Write about an issue that matters most to you and include evidence that supports your point of view.
Every school day The New York Times Learning Network invites teenagers to share their opinions about questions on topics from reality television to the justice system, and hundreds post arguments, reflections, and anecdotes to The Learning Network’s Student Opinion feature. Now, for the fifth consecutive year, The Learning Network is inviting students to channel that enthusiasm into something a little more formal: short, evidence-based persuasive essays. Participants simply choose a topic they care about, gather evidence from sources both within and outside The Times, and write a concise editorial (450 words or less) to convince readers of their view. Because editorial writing at newspapers is a collaborative process, students may write their entry as a team effort. They may also choose to write their editorial on their own. The judges will use a rubric (PDF) for selecting winners to publish on The Learning Network’s webpage.
So what issue do you care about? Gun violence? Sexual harassment? Social media? You decide.
Deadline: April 5, 2018, at 11:59 p.m. (ET), for submission of editorial entries
. We began on November 31st and continued through December 6th. Logins were sent home with students just in case anyone wanting to continue the program could do so at home. The feedback from teachers and students was that the majority of students enjoyed it very much and left them asking for more. As I came upon other events, I began sharing a new coding project with teachers expressing an interest. Today I took my first group of fifth graders and introduced 
