Events

Academic UIL Events:

Descriptions of Events:

Oral Reading - Reading literature out loud provides opportunities for students to analyze the text, to grow and to develop as a performer, to communicate a message to an audience and to perform an artistic creation.  The oral reading competition should be an extension of the classroom literary and language arts activities in poetry, short stories and children's fiction.

Students in grades 4, 5, and 6 read a selection of poetry.  Each selection may be one poem, a cutting of a poem, or a combination of poems.  The same selection may be read in all rounds, but different selections are permissible.  Selections must be published although the poet may be unknown or anonymous.

Students in grades 7 and 8 will read a prose selection.  Prose readings may include sketches, fables, tales, science fiction, fantasy, mysteries and the like.Each may be a single reading, a cutting from a longer selection, or a combination of several selections.  The same selection may be read in all rounds, but different selections are permissible.  Selections must be published although the author may be unknown or anonymous.   The maximum time for each presentation is six minutes.  The selection may be a cutting from a short story or novel of may be nonfiction.

Listening Skills - The listening contest is designed to help students in grades 5,6,7 and 8 recognize the importance of effective listening skills and to identify problems they may have in listening effectively.   It also provides a challenging format to test the improvement of their listening abilities.  Through preparation for the contest, participants will listen actively to a variety of material and learn to analyze and evaluate a speaker's message critically.  Tests will include, but not necessarily be limited to, language arts, fine arts, natural sciences and social studies.  The objective tests will measure skills such as identifying the main idea and supporting ideas, drawing conclusions, distinguishing fact from opinion, and mastering other listening and thinking skills.

Contestants will listen to a script ranging from seven to ten minutes in length, take notes as needed, and use their notes to answer 25 multiple choice, true/false and short answer test questions.  A variety of subject matter will be used for the listening tests.

Social Studies - This contest is designed to encourage students to expand their knowledge of social studies, particularly in the areas of history, government systems, economics, citizenship and culture. Students will be given an objective test containing approximately 40 questions which must be answered in 30 minutes. The contest consists of two divisions, one for grades 5 and 6 and one for grades 7 and 8.    

Calculator  - The calculator applications contest is designed to stimulate the development of mathematical and calculator skills for students in grade 6, 7 and 8.  Goals are both intellectual and practical: developing mathematical reasoning and knowledge and requiring the application of problem-solving skills toward realistic problems.  Students will take a test containing 80 problems in 30 minutes.  The contest consists of problems which may include calculations involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, roots, and powers.  It also includes straight-forward calculation problems, and simple geometric and stated problems similar to those found in recently adopted textbooks.

Students may use any silent, hand-held calculator that does not require auxiliary electric power.  The calculator data and program memory should be cleared prior to the contest; students may not use prerecorded programs during the contest.

Chess Puzzles - Chess Puzzles will take a 30-minute objective test plus a separate 10-minute tiebreaker section.  All Chess Puzzle test questions are now multiple-choice format, to allow for a broader scope of questions and increase the educational value of the contest (and make grading even easier).  Scoring is simple.  For the main test section, contestants receive one point for each correct answer. There are no deductions for incorrect or unanswered questions.  For the tiebreaker section, there is a 1.25 point deduction for each incorrect answer to facilitate breaking ties (still no deductions for unanswered questions).   All grade levels will take the same tiebreaker section.  Tiebreakers need only be graded for contestants actually involved in a tie.

Ready Writing - Texas has put a great emphasis on writing skills at all levels of school and all levels of state-wide testing.  Ready Writing, a contest for students in grades 3,4,5,6,7 and 8, builds upon those skills and helps students refine their writing abilities.  In particular, this contest helps them to learn to write clearly and correctly a paper that is interesting and original.

A standard dictionary or thesaurus may be used during the contest.

Contestants are given a choice between two prompts which defines the audience, and provides the purpose for writing.  Students should be encouraged to analyze the prompts for the purpose of writing, the format, the audience and the point of view.  The format may be, for example, a letter, an article for the newspaper or an essay for the principal.  Various writing strategies may be stated or implied in the prompt. Some of these include:

1. Descriptive (to inform): describe the happening or person/object from imagination or memory

2. Narrative: write a story

3. Persuasive: describe and argue just one side of an issue; describe both sides of an issue then argue only one side; write an editorial; write a letter to persuade, etc.

There is no minimum or maximum number of words the contestants must write.

Dictionary Skills - Thorough knowledge of the dictionary is a way to increase a student's ability to find the information that is needed for classwork as well as everyday living.   Each Dictionary Skills test consists of 40 objective and short answer questions to be completed in 20 minutes.  Contestants use dictionaries during the competition, which may be tabbed.   Contest questions cover word origins and histories, parts of speech, pronunciation, variant spellings, plurals, alphabetizing, and other such elements.  Test questions are also taken from charts, tables, and lists contained in the dictionary.

Spelling - The spelling contest is designed to give students in grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 exposure to a wide variety of vocabulary words. It is not a contest of memorization. For the most educational value, preparation for this contest should include instruction in the rules of the English language, meanings and definitions, and root words. In addition to learning to spell proficiently, contestants will learn to write clearly and to capitalize words properly.

Students will write down words given by the pronouncer on their paper at a rate of approximately five words per minute.

(A) Grades 3 and 4: 50 words; tiebreaker, 15 words.

(B) Grades 5 and 6: 80 words; tiebreaker, 20 words.

(C) Grades 7 and 8: 110 words; tiebreaker, 30 words.

The tiebreaker is given to all contestants immediately following the initial test.

Science - Emphasis for the Science contest, for students in the seventh grade, will be placed on knowledge of scientific fact, understanding of scientific principles and the ability to think through scientific problems.  The contest was designed to test not only memory but the ability to critically think about science and scientific processes and concepts.  Such concepts include, but are not limited to: matter and energy, equilibrium, force and motion, physical and chemical properties, the relationship between organisms and the environment, the components of our solar system, the composition of matter and genetics.  The contest will build upon the vast body of changing and increasing knowledge described by physical, mathematical, and conceptual models.

Each test will consist of approximately 35 multiple choice questions which will be taken from current state-adopted science textbooks and the curriculum.

Math - Students begin taking math in elementary school and continue taking it in high school.  Learning to complete math problems quickly is a valuable skill in all facets of life including engineering, accounting, completing a tax return and even grocery shopping.  This contest includes problems covering, but not limited to: numeration systems, arithmetic operations involving whole numbers, integers, fractions, decimals, exponents, order of operations, probability, statistics, number theory, simple interest, measurements and conversions.  Geometry and algebra problems may be included as appropriate for the grade level.

The contest, designed for students in grade 6, 7 and 8, consists of 50 multiple choice problems.

Number Sense - Individuals are called upon every day to use their ability to make quick mental calculations to make decisions.  The development of such abilities should be an integral part of the math curriculum.  Concepts covered include, but are not limited to: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, proportions, and use of mathematical notation.

Students will be given a 10-minute, fill-in-the-blank test which they must complete without doing calculations on paper or on a calculator.  Erasures and mark-outs are not permitted.

Maps, Graphs, Charts - The maps, graphs & charts contest is designed to help students learn to get information from a variety of maps, graphs and charts including world maps, pie charts, bar charts and local area maps.  The objective test will measure skills such as using a reference book to locate information, making comparisons, estimating and approximating, using scale and interpreting grid systems, legends and keys.

Students will be given an objective test containing approximately 75 multiple choice, true/false, and fill-in-the-blank questions which must be answered in 45 minutes.

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