圈外閑人
Amazon專欄作家 http://www.amazon.com/Jennifer-Fu/e/B004Y218FQ
反思計劃（PTA Reflections program）有著40多年的曆史，其宗旨是鼓勵探索藝術才華的美國學生。該方案每年舉行一次比賽，從在幼兒園到12年級的學生都可以參加。
比賽從學校，到區域，一直到全國級別，每年的全國獎項有：
· 傑出釋義獎（Outstanding Interpretation Awards ）
· 卓越獎（Awards of Excellence）
· 優異獎（Awards of Merit）
· 榮譽獎（Honorable Mention）
比賽在六個藝術領域進行：
· 舞蹈編排 （Dance choreography)
· 電影製作 （Film production）
· 文學（Literature）
· 音樂創作（Musical composition）
· 攝影（Photography）
· 視覺藝術（Visual arts）
今年的思考主題是“多樣性是指......”，如果有興趣的話，可以上網站（http://www.ptareflections.org/）查閱詳細資料。
這是女兒去年的參賽作品，學校出線。
Together We Can Defeat A Cat
A piece of pencil shaving poked a mouse, whose name was Lucky. Lucky darted after a piece of cheese, in a hole surrounded by tasty morsels of food. A gigantic plastic thing, painted yellow and brown, blocked her way.
“Wake up! Wake up, Lucky!” Reluctantly, Lucky opened her eyes. She had been dreaming about the cheese chasing.
“The cat is coming!” shrieked her little brother. The cat? Surely even a cat would not dare come into the mouse hole! Lucky did not believe it until a loud ringing circled the hole. The ringing must be from the bell on the cat’s collar. The mice were scurrying about, frantically making defenses. Lucky tried to think about defense, but the noise made it hard to concentrate.
A fellow mouse rolled spiky balls to the entrance. The spikes could injure a mouse easily. If they could be placed outside of the entrance, the cat might step on one.
Lucky looked at the escape route. It was a hole in the garage wall, too high to be jumped off without being injured, but still a good emergency exit. Lucky grabbed a wooden board that they used to sleep in. Groaning with the effort, she slid the board so that it made a ramp to reach the garage floor safely. Lucky found toy cars that they saved for just such an occasion, and prepared for them to zoom down the ramp.
Another mouse placed a spoon on a pencil. The spoon on the pencil could be a catapult. Staples, needles, and anything sharp were piled on the spoon. Rubber bands were stretched, ready to fire at the cat if it dared to come. Lucky felt tension in the air, and helped the elderly and children to evacuate through the speeding toy cars.
A loud crashing noise startled Lucky. The cat had found its way through a flap in the wall! Lucky froze for a second, and watched the cat eyeing the escaping mice hungrily. She grabbed a toothpick and poked the cat. Other mice got the idea and poked the cat with sharp objects. Soon the cat was backing away from spiky balls, needles, and toothpicks.
A mouse broke away from the fight and blocked the way out. Lucky’s little brother used a safety pin to block the mouse hole. The cat slowly began backing up to the flap, but the way out was blocked. Lucky stepped up to the cat and announced, “You are trapped here. If you want to get out, you must promise never to eat a mouse again. If you break that promise, you will be cursed to be trapped again with no exceptions. Now, do you accept?”
The cat glared at Lucky. “I decline.”
Lucky said calmly, “Then you stay.”
The cat glared at all of the mice. “Fine, I accept.”
Lucky let the cat out. The cat stalked out of the room, hissing. The evacuated mice scrambled back into the mouse hole.
Lucky declared, “Let this event be recorded so all mice may remember this agreement!” Mice recorded the event on almost everything they could find. They feasted for days. The cat never came back. Now, all of the original records have been lost over a period of long history, but there are still many copies. You are holding one in your hands, right now.
謝謝鼓勵！
Reflection Contests
來源: 偶燈斯陋 於 2011-10-01 21:54:11
謝謝此帖。樓主的孩子寫作水平就是這樣煉出來的吧。我家孩子也是積極參加者，得過不少區裏和州裏的獎項。這個活動開發兒童才藝(寫作，音樂，美術，等等)，很有意義。是家長教師聯合會(PTA)舉辦的。 http://www.pta.org
http://www.parenting.com/article/pta-and-parenting-pta-reflections
some samples: http://www.parenting.com/gallery/7-pta-reflections-honorable-mentions?pnid=110435
Thanks, Cat!
應該得獎。