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After School Enrichment Programs
Mathematics Structure of the program- Your school's math club meets weekly for an hour. Club members explore a topic or strategy in depth, using Creative Problem Solving in School Mathematics (or other sources), or they practice for the contests, using nonroutine problems from both Math Olympiad Contest Problems Volume 2 or Mathematical Olympiads Contest Problems for Elementary and Middle Schools (or other sources). The highlights for students are the five monthly contests, given from November to March. No traveling is required. These contests provide an incentive for students to intensify their study of math. Enrollment into program- Choose from two grade appropriate divisions (4-‐6 and 6-‐8). The fee to enroll a team with a US, Mexican, or Canadian postal code is $99 using the mails and $89 using ONLINE delivery. Enrollment form http://www.moems.org/enroll.htm • All 25 problems and detailed solutions from the previous year. New enrollees receive 50 problems and solutions from the previous two years. • 5 monthly contests with detailed solutions. • 8 newsletters that lead the sponsor through all procedures provide statistics and relevant information. Certificates for all students and awards for about 50% of all participating students and about 25% of all teams. DATES — Five Olympiads are held one month apart starting in November. We set the date for each Olympiad. Please adhere to it except in unusual circumstances such as a local school closing, special field trip, excessive absence, etc. In such cases, hold the contest on a day as close as possible to the scheduled date, before or after. 20010/2011 November December January February March
Division M 17 15 12 9 9 TIME AND PLACE — All participating students must take the Olympiad at the same time and place, preferably at the participating school. Each Olympiad may be held before, during, or after school hours at the discretion of the school. Any team that draws members from more than one school must be classified as a District Team or an Institute Team. Approval by our office is needed for participation. Call (866) 781 -‐ 2411 for details. ELIGIBILITY OF TEAMS — Only schools or homeschool associations, not individuals, are eligible for Olympiad membership. DIVISION — To participate, each student must be enrolled in the member school.
Students who have completed grade 8 may not participate. A team with any Grade 7 or 8 participants must be in DIVISION M. All other teams should be in DIVISION E. No team can be split between the two divisions. SCHOOL TEAMS — The maximum number of students on any team is 35. However, a school may enter more than one team upon payment of the annual entry fee set by our Board of Directors. The grade level of any team is the highest grade level of any member of that team. • Each team has up to 35 students. (Many schools have more than one team.) • Only schools or homeschool associations, not individuals, may participate. • Each team competes in just one division. • Teams with members from more than one school are called "District Teams"
or "Institute Teams" and are not eligible for team awards. The team score is the sum of the ten highest individual scores, taken after the fifth contest. CONTEST PACKETS — About two weeks before each Olympiad, an e-‐mail is sent to the Person-In-Charge of the Olympiad (PICO), announcing that the Olympiad is available at our web site for downloading. The PICO should do the following.
a) PAGES 1-2 (OLYMPIAD PROBLEMS AND STUDENT ANSWER SHEETS) — Print out enough copies for all participants and other interested parties.
b) PAGES 3-4 (ANSWERS AND SOLUTIONS) — Print out one copy for yourself, to use in scoring the Olympiad.
c) DISPOSITION — Place all materials in a secure location until the contest. Open it only at the contest and only in the presence of all the participating children.
d) You may wish to print pages 1 and 2 back-‐to-‐back. One advantage is that students hide their answers automatically when reading the questions.
e) You may wish to distribute copies of the questions to other teachers. One advantage is that this can build support for the program among your colleagues.
f) You may wish to distribute copies of the solutions to all your team members after the Olympiad. Two advantages are that students have material to study from and parents can see what their children were asked to do.
START-UP MATERIALS — The following items are available after logging in.
a) 25 practice problems with detailed solutions from last year, and 25 more from the year before. These help students to know what to expect. Your password is needed to access them.
b) The Online scoring system. Enter student names, grades, and genders at any time before you enter student scores.
c) Organization and Procedures (Web) which is our rulebook. You may wish to print out a copy for easy access.
d) What Every Young Mathlete Should Know which lists and defines terms. These definitions determine the meanings of terms used in the Olympiads.
e) Message to Parents which helps build parental support. Just reproduce and send home.
Books MATH OLYMPIAD CONTEST PROBLEMS Volume 2 edited by Richard Kalman. Cost: $29.95 plus shipping.
MATH OLYMPIAD CONTEST PROBLEMS For Elementary and Middle Schools (Volume 1) by Dr. G. Lenchner.Schools, Cost: $37.95 plus shipping.
CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING in School Mathematics 2nd Edition by Dr. George Lenchner. Cost: $35.99 plus shipping.
The "Problem-Solving Set" of all three volumes is available from MOEMS for $93.50 (a 10% discount off the regular price) plus Shipping & Handling.
Website: http://www.moems.org/Books.htm Order Form: http://www.moems.org/OrderFormBook.htm
Also available without logging in are: Organization and Procedures (Web),
What Every Young Mathlete Should Know, Message to Parents, and flyers for all our books (for training purposes), enthusiasm builders, and other items.
CONTENT AND TOPICS — Each Olympiad contains five problems, each with a specified time limit. All problems require mathematical reasoning. PROCTORING — A teacher must actively proctor the contest at all times. No one may help any student in any way during any contest. MATERIALS ALLOWED — Only plain paper supplied by the school, pen, and pencil may be used by the participant during the Olympiad. No other materials, including calculators, are allowed. We suggest that each participant be given five sheets, each containing spaces for the student's name, date, problem number, and answer. TEAM SCORES — The official team score is computed only after the fifth contest and is the sum of the 10 highest individual scores for the year. DISTRIBUTION OF OLYMPIAD PROBLEMS — Administer the problems either one at a time or as a complete set.
If one at a time: the problem sheets have marks near the edges to facilitate cutting the sheet into uniform strips. This method reduces tension and allows children to relax between problems.
If as a complete set: instruct children to do as many as they can. This method allows students to partition the total time as they wish.
TIME WARNINGS — A time limit is specified for each problem. The timing of an Olympiad begins when the proctor signals the students to begin.
If one at a time: read each problem aloud and announce the time limit. Then give the signal to begin. The proctor should announce, “1 minute remains” and “15 seconds remain”. If as a complete set: read all problems aloud and announce the total available time and give the signal to begin. The proctor should announce the total time, “3 minutes remain,” and “1 minute remains”.
SCORING AN OLYMPIAD — Consider all scores confidential. After the Olympiad, use the Answers and Solutions sheet to check student answers. Student answers must match our answer key perfectly to be credited. See “Appeals” below for further information. REGISTERING STUDENTS — From the menu click “Student List”. Enter the names, genders and grades of all team members, preferably in alphabetical order. The data for any team members added later should be placed at the end of this list. Important — You may add names at any time; do so at the bottom of the roster. DO NOT DELETE ANY STUDENT NAMES. If a student leaves, just check the ABS box for the remaining Olympiads. EXCEPTION: If the roster is full (35 mathletes) and a new student replaces one that left, then contact MOEMS and let us make the change. Otherwise there will be confusion at awards time. Remember, the accuracy of your team's awards at the end of the year depends on how well our records match what you see on your screen. REPORTING SCORES — You must choose an Olympiad first click on “Change Olympiad” on the menu. Your selection will then be listed on the left side of the screen together with your team name and TID. To enter student scoring for that Olympiad, click on “Submit Results" or "Edit Results”. Next to each preprinted student name record all scores as follows:
Correct answer — click the appropriate box. Incorrect answer — leave the space blank. Did not participate —Click the ABS box. Also click this box for students no longer on your team. Note: Clicking “Absent” will override all other checkmarks for that student on that Olympiad.
Corrections to scoring may be made online. Printing out a copy of the scores for each Olympiad has the advantage of convenience when reviewing any student’s record, especially if our records differ from yours. Important — Enter all contest results by mid-March to allow time for final corrections. The Online Scoring System will close a few weeks later. APPEALS — Appeals are granted only for incorrect official answers or for valid
alternate interpretations based on compliance with "What Every Young Mathlete Should Know". Appeals will not be granted for a reading or copying error by the student or if any condition of the problem is ignored. If an answer is not listed in our answer key but you think it is equivalent, follow the procedure for an appeal.
Procedure: To appeal, mark the student's answer incorrect and submit the student’s answer sheet together with a written explanation of the appeal. A ruling will be printed in the next newsletter or given individually. When an appeal is granted, all other students who had the same answer should receive credit. PICOs should notify us of their identities, including their names and line number, the team ID and team name.
AWARDS — Awards are determined by your entries online. The following awards are shipped after Olympiad 5: Order Form: http://www.moems.org/OrderFormTrophy.htm INDIVIDUAL a) A certificate for each participant. b) An embroidered Olympiad patch for each student whose cumulative score is
in the top 50% approximately of all students in that division. c) A "gold" or "silver" pin for each student whose cumulative score is in the top
10% approximately of all students in that division. d) One trophy for the highest individual scorer of each team. Duplicate trophies
may be purchased in the event of a tie. e) Note: A"pewter" Honorable Mention trophy is available for purchase. f) A medallion for each student with a perfect score.
TEAM a) For each division: a plaque for each of the top 10% of all teams by team
score. b) For each division: a certificate for each of the second 10% of all teams by
team score. c) For Division E: a grade level certificate for each of the top 20% of all grade 5
teams (no grade 6 students). d) For Division E: a grade level certificate for each of the top 20% of all grade 4
teams (no grade 5 or 6 students). e) For Division M: a grade level certificate for each of the top 20% of all grade 7 teams (no grade 8 students). Welcome to the 31st year of the MATHEMATICAL OLYMPIADS. We hope you find our contests and materials a valuable addition to your math program. Many leading teachers believe that solving problems is the best way to teach problem solving. MOEMS (the Mathematical Olympiads for Elementary and Middle Schools) is built on this foundation. A PICO is the Person In Charge of the Olympiads -‐ that's YOU now. We salute you for your commitment to help students grow mathematically and as problem solvers, to strive to reach their potential. We wish you and your students a lively, challenging, enjoyable, and valuable experience this year.
Thank you for choosing to receive your materials and report your scores online. We suggest that before you meet with your mathletes, you study all the documents in this section, the handbook for new teams, and in the Start-of-year materials for all teams. They can help you plan for your practices and other things. Included with your enrollment are the following useful items: • The 50 Olympiad Problems and Solutions given in your division over the
past two years, for practice purposes. • Two sample contests with 10 more problems to show the format to students. • Organization and Procedures, which outlines the rules of the contests. • What Every Young Mathlete Should Know, which gives the official definitions
of terms used on the Olympiads. • Tips for New PICOs, which can help you to organize. • "Tried and True" hints from our PICOs. • Order forms for available additional items to help strengthen and enliven
your team. • Message to Parents, suitable for duplication and distribution. To get started with practices, log in and download the 50 problems and solutions from the past two years. Treat our contests as part of a larger program that develops problem-‐solving skills. One effective approach used by many teachers is the following: 1. Practice at least 4 times before the first contest, the more the better. Let students know what to expect. Schedule practice every week for at least one hour. The key ingredient for improvement of any skill is the amount, consistency, and frequency of time spent using the skill. Practices also help students know what to expect. 2. Either for the first half hour or for the full hour teach a new topic from Creative Problem Solving in School Mathematics 2nd Edition. This book was developed from a series of popular in-service courses for teachers. 3. For the second half hour assign problems from past Olympiads, some of which are online. Maximum growth occurs when reviewing solutions. Our model solutions can help. 4. Where time permits, explore variations on selected problems. 5. Assign homework weekly. Some teachers reproduce selected pages from either volume of Math Olympiad Contest Problems for Elementary and Middle Schools, while others put a copy of the books into each child's hands. Many children purchase their own copy to practice actively at home. During the year you will receive the following emails: 1. Your contests will be posted online at least one week before the scheduled date. An email will alert you to the posting.
2. Eight newsletters will be emailed to you containing the scheduled contest dates, follow-‐ups on contests, hints, and other helpful information. These will also be posted online. An excellent way to prepart your students for this year's contests is to provide them with opportunities to solve nonroutine problems such as the collections of Olympiad problems mentioned above. If we can be of any additional help, do not hesitate to contact us. Again, welcome to the Olympiads! We wish you a stimulating and mathematically productive year. Sincerely, Richard Kalman Executive Director
HOSTING A TOURNAMENT
Tournament Agreement Form: http://www.moems.org/TOURNAMENT%20AGREEMENT.pdf
Sample Math Tournament Question Sheet: http://www.moems.org/Sample%20Tourney%202008.pdf
1. Overview • Tournament bears the name of the local organization — it is YOUR tournament • Local organization controls the tournament with much support from MOEMS • Format: full-‐day; grades 4-‐6 or 6-‐8; 5-‐member teams from many schools; one site
(face-‐to-‐face) • Events: individual, team, tiebreakers; plus review of all problems • All participants compete in one room under a Head Proctor and discuss all
solutions with a Head Reviewer • Answers are scored during the contest and awards are distributed • Date is anytime after mid-‐March 2. Benefits • To your School District ◦ Enhance reputation for excellence in math education ◦ Increase interest in mathematics among both students and teachers ◦ Allow showcasing and networking of interested students and teachers ◦ Free publicity: regional newspapers often announce results ◦ MOEMS sets basic structure, but district is free to adapt it as needed • To MOEMS Provides the perfect climax to the Olympiad year Reputation is enhanced nationally
Additional income: moderate fee charged to many regions helps subsidize our operation 3. Responsibilities • Of your School District ◦ Attract and register teams ◦ Select and prepare site ◦ Print and package copies of all papers and transparencies from blackline
masters ◦ Administer the contest ◦ Provide all awards • • Of MOEMS ◦ Provide all problems and detailed solutions (camera-‐ready) ◦ Provide blackline masters for review transparencies ◦ Provide complete and detailed instructions for all adults ◦ Provide all forms from registration to scorekeeping spreadsheets ◦ Provide ready help and advice as needed 1. This is your group’s tournament. Everything is packaged under the name and logo of your group, which you place in large print at the top of every sheet of paper. Contests, flyers, and awards all display your name prominently. “MOEMS” only appears in small print in the copyright statements 2. The benefits to your group are many. The tournament has the potential to: enhance your group’s reputation for promoting excellence in mathematics; introduce an organization to teachers and administrators unfamiliar with it; recruit new members; and recruit new workers. 3. Your group invites several schools to send teams to compete face-to-face at one site. Picture 100-‐200 students together just to do mathematics. This creates excitement and underscores the importance of mathematics. 4. Structure Students from different grades can be mixed on each of the 5-‐member teams because the problems require mathematical thinking, not knowledge of any specific curriculum. There are 3 rounds and an awards ceremony. ◦ Individual round: each student works alone on 10 timed short-‐answer
problems. ◦ Team round: all five team members work cooperatively on another 10
timed short-‐answer problems. ◦ Playoff round: up to 5 additional problems with time constraints break
ties for awards.
All problems (with detailed solutions and an answer key) are supplied by MOEMS and are non-‐routine short answer questions. 5. The 4-hour, 30-minute schedule includes time after each event to discuss solutions, an important feature. MOEMS supplies transparency masters, detailed solutions, and, where possible, multiple methods. There is also time for a mid-‐morning snack and lunch, and an awards ceremony. 6. Finances An organization sets, collects, and keeps all per-‐team fees. Your total expenses, including the MOEMS fee, are likely to be less than $500. At a suggested per-‐team fee of $50, the break-‐even point is just 10 teams. Our two pilot tournaments each hosted 25-‐30 teams after turning away teams in order to control numbers. . MOEMS provides electronic tournament-ready masters for five major components • Camera-‐ready copy for all problems, solutions, scoring keys, etc.; • Transparency masters for the discussion sessions; • 7 edit-‐ready letters in Word for all communications; • A formatted scorekeeping spreadsheet in Excel; • And a highly detailed instruction and reference manual. The MOEMS flat fee of $250 per tournament is a fraction of your organization’s income that is generated by the registration fee. 8. Support The Tournament Handbook, a very thorough reference manual, walks your tournament committee through every aspect of mounting a tournament, including that of recruiting new workers. It addresses a wide range of procedures and subtle decisions that need to be made. Topics include: • How to recruit workers and teams; • How to handle every aspect of preparation; • How to efficiently conduct each facet of the tournament day itself; • And how to follow up afterwards. As few as 3 people can organize and prepare it all. As always, MOEMS will respond quickly to every email or phone call in order to help.
Sample Tournament Schedule 9:00 Team check-in
Chaperones get assignments and collect student lunches, placing student names on lunch bag. Students fill in name tags and then proceed to Individual Event tables. Head Proctor chooses Cluster Leaders to help distribute and collect contest papers.
9:30 Welcome; Instructions for Individual Event 9:40 Individual Event: 10 problems, 30 minutes (Room 1) 10:20 Explanations of Individual Event solutions (Room 2)
Assistant Proctor places snacks on each table in room 1 during the review. Scorers grade results, record them, and compile High Scorer list.
11:00 Snacks (Room 1); Instructions for Team Event Students proceed to Team Event Table.
11:20 Team Event: 10 problems solved cooperatively, 20 minutes (Room 1)
11:45 Explanations of Team Event solutions (Room 2) Scorers grade results, record them, and compile High Scorer list.
12:25 Bag Lunch (Room 1) 12:55 Tiebreakers (Room 1): 5 problems, 1 at a time, up to 5 minutes
each Those tied for awards sit up front. Show problems on screen also.
1:25 Awards (Room 1) Top individuals and teams receive awards, and pose for pictures.
2:00 Dismissal and bus pickup For further information contact MOEMS at [email protected] or 866-‐781-‐2411. Please supply the name of your organization, district, or college, and all appropriate contact information.
Forensics Program- NJFL (National Junior Forensic League) Debate and Speech Honor Society-‐ developing skills in leaderships and literacy through oral communication. What is the NJFL- The NJFL is a program of the National Forensic League extending opportunities for speech and debate to grades 6-‐8. Since its inception in 1995, thousands of students across the country have obtained foundational cognitive, communication, and leadership skills through the NJFL. (From NJFL brochure) Cost to Join Today-‐Schools can join the NJFL for just $35 per year. Individual students are enrolled for a one-time $5 fee, which covers their entire middle school tenure, and includes a membership card, a certificate prepared by a professional calligrapher, an opportunity to earn advanced degrees of membership based on participation, and the option to proudly wear the NJFL pin! (From NJFL brochure) Immediate Benefits- participation in the NJFL improves middle level students’ communication skills, contributes to higher academic achievement, and builds friendships. As an honor society, the NJFL motivates and rewards students for speaking in a variety of contexts, including interscholastic contests, in-‐class presentations and speaking at community groups, such as a place of worship. These activities help students gain poise and self-‐confidence: skills that build training for leadership. (From NJFL brochure) Print Materials- The NJFL provides materials necessary for a successful school program: credit point sheets, applications, and participation charts. In addition, member schools receive the NJFL Newsletter, as well as a monthly copy of Rostrum, the magazine of secondary school speech. Features include teaching and learning articles, profiles of famous speakers, tournament results, and forensic news. (From NJFL brochure) Public Forum Debate text………$19.95 Persuasive Speaking text………. $19.95 Student Congress Debate………$19.95 Lincoln Douglas Debate……….$19.95 Parliamentary Debate……….$19.95 Policy Debate……….$19.95 Complete Set, Instructional Books………$109.95 Additional Recommended Texts Improv Ideas: A Book of Games and Lists……….$20.66
Speechcraft: An Introduction to Public Speaking……….$16.16 101 Monologues for Middle School Actors……….$14.36 Audio Visual Materials- A variety of video and audio resources with championship performances are available. A library of more than 40 video tapes featuring the nation’s finest coaches teaching speech and debate techniques is available for loan or low cost purchase. Please call 920-‐748-‐6206 or e-‐mail [email protected] for more details! (From NJFL brochure) Unlocking Interp: Finding Your Key to Success……….$19.95 The National Forensic League proudly presents Unlocking Interp. This six chapter educational DVD, hosted by Hall of Fame coach Don Crabtree and NFL National Office representative Tyler Billman, thoroughly explains proven techniques and strategies to improve all interpretation events. These dynamic instructors teach both fundamental and advanced techniques, skills, and strategies for the oral interpretation of literature coach and student. Unlocking Interp offers instruction in NFL interp rules; finding literature; cutting literature; writing introductions; characterization and blocking; polishing performances, and much more. Additionally, the DVD comes with a free CD-‐ROM containing over 50 interp specific enrichment resources, ready for immediate classroom use. Every viewer, from the beginning coach to the seasoned veteran, will benefit from this irreplaceable teaching and coaching device. NFL Showcase……….$15.00 A sampling of all National Forensic League speech and debate events previewed by champion coaches. NFL- Library: once you become a member, they will send you two videos at a time that we copy and then send back for free. We continue to do this until we receive all of the free video from the library. National Tournament- Offered in partnership with the International Debate Education Association, the NJFL National Middle School Tournament is an open invitational that attracts nearly 300 students from close to 50 schools from across the country, US territories, and the guest country of South Korea. Various public speaking, literary performance and debate events are offered, modeling the high school national tournament. Additional, less-‐competitive events allow additional fun opportunities for students to exercise their skills. For more information, visit www.juniorforensicleague.org. (From NJFL brochure)
NJFL Recognition and Rewards-‐
Credit points are the basis for measuring progress and earning NJFL honors.
Participation Points- Students earn one point for participating in oral communication activities. Examples include, but are not limited to: reading school announcements; emceeing assemblies or events; reading a passage at a school or religious assembly; leading the pledge of allegiance at a school assembly; announcing sports or games; reading or speaking on radio or TV. (From NJFL brochure) Presentation Points- Students earn two points for each oral presentations. Examples include, but are not limited to: writing and delivering a speech, presenting an oral essay or research report, or making an oral book report in class; making a speech to a group of twenty or more adults; participation in a class or interscholastic debate or panel discussion; participation in an interscholastic contest round; performing a literary reading for a class; giving a presentation or demonstration in class; or participating in a legislative assembly. All speeches and readings must be at least three minutes in length. (From NJFL brochure) Advanced Degrees- Accumulating credit points lead to advanced degrees, commemorated by special seals to add to the NJFL membership certificate: 10 Points.........................................Participation 25 Points..........................................Recognition 50 Points.................................. Accomplishment 75 Points........................................Achievement 100 Points ................ Outstanding Achievement (From NJFL brochure) Transferring Points- to the NFL-‐ Up to 10% of NJFL points may be transferred to high school NFL records (maximum of 15 NFL points). (From NJFL brochure) NJFL Pin- The attractive NJFL pin is the highest award a school can give deserving speakers. The NJFL emblem commands the prestige of a national organization. Purchase of a pin is optional and the cost is low. (From NJFL brochure) Honor Society Insignia: Engraved Honor Plaque……….$10.00 Engraved NJFL Student Service Plaque………$11.00 NJFL Coach Pin………$8.00 NJFL Student Pin……….$5.00 Pin & Plaque (Merchandise) Order Form: http://www.juniorforensicleague.org/forms/schoolchapter-forms
School Forms Required
Application download: http://www.juniorforensicleague.org/forms/joining-‐njfl Once this application is submitted, the NJFL organization will send us a packet of applications that will have to be submitted from individual student membership.
Semester Individual (Student) Membership Report: submitted at least twice a year http://www.juniorforensicleague.org/forms/schoolchapter-forms School/Chapter Activities Report: http://www.juniorforensicleague.org/forms/schoolchapter-forms Media/Photo Release Form: submitted every year http://www.juniorforensicleague.org/forms/schoolchapter-forms Individual Student Membership/Enrollment Form: http://www.juniorforensicleague.org/forms/schoolchapter-forms
Coaching forms
New Coaching Guide manual: This booklet holds all the information for any new coach to start up a program-http://www.njflonline.org/New_Coach_Guide_v4.pdf Recruitment Materials- such as Flyers, Posters and benefits of forensic participation: http://www.forensicsonline.net/forum/local_links.php?catid=49 Squad Administration Forms- such as competition records, health forms, practice time records, practice/tournament warm-up exercises, season goals, squad application, squad guidelines/contract, squad parent letter sample, student contact sheet, tournament permissions slips: http://www.forensicsonline.net/forum/local_links.php?catid=41 Rules and regulations of competition- http://www.nflonline.org/uploads/AboutNFL/Competition%20Events%20Guide.pdf
National Tournament Topics
• Policy Debate -‐ Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase social services for persons living in poverty in the United States -‐-‐ by using one of the four topic limitations:
◦ Expanding Medicaid to cover all persons living in poverty. ◦ Expanding Food Stamps to cover all persons living in poverty. ◦ Expanding housing services for homeless veterans. ◦ Expanding higher education assistance for persons living in poverty. • Public Forum -‐ Resolved: Current trends in American political dialogue
compromise meaningful democratic deliberation.
• Lincoln Douglas Debate -‐ Resolved: Compulsory inclusion of non-‐felons' DNA in any government database is unjust.
• Congressional Debate Legislation -‐ • Extemporaneous Speaking Topics: ◦ Round 1: United States Political Issues ◦ Round 2: Science, Health & Technology News ◦ Round 3: Energy & Environment Issues ◦ First Elim. Round: International News ◦ Second Elim. Round: Business News Third Elim. (if needed): varied, from above
MMS Forensic Goals • Get into the classroom for 3-‐minute recruitment speech about speech and
debate. This speech is designed to make the students interested in either you or the concept of speech and debate.
• Have an informational meeting for new members on after school. • Watch-learn/Reflect and then compete • A performance night – invites everyone, advertise it! Try to get students,
faculty members, administrators, board members, etc. • Have your students’ debate or perform at a faculty meeting. When my faculty
was trying to decide on something. • Public Debates-‐A great community publicity stunt. Remember that many
members of the community will have young people at your school. Parents also enjoy attending these events, and parental influence can be quite effective.
• Fundraising opportunities are boundless… www.nflonline.org/CoachingResources/Fundraising
• Formulate our own league for NJ middle schools to compete in forensics.
Questions and Reponses How and when can we enroll into the National Junior Forensics League (NJFL)? We can enroll at any given time and our forms must be entered through the mail. They must be sent to NJFL P.O Box 38, Ripon, WI 54971. How many members (students) do you need to enroll into the league? There is no specific amount of students needed to join the league. Are there any local middle schools enrolled NJFL? There is currently only one other middle school enrolled into the NJFL (Kugnus ACTS 500 Piermont Road Suite 303 Closter, NJ 07624: http://www.kugnus.com/index.cfm). There is however a large amount of high schools in the New Jersey Forensic League (http://www.njflonline.org/schools.html).
Is there a league that we can join? We can join the New Jersey Forensic League. We can participate in the league against high school teams and we would be able to receive NJFL points; however, it would count as an exhibition for the high school teams. How do you qualify for the National Tournament? As a middle school student, anyone is allowed to apply and qualify. It is a $125.00 school fee, plus $30.00 per student for two entries into two different debates, and any other additional entry into a debate would cost $20.00. Is there a local director whom I can contact about tournaments/competitions? Yes, his name is David A. Yastremski from Ridge H.S. What is the average cost for each tournament? Each tournament is its own entity with rules created for that specific tournament. The average cost for tournaments range from $5.00 upwards to $40.00.
For more information NJFL P.O. Box 38 Ripon, WI 54971
Phone: 920-748-6206 Fax: 920-748-9478
Email: [email protected] Website: www.juniorforensicleague.org
Science New Jersey Science Olympiad: (clink link to enter main website)
New Jersey Science Olympiad has been on the leading edge of educational innovations since 1993. These innovations include high academic standards; demonstration of skills through performance testing; learning through hands-on, minds-on activities; cooperative learning through events that require teamwork; improved self-concept through success in achieving high standards and making applications and connections to the real world.
New Jersey Science Olympiad events are closely aligned with New Jersey Science Education Standards and include strong components for problem solving, critical thinking and use of technology. Science Olympiad also portrays the close relationship between teaching and assessment. Assessment tasks are developmentally appropriate for young children, and include recognition of students' physical skills and cognitive abilities.
The members of the New Jersey Science Olympiad Committee invite you and your district to participate in Science Olympiad, the foremost academic competition in New Jersey. SCIENCE OLYMPIAD TEAM MEMBERSHIP- Science Olympiad has required that all teams (up to 15 members) competing in any Science Olympiad tournament (Invitational, Regional, State or National) must be a member of Science Olympiad and pay the national fee (currently $60 or $4 per student and $290 annual cost. Tournaments- Middle School Division B (grades 5-9) & High School Division C (grades 9-12) Regional Tournaments: Camden County College Regional Tournament, Blackwood - Saturday January 8, 2011 (snow date 1/9) NJIT Regional Tournament, Newark - Thursday, January 13, 2011 (snow date 1/14) Union County College Regional Tournament, Cranford - Tuesday January 11, 2011 (snow date 1/12)
2010 Division B Event Descriptions
(Trial events posted when available)
Anatomy Teams will be tested on their knowledge of anatomy and health concepts i including skeletal and muscular systems.
Battery Buggy Teams will construct a vehicle that uses electrical energy as its sole means of propulsion, quickly travels a specified distance, and stops as close as possible to the center of the finish line.
Bio-Process Lab Teams will demonstrate biology laboratory skills related to selected topics.
Can't Judge a Powder Students will test and characterize one pure substance and then, based only on data they collect, answer a series of questions about that substance.
Compute This Teams will be presented with a problem which requires quantitative data capture from the Internet and the presentation of data in a graphical format.
Disease Detective This event requires students to apply principles of epidemiology to a published report of a real-life health situation or problem.
Dynamic Planet Teams will work at stations that display a variety of earth science materials and related earth science questions. (earthquakes/volcanoes)
Ecology Students will answer questions involving content knowledge and process skills in the area of ecology and adaptation by examining different ecosystems. (Grasslands/Taiga)
Elevated Brdige Teams will design, build & test the lightest bridge to carry a maximum load.
Experimental Design Given a set of unknown objects, teams will design, conduct, analyze and write-up an experiment.
Fossils Students will identify, describe, and classify various specimens.
Junkyard Challenge Students will partially pre-construct an device with final construction and adaptation onsite to complete a published challenge.
Meteorology This event involves the use of process skills as applied to meteorology (everyday weather).
Ornithology This event will test knowledge of North American birds on the official list.
Pentathlon Teams will compete in an academic pentathlon to demonstrate their overall understanding of five major science content areas.
Physical Science Lab Teams will demonstrate physics laboratory skills related to selected topics including wind power and alternative energy. Teams will build a blade assembly used to capture wind power and generate voltage.
Road Scholar Requires the accurate interpretation and understanding of various map features using a variety of road and topographic maps.
Science Crime Busters
Teams will identify the perpetrators of a crime or crimes by using paper chromatography and analysis of unknown solids, liquids, and plastics found at the scene of a crime.
Shock Value Students will compete in activities involving basic understanding of electricity, magnetism and simple electrical devices.
Solar System Teams will demonstrate knowledge of the Sun, planets and their satellites, dwarf planets, comets, asteroids, the asteroid belt, meteoroids, Oort Cloud and the Kuiper Belt.
Trajectory Teams will design, construct, calibrate and operate a device capable of launching a projectile into a target using energy provided by nonmetallic elastic solids.
Wright Stuff Teams will design and build a propeller propelled aerodynamic device for greatest time aloft.
Write It/Do It A technical writing exercise where students write a description of a contraption and other students will attempt to recreate it using only the written description.
2010 New Jersey Trials Events-Samples of these events can be found at this website address: http://www.njscienceolympiad.org/content/tournaments/2010/trialevents.html Student preparation guide- (click link to view student guide) Coach’s manual- (copy and paste link below into address bar to view coach’s manual) http://www.njscienceolympiad.org/content/coaches/NJ_Coaches_Handbook_2009-2010.pdf
Geography The National Geographic Bee: (Click link to enter main website)- an educational program of the National Geographic Society, is a nationwide geography competition for U.S. schools with any grades four through eight, designed to encourage the teaching and study of geography. Bee registration is open to schools and homeschool associations with students in grades four through eight who have not reached their 15th birthday on or before September 1, 2010. A student must be enrolled in a school or homeschool association that is registered with the Bee.
In early September, principals may write a letter on school letterhead and enclose the registration fee of U.S. $90 requesting that their school receive the contest materials. Mail the letter and registration fee of $90 (check or money order made payable to the National Geographic Society) to:National Geographic Bee 1145 17th Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20036
Important Dates to Remember
• Register by October 15, 2010 for a fee of $90. • After October 15 until final deadline of December 10, fee is
$110. • School-level Bees: November 15, 2010 - January 14, 2011 • State-level Bees; Friday, April 1, 2011 • National Finals: May 24-25, 2011
Packet information- The packet contains everything a school needs to participate in the competition including an instruction booklet with suggested procedures, question booklet, a medal to present to the one school winner, and the qualifying test that must be administered to the school winner. (This test determines the top scoring one hundred students in each state who are invited to compete at the state-level competition. Individual scores are not released. Notification of qualification is sent by the second week of March to the teacher who signed the certification statement on the qualifying test answer sheet. Format of Bee- Registered schools hold their school-level contest following the eligibility rules and may use the suggested procedures contained in the school-level instruction booklet. The school is responsible for their school-level Bee. Each participating school produces one school winner.
A teacher administers the written qualifying test (included in the packet) to the one school winner. Only the answer sheet is returned to the National Geographic Society. Suggested Format- Every social studies class in the entire school would compete in the geography bee. The teachers’ would hand out the geography bee packets to the students. Teachers’ would score the packets and the top five students from each team would be selected to compete in the second round of the geography bee that would occur afterschool. Then out of those students the top ten scores would be selected to move onto the third round of testing- that would also occur afterschool. The top score out of those ten students- a teacher administers the written qualifying test (included in the packet) to the one school winner. Only the answer sheet is returned to the National Geographic Society. This test determines the top scoring one hundred students in each state who are invited to compete at the state-level competition.
Sample Questions- This link provides the instructor with some sample questions from the geography bee.
Study Corner- This link provides the instructor with great tips, materials, and other links to prepare the students for the geography bee. Side note- There are currently 441 schools in New Jersey that compete in the geography bee.
