Learning Network: Narrative Writing Contest and Teen-Written Mentor Texts

Plus, three videos featuring teen writers.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story October 16, 2020 Dear Reader, When you think of The New York Times, you probably think of front-page news, but The Times also has a long tradition of publishing personal narratives, and you can find new ones online nearly every day if you know where to look. In fact, over the years there have been columns dedicated to personal narratives on themes as varied as love and family, life on campus and navigating anxiety. With that inspiration, we decided to host our first-ever Personal Narrative Contest for students last fall. We invited teenagers to tell a story about a meaningful life experience in 600 words or fewer, and the entries came pouring in: over 8,000! Well, this year we’re back with our second annual contest, open to middle and high school students for submissions until Nov. 17. We asked three winners of last year’s contest to annotate their winning entries as a way to demystify the writing process for other students. These three students also read their stories aloud and discussed three “writer’s moves” — dropping the reader into the scene, using metaphors and writing conclusions — they used in their pieces. We think these new resources will be a powerful tool for teaching writing, and they build on the rest of our narrative writing collection: a narrative writing unit plan, a list of 550 narrative writing prompts and a series of mentor texts. Once again, we can’t wait to read students’ stories! Best, Michael Gonchar, editor P.S.: We have two reminders for you. Our Coming of Age in 2020 Contest runs until Nov. 12, and we have a new mentor text resource to support teachers and students. And, our Electoral College live panel discussion for students still has spots available for registration — either for a whole class to watch on one device, or for students to participate from home. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT RESOURCES FOR WRITING contests Our 2nd Annual Personal Narrative Writing Contest We invite middle and high school students to tell a short story about a meaningful life experience in 600 words or fewer. By The Learning Network mentor texts Annotated by the Author: ‘Speechless’ Maria Fernanda Benavides, a winner of our 2019 Personal Narrative Contest, tells us how she hooks readers by dropping them into a scene. By The Learning Network mentor texts Annotated by the Author: ‘Pants on Fire’ Varya Kluev, a winner of our 2019 Personal Narrative Contest, tells us why metaphor is her “go-to tool” whenever she wants to add flair to her writing. By The Learning Network mentor texts Annotated by the Author: ‘Cracks in the Pavement’ Adam Bernard Sanders, a winner of our 2019 Personal Narrative Contest, tells us why he likes to keep his conclusions “purposefully open-ended.” By The Learning Network mentor texts 100-Plus Mentor Texts for Documenting Your Life in 2020 Work by teenagers and adults, in a variety of mediums and genres, that can inspire your own account of this extraordinary year. By Katherine Schulten contests Coming of Age in 2020: A Special Multimedia Contest for Teenagers in the U.S. An invitation to show us — in words or images, video or audio — how the events of this extraordinary year have affected you. By Katherine Schulten writing curriculum Unit 2: Teach Narrative Writing With The New York Times This teaching guide, the second in our seven-unit writing curriculum, includes daily writing prompts, lessons based on selected mentor texts, and the announcement of a new personal narrative essay contest. By The Learning Network current events conversation What Students Are Saying About Mental Health, Improving Sports and a Dusk-Lit Train Teenage comments in response to our recent writing prompts, and an invitation to join the ongoing conversation. By The Learning Network Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS What’s Going On in This Graph? | Oct. 21, 2020 Every place has its own climate risk. What is it where you live? How may climate change affect your community? By The Learning Network current events Lesson of the Day: Dangerous Denominators In this lesson, students will examine the math behind Covid-19 risk in schools and uncover misleading percentages and data reliability in coronavirus case reporting. By Dashiell Young-Saver picture prompts Red and Blue What is this image saying? By The Learning Network current events Lesson of the Day: ‘Listen Up: These Young Black Poets Have a Message’ In this lesson, students will learn from the next generation of promising writers about their craft and why they think poetry matters. Then students will write their own poems, taking inspiration from these courageous voices. By Jeremy Engle student opinion Do You Care Who Sits on the Supreme Court? Should We Care? This week a divided Senate Judiciary Committee kicked off four days of confirmation hearings for Judge Amy Coney Barrett, President Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court. Have you been following the hearings? How much do you think the Supreme Court matters? By Nicole Daniels, Shannon Doyne and Michael Gonchar picture prompts Creepy What story does this image inspire for you? By The Learning Network student opinion What Has Television Taught You About Social Class? What cues have you picked up on about the lives of wealthy people by watching certain shows? What lessons have you learned from TV? By Shannon Doyne weekly news quiz for students Weekly News Quiz for Students: Trump's White House Return, Vice Presidential Debate, Nobel Peace Prize How well did you follow the news this past week? How many of these 10 questions can you get right? Compiled by Jeremy Engle and John Otis Like this email? Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up here. ELSEWHERE IN THE TIMES This School Year Has Been Unlike Any Other Some examples of how the world of education has responded to the pandemic. By Alina Tugend, Phyllis W. Jordan and Mark A. Stein Why Parents in This High-Performing School District Chose All-Remote Learning In a heavily Asian-American district of Queens, two-thirds of families have chosen not to send their children back to school. By Juliana Kim How Rhode Island Reopened Schools The country’s smallest state deployed the National Guard to get its students back in classrooms. By Amelia Nierenberg How are we doing? 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