Pen Down Challenge
Pen Down Challenge
Challenge Format
The Pen Down Challenge is a collaborative writing exercise where teams work together to create a single piece of writing. This challenge, exclusive to the Global Rounds, tests students’ creativity, teamwork, and writing skills.
Challenge Rules
Topic Selection
Teams must incorporate a provided sentence into their writing piece. This sentence is not the topic but must be included seamlessly within their work.
Time Regulation
Teams have 90 minutes to brainstorm, organize, and write their piece. They can use research materials, internet access, and team discussions to develop their ideas.
An Example Process:
1. Brainstorming (15-20 minutes): Discuss ideas and decide on the structure of the piece.
2. Research and Organization (20-30 minutes): Gather necessary information and outline the writing.
3. Writing (30-40 minutes): Collaboratively write the essay, story, article, or poem, ensuring the provided sentence is included.
4. Review and Edit (10-15 minutes): Proofread for grammar, structure, and coherence.
Guidelines
• Originality is Crucial: Plagiarism results in disqualification.
• Stay Within the Zone: Leaving the challenge area is not allowed unless in emergencies.
• Page Limit: The writing piece must not exceed two pages.
• Clarity Matters: Writing must be legible and clear to be appreciated.
Scoring Criteria
• Content: Depth and relevance of ideas.
• Organization: Structure and coherence of the piece.
• Development: Elaboration and supporting details.
• Grammar/Structure: Correctness and clarity of language.
• Creativity: Originality and inventiveness.
• Legibility: Readability of handwriting.
• Overall Impression: General impact of the piece.
Strategies
Effective strategies for collaborative writing
To ensure the success of a collaborative writing project, it is crucial to implement structured approaches that promote clear communication, efficient workflow, and consistent output. The following strategies provide a comprehensive guide to managing collaborative writing projects effectively, from establishing goals and roles to celebrating achievements.
1. Dig Deep into the Sentence: Before you start writing, take time to fully understand what the project is about. Research, ask questions, and explore different ideas to gain a strong grasp of the topic.
2. Think Like a Detective: Look at the topic critically. Ask questions, find supporting evidence, and consider different perspectives. Instead of accepting information at face value, dig deeper to uncover new insights.
3. Organize Your Thoughts: Before writing, organize your ideas. Create an outline with key points and supporting details to keep your work structured and focused.
4. Back It Up with Evidence: Make your writing stronger by using facts, examples, and quotes to back up your arguments. Ensure that all evidence is reliable and relevant.
5. Teamwork Makes the Dream Work: Collaboration is key! Share ideas, give constructive feedback, and learn from each other. Working together makes the final piece stronger and more well-rounded.
6. Polish Your Work: After writing, carefully review the work. Check for errors, improve clarity, and make sure ideas flow smoothly. Don’t be afraid to revise until the writing is clear and polished.
7. Listen to Different Voices: Be open to different viewpoints. Engaging with ideas that challenge your own can lead to a deeper understanding and a more balanced final piece.
8. Celebrate Your Success: Writing a great piece of work takes time and effort, so be proud of what you’ve accomplished! Celebrate your successes and learn from any challenges you faced along the way.
Elements of a Good Piece of Writing
This guide outlines key components of good writing that every student should strive to incorporate into their work. From understanding the purpose and audience to revising and editing your final draft, these elements will help you create structured, engaging, and impactful pieces. Let’s explore these fundamentals to elevate your writing to the next level.
1) Strong Opening:
• Start with an engaging introduction. This could be a question, a quote, an interesting fact, or a compelling anecdote to grab the reader’s attention.
2) Coherent Structure:
• Organize your writing with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Use paragraphs effectively to separate different ideas or sections.
• Ensure that each paragraph has a clear main idea and supporting details.
3) Clear Thesis or Main Idea:
• Present a clear thesis or main idea early in your writing. This helps guide the reader and provides a central focus for your piece.
4) Variety in Sentence Structure:
• Use a mix of short and long sentences to create rhythm and keep the reader engaged. Vary your sentence beginnings and structures to avoid monotony.
5) Effective Transitions:
• Use transitional words and phrases to connect ideas and paragraphs smoothly. This helps maintain the flow and coherence of your writing.
6) Conciseness:
• Be concise. Avoid unnecessary words and repetitive phrases. Every word should serve a purpose.
7) Strong Word Choice:
• Choose precise and vivid words to convey your meaning clearly and vividly. Avoid clichés and use descriptive language to create a strong impression.
8) Proper Grammar and Punctuation:
• Pay attention to grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Errors can distract readers and undermine your credibility.
9) Revision and Editing:
• Revise and edit your work. Good writing often involves multiple drafts. Look for areas to improve clarity, coherence, and conciseness.
10) Engaging Conclusion:
• End with a strong conclusion that summarizes your main points and leaves a lasting impression on the reader. It could also provide a call to action or a thought-provoking statement.
The Environment
Here is what the instructions page will look like:
Here is a typical challenge setting:
A Sample Case
Imagine a team of three students: Emma, Liam, and Sophia, participating in the Pen Down Challenge. They are in a room with other teams, each team equipped with a laptop and access to research materials. The sentence they must incorporate into their writing piece is: “The key to innovation is collaboration.”
A Possible Conversation:
Emma: “Alright, team. We need to write an essay or story that includes the sentence ‘The key to innovation is collaboration.’ Any ideas on how we can start?”
Liam: “How about we write a story set in the future where a group of scientists is working on a groundbreaking project? They realize that only by working together can they solve the problems they face.”
Sophia: “I like that! We can have different characters with unique skills and backgrounds, showing how their collaboration leads to innovation.”
Emma: “Great, let’s brainstorm some characters and plot points.”
Team: (spends 20 minutes brainstorming and outlining their story)
Emma: “We have our characters: Dr. James, an engineer; Dr. Kim, a biologist; and Dr. Patel, a computer scientist. They are working on creating a sustainable energy source.”
Liam: “Let’s start writing. I’ll handle the introduction, setting the scene and introducing the characters.”
Sophia: “I’ll work on the middle part, where they face challenges and conflicts but eventually realize the importance of collaboration.”
Emma: “I’ll write the conclusion, where they successfully innovate and highlight that collaboration was the key to their success.”
Team: (spends 50 minutes writing, collaborating closely and making sure to incorporate the required sentence)
Liam: (typing) “In a futuristic city plagued by energy shortages, Dr. James, Dr. Kim, and Dr. Patel are brought together by a government initiative. Each has a unique perspective, but their individual efforts fail to yield results.”
Sophia: (adding) “As tensions rise, they learn to value each other’s strengths. Dr. Kim’s biological insights, Dr. James’s engineering skills, and Dr. Patel’s computing power come together to create a breakthrough.”
Emma: (concluding) “In the end, they present their sustainable energy solution, and it is a resounding success. ‘The key to innovation is collaboration,’ they agree, recognizing that their combined efforts made it possible.”
Team: (reviewing and editing the final draft)
Sophia: “Everything looks good. We’ve included our key sentence and stayed within the two-page limit.”
Emma: “Let’s submit it.”
Liam: “Done. Submission complete. Great job, team!”
Judge: “Thank you, team. Your work has been submitted. Well done on collaborating effectively within the given time.”
Possible Prompts That Teachers May Use in Class
Owlins
• … at this moment they realized that they actually work as a great team together….
• To win the science fair, the group of friends decided to combine their best ideas into one amazing invention.
• After this failure, they learned an important lesson about not giving up and trying again.
Owlets
• … this is why our mindset plays a very important part in our lives
• … is one of the most wonderful and useful innovations for the last 50 years
• Their idea was great, but they needed to find a way to make it affordable and effective.
Owlys
• … this mindset started to affect my life in a way I had never imagined
• … the students realized that by combining their different skills, they could make a much bigger impact on the neighbourhood.
• … but first, they needed to outline their goals and figure out how to achieve them.
Sample Topics from Past Years
1. We as a team learned a lot from this experience…
2. … and that’s how I turned my ideas into a reality…
A Sample in Detail:
TOPIC: … and that’s how I turned my ideas into a reality…
The sentence given above must be used in your essay/story/article/poem. You can use it in your introduction, body, or conclusion. It is not a title!
• Each team member will have access to write on the document.
• Each team needs to ‘pen down’ a single essay/story/article/poem within 120 minutes.
• When the time is over you will not be able to make any further changes.
RULES
• Don’t change the font size and spacing.
• Maximum 500 words (approximately 2 pages).
• Don’t delete this instruction page.
RECOMMENDATIONS
• Share ideas and brainstorm together as a TEAM.
• Formulate a draft and supporting arguments.
• Think about your assignment and the final product.
• You can use books, devices, and the internet to create your product.
Good luck!
Start writing your essay/story/article/poem below:
Passion and ideas
It was a hot summer day and I was wasting it in my car, working on my laptop .Gosh ,I hate work. Even now, my boss makes me do HIS job. Today, he asked me to go find a document that he gave me years ago. I don’t even know if I have it anymore. Anyways, I need to go.
When I got home, I spent time thinking about where that document could be. Thirty minutes of thinking and I concluded that it must have been in the attic. After hitting my head twenty times and stabbing my toe into a million things, I finally got to the box I presumed it was in.
Searching through the junk I accumulated and throwing random sheets of paper, I found myself sitting in a plethora of drawings. I picked up one of them and realised that they were the ideas that I had when I was a little boy. When I was younger, I was passionate about architecture. Everyone could always see me carrying a pen and drawing on every surface I saw. Nobody believed that I could make it and the constant criticism made me give up.
Shaking my head to clear up my mind ,I leave ,forgetting the document.
The next morning, I went to work and was distracted all day long, so when my boss called me to my office, I didn’t even realise it for a few minutes. I entered the office, seeing that my boss was really mad.
“Why didn’t you bring my document today?”, my boss shouted.
I told him I couldn’t find it and that made the situation worse. After many screaming matches, I decided to firmly tell him:
“I quit .”
This part of my life was really dark. One day, when I was going home from the supermarket, I bumped into someone unexpected-my favourite teacher. He had been the one who believed in me. I couldn’t really remember his voice, but one thing stuck with me. Whenever I was feeling like giving up, he would say: “Follow your dreams, make your ideas become reality.”
When I got home, I was determined to make it. So, I got my degree at the local university and graduated as a valedictorian, got a job as an architect, and started my journey in fulfilling my life-long dream.
Years have passed since that moment. I am now married to the love of my life and have one beautiful son to whom I promised that I will support in every situation. I am a successful architect, and I actually love going to work. Strolling in the same place in which I met the person who changed my life, I see a lonely teenager near the supermarket. So, I go up to him and ask him what is going on. He tells me that he quit his job to become the person he’s supposed to be. In that moment, my mind goes right to the time in which I was in the same situation. I tell him my story and end it with: “And that’s how I turned my ideas into reality.”
Then I left.
1. She believed that every failure was a stepping stone to success…
2. … is one of the most wonderful and useful innovations of the last 50 years
A Sample in Detail
TOPIC: ….is one of the most wonderful and useful innovations of the last 50 years
The sentence given above must be used in your essay/story/article/poem. You can use it in your introduction, body, or conclusion. It is not a title!
• Each team member will have access to write on the document.
• Each team needs to ‘pen down’ a single essay/story/article/poem within 60 minutes.
• When the time is over you will not be able to make any further changes.
RULES
• Don’t change the font size and spacing.
• Maximum 500 words (approximately 2 pages).
• Don’t delete this instruction page.
RECOMMENDATIONS
• Share ideas and brainstorm together as a TEAM.
• Formulate a draft and supporting arguments.
• Think about your assignment and the final product.
• You can use books, devices, and the internet to create your product.
Good luck!
Start writing your essay/story/article/poem below:
There once was a little girl, who lived in a village far away
She was by the lake, minding her way
She was born in 1811, she had a sister who was 7
Her friend came through the back and she wanted to play
The little girl, known as Annie, refused to play with her friend
She said she was busy, her mom was calling her, the day almost came to an end
Her friend got frowny, pushed Annie into the water
The mother came out running for her daughter
Annie got sick, lay in her bed
The physician came and to them he said
Annie was under a serious threat
Her days were coming to an end
Annie was a smart girl, enjoyed her life
Though the news hurt her life a stab with a knife
Her parents were in a serious strife
She was waiting for the afterlife
Annie had a wish, before she collapsed
She wished to see the future, fill in the gaps
To her bed she was taken, all freezing cold
But she was not scared, she was very bold
She started dreaming, an old man in front of her
She didn’t know to go to where
The man opened a portal, sparkly and magical
Was it her call to the other side? So tragical
She came to a place, everything seemed well
Little did she know she was in 1876, with Alexander Graham Bell
She looked at something, supposedly a telephone
She was awestruck, let alone
That she was transferred somewhere else immediately
She followed the crowd of that era obediently
Then she heard a cellphone, she was in 1973
She couldn’t believe her eyes, that a guarantee
Then she went to 1984
A mobile phone? Was there more?
She went through another door
A real Smartphone? It was 1994
Another future year, maybe 2001?
Were people buying tablets? She was sure the tour is done
Then it was 2004, she was wearing a smartwatch
She was then watching people play hopscotch
She saw the old man, her nice tour host
She asked him “Is there any post?”
“Where am I, is this all heaven?”
She really couldn’t read the old man’s expression
She looked up, and she saw a flying machine
Then she saw, was that a car? In it was the Queen!
Looked around even more, she saw an electric door
Then she looked at the old man
Where has this all began
She asked one last question, her eyes filled with happy tears
“Sir, what is the most wonderful and useful innovation of the past 50 years?”
The old man smiled, put his hand on her shoulder
He looked at her eyes, and then he told her
It all depends on your perspective, my dear
Now from death, do you fear?
The girl woke up, her room she has entered
As long as your works live, you will be remembered…
===
…
I believe that the WWW (World Wide Web) has been the most wonderful and useful innovation of all time, but it would have no use without cell phones and computers, and they also wouldn’t be useful without electricity, and electricity wouldn’t be useful without something to use it with. So, I believe all innovations of our era are one way or another, linked to each other and one wouldn’t exist without the other.
Just like we all complete each other as humankind and I reckon as long as we choose peace and innovation over all other matters, we would be fine.
1. … but she decided to prove everyone wrong by working hard.
2. These fields are about to explode with innovation and advancement…
A Sample in Detail:
TOPIC: These fields are about to explode with innovation and advancement … .
The sentence given above must be used in your essay/story/article/poem. You can use it in your introduction, body, or conclusion. It is not a title!
• Each team member will have access to write on the document.
• Each team needs to ‘pen down’ a single essay/story/article/poem within 120 minutes.
• When the time is over you will not be able to make any further changes.
RULES
• Don’t change the font size and spacing.
• Maximum five hundred words (approximately 2 pages).
• Don’t delete this instruction page.
RECOMMENDATIONS
• Share ideas and brainstorm together as a TEAM.
• Formulate a draft and supporting arguments.
• Think about your assignment and the final product.
• You can use books, devices, and the internet to create your product.
Good luck!
Start writing your essay/story/article/poem below:
The 78 Outcasts
I open my eyes but close them immediately. A blazing light blinds me mercilessly, as if it tries to meld my entire being. I haven’t seen light for days, or months, I am not even sure at this point. It feels as if I have been unconscious for what feels like eternity and now awakened in the middle of nowhere. I am afraid to open my eyes, afraid of what I might see or hear. The last memory that is tightly encrypted in my mind is being tied and dragged out of the street by two men dressed in black, and from there… nothing. Did I die and now I am in hell? Is my name still Adam? It was Adam Crew, from what I recall. I loved being Adam Crew, actually.
I stand up, not allowing myself to lose my braveness, it being one of my strongest senses. That “stand up” feels more like an unsuccessful attempt to stand straight, due to my numb legs. At that exact moment, something crashed on me. Oh no, not again, back on the ground. I look up, and what I see is actually a “someone”, a very pretty blonde someone.
“Hey, be careful. You just stumbled on me.”, she said.
“You were the one who did, actually. Who are you and how did we get here?”
“Oh, it’s pretty simple. We are the outcasts, 78 to be exact. Most of the other outcasts are desperate. We represent the lost hope in our humanity, the ones who couldn’t conform to the rules and conditions of the place we used to call home. Our old planet called Earth no longer sees potential in us, therefore we represent no benefit for the planet’s future prospects. They abolished us from our homes, and somehow, we landed here, in the midst of the unknown. Now, we must build a new home for ourselves, we must reconstruct and adapt towards this entirely mysterious and deserted place.”
I glance around. All I can see is the despair and the fear imprinted on the faces of the others. Amidst the anguished exiled individuals, I notice the barren and uninhabited fields, covered with nothing but dust. Everything seems desolate and unadorned. No housing, no transportation, no roads, nothing. It’s just us, 78 imposters, and the planet we stand on. Yet, I still believe that we have a chance to prove ourselves and find the necessary hope in the hopeless. We have to demonstrate to everybody that we are worthy enough, and they did us wrong by deciding to exile us into the unknown. We can do it, all of us together. All we are required to do is unite our ideas in order to ensure our survival. And I told myself: “These fields are about to explode with innovation and advancement …”.