves intelligently, develop coping skills, achieve
recognition, and gain writing proficiency.

An initiative of the National Campaign to Stop Violence

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS

• Please do NOT screen or grade the papers
• Submit all papers, as each student who writes will get a certificate.
• Emphasize to the students to focus on solutions –
  address the three questions.
• The judging is blind, there are no school names listed. 
• Essays are judged for content only, not grammar or English.

DtWT Team Contacts:
Diane Jacobs - diane_jacobs@co.harris.tx.us

INSTRUCTIONS FOR TEACHERS

Thank you for involving your seventh and eighth-grade students in the 2007-2008 Do the Write Thing Challenge.

Before presenting the program to your students, please review the following information covering:

• Program rules
• Submission deadlines
• Judging criteria
• Classroom discussion
• Student recognition

PROGRAM RULES

The following guidelines for the preparation of student writings have been distributed to all participating superintendents, principals, and teachers:

1. Students may use any form of written expression (e.g., essays, poems, plays or songs) as long as the language is positive and not derogatory. Entries may be fiction or non-fiction, but if they are fictional, they should be labeled as fiction somewhere on the entry. Students may submit only one entry per year. All entries must be the work product of only one student.

2. Students should address three questions:
   
   How has violence affected my life?
   What are the causes of violence?
   What can I do about violence?
   
   Writings that do not address these questions will not be advanced in the judging process.

3. Entries will be 500-1000 words (with the exception of poetry which can be less) and no more than four pages.

4. Entries must be typed or written legibly in black ink on 8½" x 11" paper. Only one side of the paper may be used. The pages should be numbered.

5. Entries must be in English.

6. If the student participant uses a quotation or another person’s material in his or her entry, the entry must identify whose work is being used by citing the original author’s name, or citing the source of the material. Writings based upon plagiarism will not be advanced in the judging process.

7. Entries must have a Cover Sheet with the Consent Statement signed by the participating student and a parent or guardian. Entries without a signed Cover Sheet will not be advanced in the judging process. (A blank Cover Sheet containing the Student and Parent/Guardian Consent can be found below.)

8. Entries must be submitted with the original writing and one photocopy of the writing stapled with the cover sheet and original.

9. Entries must be submitted in the form that they are received from the student writer. Editing for content, grammar, or spelling by someone other than the student is not permitted. All student entries must be forwarded to the Do the Write Thing coordinator. Entries will be “blind-judged.” Please do not screen student writings.

10. Your school must submit a minimum of 25 papers to be considered for the National Finalist competition.

SUBMISSION DEADLINES

• All entries, with Cover Sheet/Consent Statement attached, must be submitted by teachers to their DtWT school coordinator no later than Friday, December 7, 2007.

• All DtWT school coordinators must submit their entries to their district’s DtWT coordinator no later than Friday, December 7, 2007.

• All entries must be received in the office of County Judge Ed Emmett, 1001 Preston, Suite 410, Houston, TX 77002, no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, December 7, 2007.

JUDGING CRITERIA

Entries will be judged by a panel of community leaders appointed by the Do the Write Thing Committee of Houston/Harris County, a coalition of business, community and government leaders. Entries will be judged on the basis of content, originality and responsiveness to the three questions:

• How has violence affected my life?
• What are the causes of violence?
• What can I do about violence?

In their writings, students should be encouraged to describe what they think are the causes of violence, and to offer specific suggestions about what they, as individuals, can do to reduce violence in their homes, schools, and neighborhoods. Personal responsibility for responding to the problem of violence should be emphasized. Students should be encouraged to share personal experiences about the impact of violence on their lives and the lives of their peers.  

CLASSROOM DISCUSSION

Classroom discussion is not a requirement for participating in the Challenge. However, candid discussions have proved to be beneficial, sometimes in dramatic fashion. Teachers whose classes engaged in discussion have reported that students find they have an enhanced sense of connection to classmates. Some teachers have been amazed at the level of concern and honesty students express in prewriting discussions. A classroom discussion also provides an opportunity for educators to learn about problems simmering in school before the problems become crises.
Many teachers whose classes have participated in the Challenge have invited outside speakers knowledgeable about violence to lead prewriting discussions. Others have provided their students with selected readings or newspaper articles about violence in advance of the discussion to stimulate thought. Speakers or articles that emphasize personal responsibility on the part of students for responding to the problem of violence have proven to be particularly useful.

On the National Campaign to Stop Violence website (www.dtwt.org) you can find the National Campaign to Stop Violence’s Discussion Paper on the Causes of and Solutions for Youth Violence. The Discussion Paper is based on the writings of National Finalists–the boy and girl from each participating jurisdiction who submitted the most thought-provoking entry.

There are nine Challenge programs in Texas: Austin, Beaumont, Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Dallas, El Paso, Houston/Harris County, Odessa and San Antonio. 

Following are some questions to generate discussion among your students before they prepare their entries for the Challenge.

• When you hear the word violence, what thoughts or memories do you have?

• Where are you confronted by violence? Your home? Your school? Your neighborhood?

• Do you think you can tell when another person is on the brink of a violent act? Would you intervene? Under what circumstances would you intervene? What provokes people to be violent?

(Please refer to Lesson Plan)

STUDENT, TEACHER AND SCHOOL RECOGNITION

Local level  
The Houston/Harris County Do the Write Thing Committee coordinates the program locally. The Committee will organize a local recognition ceremony to honor the boy and girl from each participating school who submit the best entries. In addition to the School Finalists from each school, the students’ parents, teachers, principal, and superintendent will be invited to the Recognition Ceremony. The Do the Write Thing Committee will also publish the writings of all School Finalists, and will distribute the book to civic leaders. The 2007 Recognition Ceremony was held at Minute Maid Park.

State level  
The Houston/Harris County Committee will select a boy and a girl to attend (with their teachers) a Recognition Ceremony for finalists from other areas of Texas. Finalists from around Texas and their teachers are honored at a Recognition Ceremony in Austin, where they are presented awards at the State Capitol. The students participate in a Youth Leaders Conference where they draft an anti-violence platform. The students tour the State Capitol and the Bob Bullock State History Museum.

National Level  
Each local Do the Write Thing Committee will designate two National Finalists–the boy and girl from their local jurisdiction who submit the most thought-provoking entries for the 2007-2008 Challenge. The two National Finalists, along with each Finalist’s teacher and one parent or guardian, will be invited by the National Campaign to Stop Violence to attend the Do the Write Thing Challenge National Recognition Week activities in Washington, D.C., in July of 2008.

During past National Recognition Weeks, National Finalists from jurisdictions around the U.S. have met with the Secretary of the Department of Education, the Attorney General of the United States, and members of Congress to discuss the problem of violence. In addition, students have been honored at embassy receptions hosted by the Ambassador to the United States from the State of Kuwait. At the National Recognition Ceremony in the Senate Caucus Room on Capitol Hill, National Finalists read excerpts of their writings to a gathering of national leaders including key Senators and members of Congress. A book containing their writings was placed in the Library of Congress.

TEACHER SURVEY

Please complete the enclosed teacher survey as soon as your students have submitted their writings to you. Enclose your completed Teacher Survey with your student entries. The survey contains information and statistics the National Campaign and its Do the Write Thing Committees need to administer the Challenge.

Click Here or use right mouse button to download:
Teacher's Survey in PDF

Click Here or use right mouse button to download:
Teacher's Survey in MS Word

LESSON PLAN

2007-2008 Key Questions for seventh and eighth grade student participants to address:

• How has violence affected my life?
• What are the causes of violence?
• What can I do about violence?  

The Challenge Program meets several objectives of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills curriculum.

English/Language Arts TEKS
110.24.15: The student writes for a variety of audiences and purposes, and in a variety of forms.

110.24.16: The student composes original texts, applying the conventions of written language such as capitalization, punctuation, handwriting, penmanship, and spelling to communicate clearly .

110.24.17: The student applies standard grammar and usage to communicate clearly and effectively in writing.

110.24.18: The student selects and uses writing processes and self-initiated and assigned writing.

Your school may use this writing contest to comply with Title IV: Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities. By incorporating the discussions and consequential writings from Do the Write Thing Challenge into your school’s prevention programs, you will be able to comply with a portion of Title IV, which is designed to support programs that prevent violence in and around schools, prevent the illegal use of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs, and to involve more parents and community groups in school-based prevention programs.

Social Studies TEKS
113.23.17. C: The student is expected to express and defend a point of view on an issue of historical or contemporary interest.

113.23.21. E: The student is expected to support a point of view on a social studies issue or event.

113.23.23. A: The student is expected to use a problem-solving process to identify a problem, gather information, list and consider options, consider advantages and disadvantages, choose and implement a solution, and evaluate the effectiveness of the solution.

113.23.23. B: The student is expected use a decision-making process to identify a situation that requires a decision, gather information, identify options, predict consequences, and take action to implement a decision.

113.24.20. C: The student is expected to explain the importance of personal responsibilities such as accepting responsibility for one’s behavior and supporting one’s family.

113.24.20.D: The student is expected to identify examples of responsible citizenship, including obeying rules and laws, voting, and serving on juries.

113.24.24.B: The student is expected to explain the relationship between urbanization and conflicts resulting from differences in religion, social class, and political beliefs.

113.24.24.C: The student is expected to identify ways conflicts between people from various racial, ethnic and religious groups were resolved.

113.24.32.A: The student is expected to use a problem-solving process to identify a problem, gather information, list and consider options, consider advantages and disadvantages, choose and implement a solution, and evaluate the effectiveness of the solution.

113.24.32.B: The student is expected to use a decision-making process to identify a situation that requires a decision, gather information, identify options, predict consequences, and take action to implement a decision.

Health TEKS
115.23.5.A: The student is expected to analyze and demonstrate strategies for preventing and responding to deliberate and accidental injuries.

115.23.5.B: The student is expected to describe the dangers associated with a variety of weapons.

115.23.5.C: The student is expected to identify strategies for prevention and intervention of emotional, physical and sexual abuse.

115.23.5.K: The student is expected to apply strategies for avoiding violence, gangs, weapons and drugs.

115.23.5.L: The student is expected to explain the importance of complying with rules prohibiting possession of drugs and weapons.

115.23.7.A: The student is expected to analyze positive and negative relationships that influence individual and community health such as families, peers and role models.

115.23.7.B: The student is expected to develop strategies for monitoring positive and negative relationships that influence health.

115.23.12.E: The student is expected to predict the consequences of refusal skills in various situations.

115.23.13.E: The student is expected to examine the effects of peer pressure on decision-making.

To find out more about Title IV, visit the Texas Education Agency website at http://www.tea.state.tx.us

Physical Education TEKS

• How would you define violence in sports?
• How has violence in sports affected you?
• How do drugs affect the athletic performance of an
  individual and his/her behavior?
• What role can you play in preventing violence in sports?

116.23.7.1B: The student is expected to demonstrate appropriate relationships to an opponent in dynamic game situations such as staying between opponent and goal and moving between opponent and the ball.

116.23.7.4I: The student is expected to recognize the effects of substance abuse on personal health and performance in physical activity.

116.23.7.6A & 8.6A: The student is expected to distinguish between compliance and noncompliance with rules and regulations and apply agreed upon consequences when officiating.

116.23.7.7A & 8.7A: The student is expected to solve problems in physical activities by analyzing causes and potential solutions.

116.23.7.7B & 8.7B: The student is expected to work cooperatively in a group to achieve group goals in competitive as well as cooperative settings.

116.23.7.7C & 8.7C: The student is expected to accept decisions made by game officials such as student, teachers, and officials outside the school.

116.23.7.7D & 8.7D: The student is expected to use peer interaction positively to enhance personal physical activity and safety such as encourage friends and join teams.

116.23.7.7E &8.7E: The student is expected to recognize the role of games, sport, and dance in getting to know and understand others.

116.24.8.1A: The student is expected to coordinate movements with teammates to achieve team goals.

116.24.8.5A: The student is expected to use equipment safely and properly.

LESSON PLAN MATERIALS

1. The 3 Key Questions

2. Tag board of sentence strips (enough on which to write each question)

3. Tag board or card stock (enough on which to write each question) 

4. Tag board of card stock on which students can write their ideas and attach them to the board under the key questions 

5. Markers 

6. Tape

Time: Two to Three 45-Minute Periods

SAMPLE CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES: Small Groups

SAMPLE CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES: Whole-Class Method

SAMPLE SCENARIOS FOR DISCUSSION

Scenario 1: "Roly Poly"

There is a kid in your school who is a slow learner, has a speech problem and is overweight. Other students make fun of him, imitating his walk and talk. They call him names like “roly-poly” and others that are very vulgar.

One day a group of jocks are tormenting him as you and your friend Carlos walk by. Carlos stops and asks them why they were doing this to the poor kid. They told him to shut up. He replies that they should apologize. They said, “You must be a freak, too, if you are sticking up for this retard”, and they start harassing him. You and Carlos are not cool kids, but you are not outcasts, either…just normal, middle of the road students and people pretty much treat you okay and do not bother you. You are thinking that you don’t want these jocks to start picking on you.

Questions:

• What do you do? Do you back away, or do you stand up for Carlos?
• What is the best way to handle this situation?

Scenario 2: False Rumors

There is a group of boys and girls, who like to provoke trouble. Their favorite tactic is to talk “mess”. Right now they are passing notes and text-messaging about a friend of yours, Tevin. They are starting false rumors that your friend’s sister is interested in one of them and that she is trashy.

This group taunts him because Tevin is a good student and a religious person, but they never get a rise from him because he has his future planned. However, they know that he is close to his family and very protective. They know that he will go almost insane when he discovers how they are destroying his sister’s reputation and you know it too.

Questions:

• What do you do to stop the provocation?
• How do you keep Tevin from retaliating?

Scenario 3: Conflict at the Mall

Shelley and Katy, two middle-school friends, were testing make-up samples at the cosmetic counter of a department store. Four of their school’s popular girls saw them, and began mocking them. One of the girls said to Shelley, “Might as well wear a mask, loser girl.” Laughing, the four girls moved on.

About 30 minutes later, Shelley and Katy are confronted by the four girls again, at the other end of the mall. The same senior said to Shelley, “You are pathetic trying to look cool but you always end up looking like a loser. You are a shame, a dog.”

Suddenly, Shelley lowered her head and charged into the older girl’s chest, sending her flying and landing on her back and head. “I’ll show you who is a loser,” Shelley screamed, as mall security came running.

Questions:

• What do you think when a friend of yours calls someone a loser deliberately to hurt that person’s feelings?
• Would you think differently if the person doing this was not a friend of yours?
• If you were Katy, what would you do?
• If you were one of the other girls, what would you do?
• What do you think about what Shelley did?
  

Scenario 4: In the Hallway

The hall is crowded and someone accidentally bumps into Jonathan. Jonathan immediately says this was intentional. Words are exchanged and before you know it, there is a fight.

Questions:

• How could the fight have been prevented?
• What are some ways you can help cut down on hallway
  violence at school?

Scenario 5: Boy Quits "Using" and Others Make Fun

You’re at a party. All the kids there are smoking weed. You used to do a lot of weed smoking yourself, but now you have quit because you got busted, and made a commitment to quit in front of a group.

Everyone knows you used to smoke. Your girlfriend offers you a joint, and when you say “No, thanks,” she makes fun of you for being a total nerd. When she does this, you find yourself getting angry for several reasons.

Questions:

• What could you say and do to stick to your “no smoking weed” goal?
• What could you say and do to control your anger?
• Some of your new friends are also at the party. How could you enlist their help and support?
  

Scenario 6: At a Party

You are giving a party at your home. One of the kids has found vodka in your parents' liquor cabinet and wants to spike his soft drink?

Question:

• What do you do?
  

Scenario 6-B: At Another Party

You are attending a party. One of the kids lights up a marijuana cigarette and pours pills in a bowl.

Question:

• What do you do?
  

Scenario 7: All Wet

You are waiting in the rain for the bus for your ride home. A friend drives by and offers you a ride. Enroute, through a neighborhood, he pulls out a pellet gun pistol and begins shooting out windows of parked vehicles.

Question:

• What do you do?
  

Scenario 8: “I didn’t do it!”

A 14-year-old Houston youth was accosted and beaten as he was walking home from school yesterday by two older teens who sped away in a flashy automobile. Witnesses said the 14-year-old did nothing to provoke the attack, but that one of the attackers said “Tell your brother he is a dead beat. This is a warning.”

Police are searching for the two attackers.
According to residents in the neighborhood of the attack, the passenger and driver shouted to the victim “Tell your brother that next time, we’re coming after him.”

According to police reports, the victim claimed that he does not know the names of his attackers.

Questions:

• Why do you think this boy was attacked? Could his brother owe money to a drug dealer? If so, why did the thugs not attack the brother?
• Is it unusual for the bad acts of one family member to cause problems for other members of the family?
• Do you know, or have you heard, of similar incidents?
• What should the boy do to prevent further violence?

INSTRUCTIONS FOR STUDENTS / STUDENT PROGRAM RULES

Thank you for accepting the Do the Write Thing Challenge (DtWT).
Please review the following program rules before you write.

1. Students may use any form of written expression (e.g. essays, poems, plays or songs) as long as the language is positive and not derogatory. Students may submit only one entry per year. All entries must be the work product of only one student.

2. Students should address the following three questions:
   How has violence affected my life?
   What are the causes of violence?
   What can I do about violence?

3. Entries should be approximately 500 to 1,000 (with the exception of poetry which can be less) and no more than four pages.

4. Entries must be typed or written legibly in black ink on 8½" x 11" paper. Only one side of the paper may be used. The pages should be numbered.

5. Entries must be in English.

6. If the student participant uses a quotation or another person’s material in his or her entry, the entry must identify whose work is being used by citing the original author’s name, or citing the source of the material. Writings based upon plagiarism will not be advanced in the judging process.

7. Entries must have a Cover Sheet with the Consent Statement signed by the participating student and a parent or guardian. Entries without a signed Cover Sheet will not be advanced in the judging process.

8. Entries must be submitted with the original writing and one photocopy of the writing stapled with the coversheet and original writing.

COVER SHEET / CONSENT STATEMENT

Thank you for participating in the Do the Write Thing Challenge. For a student’s entry to be considered for recognition, both the student and the student’s parent or guardian must complete all the information on this form (except blanks marked optional), and also sign the Consent Statement below.

Click Here or use right mouse button to download:
Cover Sheet/Consent Statement in PDF

Click Here or use right mouse button to download:
Cover Sheet/Consent Statement in MS Word

REPLY FROM THE DISTRICT SUPERINTENDANT FAX

Click Here or use right mouse button to download:
Superintendant Fax in PDF

Click Here or use right mouse button to download:
Superintendant Fax in MS Word

SAMPLE STUDENT CERTIFICATE

Click Here or use right mouse button to download:
Sample Student Certificate in PDF

Click Here or use right mouse button to download:
Sample Student Certificate in MS Word

CONTACT US

Please contact one of our Do the Write Thing Team Members listed below should you have any questions about any of the above material. They will be more than happy to assist you.

Diane Jacobs
Diane_Jacobs@co.harris.tx.us
(713) 755-4040