Guidelines for an in-class border writing contest:

Think about what it's like living so close to another country. How has your community been influenced by the culture on the other side of the border? Have you had an opportunity to visit another country or meet people who live there? Do you or your friends have family in another country? If you don't live on an international border, how do borders affect your life? Do you live near a state border? A county border? Can you think of other types of borders that are not geographic?

Some writing ideas to consider:

• A time you visited another country with your family
• A poem about the environment of the border region
• A script about two friends who live on each side of a border
• A story about a desert fox, red-tailed hawk or other animal that inhabits both sides of the border
• A journal from the point of view of a child who lived during the Mexican-American War of 1846
• A poem about the ways the people of Mexico and the United States influence each other's lives

Possible categories:

Creative Writing
Includes short stories, essays, journal or script writing. Entries from first and second grade students should contain between 50 and 150 words. Other grades should not exceed 2,000 words.

Poetry
Original poems should be between 5 and 30 lines.

Illustrations may accompany entries and should be clear and colorful.

All entries must be completely original and written entirely by the person whose name appears on the entry form.

Text should be submitted electronically using the electronic entry form. It is permissible for an adult to type a child's manuscript. Children who cannot write may dictate to an adult.

Entries will be posted on "The Border" Web site and may be used to for promotional purposes.

Entry Form