The Letters About Literature reading and writing contest is beginning! Students in grades 4-12 are invited to read a book, be inspired and write to the author (living or dead) about how that book changed his or her life.
We encourage youth services librarians to spread the word to the children and teens who use your public library, and encourage school librarians and teachers to have your students participate in LAL either as a class project or individually.
Download full information on the contest here:
Wyoming students can compete for state level prizes of $150 for first place, $100 for second and $50 for third in three levels: grades 4-6, grades 7-8 and grades 9-12. National winners in each competition level will receive a $1,000 cash award; national honor winners in each level will receive a $200 cash award. Find examples of winning letters at www.read.gov/letters/contests/winners/2015.
Entries will be accepted beginning November 2, 2015. Postmark deadline for grades 9-12 is December 4, 2015; all others are due January 11, 2016.
For school librarians and teachers:
The Letters About Literature Teaching Guide provides activities teachers can use to guide their students through the book discussion and letter-writing process. The guide addresses the LAL teaching strategies and ways in which the program can dovetail with national standards for teaching reading and writing as well as Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Also included are worksheets for duplication and assessment checklists.
This 23rd annual Letters About Literature is made possible by a generous grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, with additional support from gifts to the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, which promotes the contest through its affiliate Centers for the Book, state libraries and other organizations.