Valid yearly in August, September and October.

Participation is free, easy and fun!
Firstly, teachers must explain to their students what rumors are: "Rumors are gossip spread by word-of-mouth. They can be either a lie that is intentionally made up to scare or hurt someone, or an exaggerated tale that barely resembles the truth. Rumors can be spread innocently by one person telling another person something they don't positively know for certain is truthful, or on purpose to make someone feel bad, which is verbal bullying."

Take the vow.
Participation also requires students to "vow to not listen to rumors or gossip if someone is trying to tell it to them; not speak rumors, false truths or gossip to others; and to ask others not to spread rumors if they overhear it happening."

They must also agree to keep track of how many rumors they stopped each day and report that number to the teacher at the end of each day or at the end of the week for 30 days. It's the teacher's job to keep a running total for the month. (We're hoping that number goes down over the 30-day period!)

The paperwork:
Teachers if you think your students can stop rumors in their tracks for one month based on the above, send an email to Michael Moorehead at ZombieIslandTalk@aol.com containing the following information (although email is preferred, letters containing the same may also be mailed to ZI Challenge, Five Star Publications, Inc., P.O. Box 6698, Chandler, AZ 85246-6698):

1. Your name and the grade level you teach
2. Your email address and phone number
3. The name and address of the school at which you teach
4. Your school's web address
5. The date your 30 Stamp Out Rumor days will start and end
6. A scanned JPEG or PDF file that contains the "vow to not listen to rumors or gossip if someone is trying to tell it to them; not speak rumors, false truths or gossip to others; and to ask others not to spread rumors if they overhear it happening," along with the signatures of each student in the class on a piece of the school's letterhead. (If you are mailing in this form, it can be a hard copy instead of scan.)

Your freebies!
Once we receive your students' agreement to Stamp Out Rumors, we will email you a free print out of the Zombie Island Curriculum for grades 2-4 and an abridged PDF version of The Student From Zombie Island to use in the classroom during Stamp Out Rumors Week. The 30 bookmarks will be sent via regular postal mail.

When you get all your goodies, its time to begin the challenge! Use the curriculum kit and e-book to build awareness and understanding of rumors during the 30-day challenge. After 30-days, email the daily or weekly rumor totals to ZombieIslandTalk@aol.com, including your name, grade level and school, and you will automatically be entered in the drawing for wristbands or DVDs. GOOD LUCK!!!



Published by Little Five Star, a division of
Five Star Publications, Inc.
ISBN: 978-1-58985-072-9
Published 2007

$15.95 U.S. ($18.95 Canada), Hardcover, Fiction
www.ZombieIslandBooks.com