Dallas Japanese Speech Contest  

Held by Dallas Japanese Association ＆Japanese Teachers Association in Texas  Dallas Region

Supported by Japanese Language Advancement School of Dallas

Sponsored by Sun & Star Legacy Trust Fund

Purpose:  The purpose of this contest is to promote Japanese language education in Texas and to encourage the students who are learning Japanese as a second language in school.

Qualification:  The grade range is 6th throughout 12th.  Japanese should not be applicants’ first language nor be spoken at home.  Applicants must not have visited Japan for more than three months since 2002. Applicants must be currently taking Japanese class in the Dallas area school districts.

Date:  February 9, 2008

Time:  Registration---10: 00a.m.
             Preliminaries---10: 30 a.m.
             Final Round---1: 10 p.m.            

1. These are an approximate schedule.  The exact schedule will be announced ASAP.
2. Japanese students and parents will observe the final round.

Location:  Ted　Polk　Middle　School　
　         　2001 Kelly Blvd. Carrollton, TX 75006

Categories:
#1 Poetry Recitation for Japanese I Students
｢会いたくて｣　工藤直子
 “Aitakute” by Noko Kudo

#2 Poetry Recitations for Japanese II Students
｢未来へ｣   玉城 千春
“Mirai e ” by  Chiharu Tamaki

#3 Poetry Recitations for Japanese III and above
｢雨にも負けず｣　　宮沢賢治
“Ameni mo makezu” by  Kenji Miyazawa

#4 Free Speech for all High School students (2 minute minimum to 3 minutes maximum)

#5 Free Speech for college students (2 minute minimum to 3 minutes maximum)

Regulations:
 Entry level should be appropriate and approved by the student’s Japanese teacher or speech contest committee.

Free Speech: Speeches must be original, composed by the contestant and not previously recited elsewhere.  The topic of the speech is open. However it should be free from any strong opinion of prejudice, politics, or religion.  The content of speech should be appropriate for middle or high school students.  Reading the speech will be subject to the deduction of point.  Every contestant must speak for at least 2 minutes, but not more than three minutes.  Points will be deducted for violation of the time limitation.

Poetry Recitation: The contestants must memorize the poem.  Reading the text will be subject to disqualification.

Prizes:  Trophies, special certificates and prizes will be awarded to the winners.  Participation prize will be given to all contestants.

Judges:  Japanese teachers, professors, and members of Dallas Japanese Association.

Deadline:  Applications must arrive at the office or be faxed by Friday, January 25,  2008.  We encourage all participants to submit their entry forms as early as possible, because space may be limited. 

Entry form:   Submit the Entry form to your Japanese teacher