How will a Laws of Life Essay Contest benefit schools or communities?
By sponsoring a contest, schools and communities communicate to their youth that they believe ethical and moral development is important. Research tells us that students who reflect and think about ideas learn them at a deeper level. And, the Laws of Life program integrates character development into the writing curriculum. It provides students with a compelling occasion to write, edit, and revise – critical components of the writing process. Although Laws of Life can be administered as an extra-credit option or an extracurricular activity, teachers are encouraged to integrate the contest into the curriculum as a class assignment. This allows students to engage in the full writing process of brainstorming, outlining, drafting, peer review, editing, and final copy. The process of writing Laws of Life essays stimulates students and gives them greater motivation to write – thus providing an additional opportunity to prepare for writing assessments.
