FOUNDING FREEDOMS
Essay Contest
INTRODUCTION
Dear Educator,
The National Constitution Center is pleased to announce the return of
the Founding Freedoms Essay Contest. Thanks to the generous support
of the John Templeton Foundation, the Founding Freedoms Essay
Contest challenges public and independent school teachers throughout
the Mid-Atlantic region to increase constitutional literacy and awareness
of individual rights in their classrooms. The essay contest asks 6th, 8th,
and 12th grade students to compose essays exploring the contemporary
meanings of the relationship between the founding documents—
the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and
the Bill of Rights.
We are very excited to launch the contest and want to encourage all
educators to engage their students with the supporting materials and
lesson plan provided. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate
to e-mail us at education@constitutioncenter.org.
Sincerely,
Kerry Sautner
Vice President of Education
National Constitution Center
Whether planning a field trip, looking for innovative ways to enhance
classroom instruction, or seeking a deeper understanding of U.S. history
and active citizenship, the National Constitution Center is an educator’s
ultimate civic learning resource.
Learn more at ConstitutionCenter.org/Learn.
Founding Freedoms Essay Contest 2
CONTENTS
Contest Information
Page 4
Rules and Regulations
Page 4
Submission Requirements
Page 5
Essay Contest Prizes
Page 6
Essay Prompt Cover Sheet for Essay Submission
Page 7
Scoring Rubric for Essay Assessment
Page 8
Founding Freedoms Essay Contest 3
CONTEST INFORMATION
Contest Timeline
November 6, 2015
Essay contest opens and submissions will be accepted
through NCC’s online submission platform.
February 19, 2016
Last day for essay submissions.
No submissions will be accepted after 11:59 P.M.
March 31, 2016
June, 2016
Essay contest winners will be announced
Awards ceremony for winning essay authors.
Winning essays will be published on the NCC’s website.
Submission Requirements
Enrollment
Students must be enrolled in 6th, 8th, or 12th grade in a school
located in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Length of Essays
A minimum of 300 words for 6th grade, 500 words for 8th grade,
and 1,000 words for 12th grade. Essays not satisfying the minimum
requirement will not be considered.
Scoring
Essay Planning
See the scoring rubric on page 8.
Essays should have an introduction, body, and conclusion.
Arguments must be clearly made with examples from the
Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the
Bill of Rights.
Citations
Essays should have clear, consistent citations. Please use APA
format for all citations. Additional primary sources are encouraged.
Submission Date
Essays are due no later than February 19, 2016, at 11:59 P.M.
Entries received after that date and time will not be considered.
Submission Process
Submissions must be made electronically through the NCC
website using the online form. Hard copies will not be accepted.
Cover Sheet
File Name
A signed cover sheet (see page 7) must accompany each essay.
Please name the essay file with the student’s name.
(example: KerrySautnerEssay.pdf)
Founding Freedoms Essay Contest 4
CONTEST INFORMATION
Essay Contest Prizes
6th Grade Essay
Contest Winner
First place: $500 to the student and $100 to the teacher.
Travel and accommodations for the student (with one parent or
guardian) and the teacher to the June 2016 awards ceremony.
Second place: $100 to the student.
8th Grade Essay
Contest Winner
First place: $1,000 to the student and $250 to the teacher.
Travel and accommodations for the student (with one parent or
guardian) and the teacher to the June 2016 awards ceremony.
Second place: $500 to the student.
12th Grade Essay
Contest Winner
First place: $2,500 to the student and $250 to the teacher.
Travel and accommodations for the student (with one parent or
guardian) and the teacher to the June 2016 awards ceremony.
Second place: $1,000 to the student.
Founding Freedoms Essay Contest 5
ESSAY PROMPTS
6th Grade Essay Prompt
How are the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution,
and the Bill of Rights relevant to your life?
8th Grade Essay Prompt
What are the relationships between the Declaration of Independence,
the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights?
12th Grade Essay Prompt
The National Constitution Center displays the Declaration of
Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
Why do people consider these the “documents of freedom?”
How do these documents work together to define and protect
our rights?
Founding Freedoms Essay Contest 6
COVER SHEET FOR
ESSAY SUBMISSION
Student name and grade:
Essay Title:
School Name:
School Address:
School Phone Number:
Teacher’s Name:
Teacher’s E-mail:
Student’s Home Address (Street, City, State, and Zip Code):
Parent/Guardian Name:
Parent/Guardian E-mail:
Parent/Guardian Phone Number:
I certify that this is an original research project constituting only my work and that I am
the sole author. I also grant the National Constitution Center all intellectual property
rights associated with this play, therefore permitting its reproduction by the National
Constitution Center for any purpose.
Student’s Signature:
Date:
Parent/Guardian’s Signature:
Date:
Founding Freedoms Essay Contest 7
SCORING RUBRIC FOR
ESSAY SUBMISSION
This rubric was developed using the Pennsylvania Writing Assessment Domain Scoring Guide (http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/state_
assessment_system/20965/pennsylvania_system_of_school_assessment_%28pssa%29/1190526) and Elk Grove Unified School District – Opinion/Argument Rubric
(http://blogs.egusd.net/ccss/educators/ela/rubrics-k-12/)
4. ADVANCED
•
FOCUS
•
•
CONTENT
DEVELOPMENT
•
•
ORGANIZATION
•
•
STYLE
•
•
•
CONVENTIONS
•
3. PROFICIENT
2. BASIC
1. BELOW BASIC
Sharp, distinct controlling point •
that responds skillfully to all
parts of the prompt.
States an argument/claim/
•
opinion with insightful
awareness of task.
Clear point made about a single •
topic that responds to all parts
of the prompt.
•
States an argument/claim/
opinion that demonstrates
sufficient awareness of task.
Limited point that responds to
some parts of the prompt.
States an argument/claim/
opinion that demonstrates
limited understanding of
task/topic
•
•
Minimal evidence of a topic.
Does not state an argument/
claim/opinion and/or
demonstrates no understanding
of task/topic.
Substantial, specific, relevant
supporting textual evidence.
Insightful explanation/analysis
of how evidence supports
claim(s).
•
Sufficient and relevant
supporting textual evidence.
Clear explanation/analysis
of how evidence supports
claim(s).
Limited supporting textual
evidence.
Limited explanation/analysis
of how evidence supports
claim(s).
•
Irrelevant, inaccurate, or
complete lack of supporting
textual evidence.
Inaccurate or no explanation/
analysis of how evidence
supports claim(s).
Sophisticated organization
of ideas and information
into purposeful, coherent
paragraphs that include an
elaborated introduction with
clear thesis, structured body,
and insightful conclusion.
Skillfully uses a variety of
transitions, phrases, and
clauses to connect reasons to
argument/claim/opinion.
•
Functional organization of
•
ideas and information into
logical introductory, body, and
concluding paragraphs.
Appropriately uses transitions,
phrases, and clauses to connect •
reasons to argument/claim/
opinion.
Confused or inconsistent
organization of ideas
and information into an
introduction, body and
conclusion.
Simplistically uses some
transitions, phrases, or
clauses to connect reasons to
argument/claim/opinion.
•
Precise, illustrative use of
•
a variety of words that are
academic and domain-specific
vocabulary.
•
Purposeful and varied sentence
structure.
•
Consistent writer’s voice and
tone appropriate to audience.
Appropriate use of words that
are academic and domainspecific vocabulary.
Correct and varied sentence
structure.
Clear writer’s voice and tone
appropriate to audience.
•
Limited use of words that are
academic and domain-specific
vocabulary.
Repetitive yet correct sentence
structure.
Incoherent voice and tone.
•
Evident control of grammar,
mechanics, spelling, usage and
sentence formation
Demonstrates creativity
and flexibility when using
conventions to enhance
meaning.
Sufficient control of grammar,
mechanics, spelling, usage and
sentence formation.
Demonstrates grade-level
appropriate conventions; errors
are minor and do not obscure
meaning.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Limited control of grammar,
•
mechanics, spelling, usage and
sentence formation.
Demonstrates some grade-level •
conventions but errors obscure
meaning.
Incoherent minimal
organization due to the lack
of paragraph structure and/or
missing introduction, body,
or conclusion.
Lacking transitions, phrases,
and clauses.
Lacking academic and domainspecific vocabulary.
Minimal control of sentence
structure.
Lacking voice and tone.
Minimal control of grammar,
mechanics, spelling, usage and
sentence formation.
Demonstrates limited
understanding of gradelevel
appropriate conventions
and errors interfere with the
meaning.
Founding Freedoms Essay Contest 8