On Saturday, February 20, 1999, from 9:30 a.m. until 3:00 p.m., ACTELA and the Arkansas Department of Education will jointly sponsor the Language Arts Festival of the Arkansas Council of Teachers of English and Language Arts. This year the competition will be held at the Bernice Jones Center for Families, 922 E. Emma, Springdale, AR.
The festival is open to any Arkansas accredited elementary, middle, or junior high school for grades 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. On site competition is divided into two levels: Level I for grades 5, 6, and 7; Level II for grades 8 and 9. Participation will be limited to the first 50 teams returning an entry form. Only one team of six students for each level per school within a school district may compete. Participating schools will remit a $5.00 team fee, plus an additional $3.00 per team member, with registration form to help defray festival expenses.
The ACTELA Festival provides an excellent opportunity for upper elementary, middle school, and junior high students to experience academic competition in literature, narrative poetry, expository writing and to work in pairs to exercise their knowledge of vocabulary, grammar, usage, and mechanics. All participating students will receive a certificate of participation, and winners of each division will receive prizes.
Schools which participate in the activities on February 20, 1999, may also submit one entry for Level I, one entry for Level II, and one entry for Level III (grades 10, 11, and 12) in each category of poetry, narrative, and expository writing, following the rules given on the Pre-Festival Writing Competition instructions that are attached.
Lunch can be purchased in the Spring Street Express, a cafeteria/restaurant at the Jones Center for Families, costing approximately $5.00. Afternoon events will begin promptly at 1:00 p.m. Participants are asked to be on time.
Festival regulations, event descriptions, and entry forms are attached. Entry forms with payment enclosed must be postmarked not later than January 16, 1999, and mailed to Grimsley Graham, 1113 W. Pine Street, Rogers, AR 72756. The first 50 teams (only one team for each level per school within a school district) to respond will be notified that they are eligible to participate.
Festival Regulations:
1. The ACTELA Language Arts Festival is a statewide event open to any Arkansas accredited elementary, middle or junior high school for grades 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.
2. The festival is divided into two competition levels, each consisting of seven events (see schedule): Level I, grades 5, 6, and 7; Level II, grades 8 and 9.
3. Although any qualified school may enter, competition is limited to the first 50 teams (one team for each level per school) returning the entry form.
4. Each school within a school district may enter one team of six students. However, a team may be composed of students from all grade levels (grades 5-9), two grades, or one grade as long as all the students on the team attend the same school. The school should be careful to assign students to appropriate levels: Level I, grades 5, 6, and 7; Level II, grades 8 and 9.
5. A student may enter one morning event as an individual and one afternoon event as a member of a team.
6. Each school MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY TWO TEACHERS who will facilitate and judge events or attend workshops. Teams not accompanied by two teachers will be disqualified.
7. Participants must bring pens and loose-leaf paper for competitions.
8. Entry form, fee, and team slate must be postmarked no later than January 16, 1999, to Grimsley Graham, 1113 W. Pine, Rogers, AR 72756.
Pre-Festival Writing Competition:
Schools participating in the Language Arts Festival may submit student work in the following categories:
Poetry-------------------------One poem, not a collection; any form; no more than 50 lines
Narrative Writing------------Minimum of 500 words; maximum of 750 words
Expository Writing----------Formal or Informal; maximum of 500 words
1. Pre-Festival entrants are not required to be members of the team.
2. Each entry must by typed and double-spaced.
3. The writer's name must not appear on the entry.
4. Attach a cover sheet to each entry, specifying the student's name, school, grade, level and category.