Future Reflections Special Issue, Vol. 14 No. 2
[PICTURE] Ellen enjoys learning to read Braille.
Do you like to read jokes? Do you like science fiction? Stories from long ago? Do you like to read about real people and places, or make-believe? Reading is fun. Contests are also fun. Wouldn't it be neat if you could do both? Well, you can!
Braille Readers are Leaders is a contest for all kids who read Braille. Have you just started to learn to read? You can be in the contest. Do you ever read any books besides your school books? You will surprise yourself with how much you can read when you enter the contest. Maybe you have been a print reader and have not been reading Braille very long. You can be in the contest, too! There are big prizes for the kids who read the most Braille pages.
But everybody who enters gets something special. If your school has an awards program at the end of the year, you can be on the stage to get your special prize from the contest.
You can read books and magazines about anything you want. If you're just learning to read, your teacher can help you find books with words you know. If you're older, you can choose books yourself. And while you're having fun with the contest, you'll be learning to read faster and better. Your parents and your teachers will have fun and learn, too. Maybe they will have to work hard to find enough books for you!
Contest Rules
Here are the main rules. Ask your teacher or your parents to find out more.
The contest is called Braille Readers Are Leaders. You could win neat prizes if you read the most Braille pages in your category (group). Reading lessons do not count. School textbooks, workbooks, or other pages from schoolwork do not count. This contest is for things you read just for yourself. Library books, magazines, the Bible, short stories, and non-fiction articles are some of the things you can count. It's okay to read just part of a book or magazine. But you can only count the pages you really read. The contest starts November 1, 1995, and ends February 1, 1996. You count the pages you read during that time. You can read at school, at home, or anywhere. But remember, schoolwork doesn't count. There are different categories (groups) for different ages. Here are the categories for the contest: kindergarten and first grade; grades 2-4; grades 5-8; grades 9-12; and print to Braille. Print to Braille readers are kids who used to read print. There are other special rules for this group, so be sure an adult reads the contest entry form very carefully.
The top three winners in each category get a special t-shirt and a money prize. There is also a t-shirt and a money prize for the top five "Most Improved Braille Readers." This is for kids who were in the contest last year and who read a lot more this year. Everybody in the contest also gets a certificate.
There is an entry form that you and a grown-up must fill out. You can use it to keep track of the books and number of pages your read. An adult needs to sign it and mail it in when the contest is over. To get an entry form write to:
Braille Readers are Leaders
1800 Johnson Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21230.