Treetures® Environmental Education Program Essay Contest Alliance for
Community Trees. Information for Teachers and Youth Leaders. About the Essay
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An Essay Contest for 5th & 6th Grade Students
Sponsored by
Information for Teachers and Youth Leaders
About the Essay Contest: This national essay contest is offered by Alliance for Community Trees (www.ACTrees.org) and the Treetures® Environmental Education Program (www.treetures.com). It will teach 5th and 6th grade students the value of urban trees and help them understand how a tree affects the neighborhood and the local environment in which it is planted. The contest also offers students the opportunity to relate local urban historical events and changes in the community to their chosen urban tree. This history starts at the time the tree was planted and continues to the present day.
1. How to Enter: a. Participating students will choose one community tree and write an essay with up to 500 words about their tree from the tree’s point of view. See the “clues” to guide the student submission. b. If the students choose, they may submit a photo or illustrated image of the tree with their essay. c. A teacher, youth leader, or mentor must sponsor the student’s submission and sign-‐off at the bottom of the essay page along with the student’s signature.
2. Selection Process: a. Teachers, and Youth Leaders will choose the best essay submissions from their students and forward their selection of the best essays to the local ACTrees member organization or the local Essay Contest sponsoring organization from which they received this packet. b. The local ACTrees member or sponsoring organization will review the submissions from all the schools and youth groups and submit the best twelve (12) essays to a National Judging Panel at
[email protected] with the message “Submission for Essay Contest”. That is six for 5th Grade Students and six for 6th Grade Students. c. The “What Did the Tree See?” National Judging Panel will choose the national 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners for each grade – three winners for fifth grade and three winners for 6th grade. 3.
Announcement of Winners: ACTrees and Treetures will announce the winners in Spring 2013. The winning student, their Teacher or Youth Leader, and the local ACTrees member or sponsoring organization will hear the news first. Then ACTrees and Treetures will promote and publish the winning essays.
4. Prizes: All winning essays will be published on the ACTrees and Treetures websites, and the winners names, along with their sponsors and sponsoring ACTrees member or sponsoring organization will be mentioned in publicity about the essay contest. a. b.
First Place winners will receive a tree planting in their honor for their school or neighborhood along with a $500 award and an Essay Contest winners’ plaque. Second and Third Place winners will receive a $100 or $50 award along with a framed certificate acknowledging their national accomplishment.
Deadlines: The essay, along with a completed “Information from Student” page included in this packet may be submitted electronically or by hard-‐copy to the ACTrees member organization or the local sponsoring organization by November 30, 2012. The local organization will review all submission during December, and submit their pool of choices to the National Judging Panel before December 31, 2012. The National Judging Panel will review all finalists during January and February, making their choices by March 1 2013. Questions? Send questions to
[email protected] with subject line: “What Did the Tree See” Essay Contest
Treetures® Environmental Education Program Essay Contest Alliance for Community Trees
Information for Students The following “clues” will guide the students as they create their essays. 1. What kind of tree am I? What is my species? How do I change as I grow? Do I make fruit? What do my seeds look like? Do I grow flowers? Describe my leaves. What is my bark like? 2. What is my approximate age? How long will I live? 3. What is my size? How tall am I? What is my shape? What is my circumference or “caliper”? How wide am I – what is my diameter? 4. Where is my location in the community? How does my location affect my growth? Is my location dangerous for me? 5. Do I change from one season to the next – Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter? 6. What is my story? When was I planted? What is my History? Did any exciting historic events happen near me? How have my surroundings changed? How has tree life in my community changed? What was it like before I was planted here? Did I help change life around me? What do I see every day? What do you think my future is? 7. What wildlife makes their home in my branches and trunk? What insects travel on and around me? Do some inhabitants help me? Do some inhabitants hurt me? What wildlife visits me? 8. How can you tell if I am healthy? What do I need to stay healthy? Do I have scars? Have I been pruned? Who can help you care for me? How can my community friends help me to stay healthy? 9. How have I helped my community? Treetures® Environmental Education Program Essay Contest Alliance for Community Trees
Student and Sponsor Information Page Complete and submit this page with each essay
About you! 1. Your full name: 2. Your contact information Full Mailing Address: Phone: E-mail: Age: Grade: About Your Sponsor! 1. Name of Teacher or Sponsor: 2. Full Contact information Organization or School (School, Youth Organization, other): Position/Title: Mailing Address: Phone: E-mail: Information about the local ACTrees Member Organization or local Sponsoring Organization! Name or Organization: Primary Contact:
Contact Information:
Treetures® Environmental Education Program Essay Contest Alliance for Community Trees
Information for Students Your Essay Write an essay with up to 500 words, as if you are the tree. Tell us about yourself as the tree. Read the “Information for Students” page for clues. What is your history? And, tell us about your life in the community. Once you complete your essay, fill out the “Student and Sponsor Information Page” in this packet. Your submission may be written by hand or printed out from a computer. Do you have your own picture or illustration of your tree? Attach your own illustration or a photograph you took of your tree to your essay. At the bottom of your essay, include the following signatures and include the date: § Signature of Student: Date: § Signature of Teacher or Sponsor: Date: NOTE: By signing your submission, you agree that ACTrees and Treetures may publish your essay and, if submitted, your picture or illustration. Publication will be on the organizations’ websites and in related publications, which celebrate the “What Did the Tree See?” Essay Contest. Treetures® Environmental Education Program Essay Contest Alliance for Community Trees
