A+ Academic UIL

This contest involves the study of paintings from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. and paintings or pictures from selected Texas museums. The Art Smart Bulletin, published every other year, is the source for study of history and art elements relative to the 30 art selections and is the final authority in the spelling of artists' names and titles of art works. As part of their study, students will demonstrate an understanding of art history and interpret ideas and moods in original artworks while making informed judgments about the artwork.

Part A of the contest requires the contestant to identify the names of 15 selected artists and titles of pictures selected randomly by the director from the official list of 30 pictures. Part B consists of 30 questions about art history and art elements characteristic of the 30 art selections.

4th & 5th Grade Materials

Chess puzzle competition is very different from tournament chess play. Contestants in a chess puzzle contest receive a paper-and-pencil test that includes a series of chess boards with pieces in particular positions. Questions are based on analysis of material or possible moves in each given diagram. 

2nd & 3rd Grade Materials

4th & 5th Grade Materials

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, variant spellings, plurals, alphabetizing and other such elements. Test questions are also taken from charts, tables and lists contained in the dictionary.

The subject matter of all tests is taken from the Merriam Webster's Intermediate Dictionary copyrights 2016, 2020, and 2024. Contestants may use other dictionaries in the contest, but the contest subject matter will be found in Webster's Intermediate from any of the copyrights mentioned above.

5th & 6th Grade Materials

7th & 8th Grade Materials

This contest provides opportunities for students in grades 6, 7 and 8 to evaluate speeches given by others; to explore the use of the voice and body in speaking situations; to examine the different purposes for speaking; to organize ideas; to prepare and deliver various speeches; and to develop self-confidence.

Contestants will draw three topics and have three minutes to prepare a speech, which must be presented without any notes. The contest gives participants experience in thinking, organizing, formulating clear thoughts, and delivering those thoughts to an audience effectively.

6th - 8th Grade Study Materials

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 and true/false questions, which must be answered in 45 minutes.

5th & 6th Grade Study Materials

7th & 8th Grade Study Materials

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.

6th - 8th Grade Study Materials

In Modern Oratory, the sixth, seventh and eighth grade contestants will select one of the topics, determine the critical issues in the topic, and acknowledge both pro and con points citing support discovered in their research. Students will choose a side they will defend and support that side with additional evidence. Along with the skills of analysis, research, note-taking, documentation, evaluation and decision-making come those of delivery and the skill of memorization.

2024-2025 Modern Oratory Topics

Contestants must select one of the following topics for developing the oration.

1. Should schools ban cell phones?

2. Does artificial intelligence negatively impact the American workforce?

3. Can Texas government solve the state's water crisis? 

4. Is achieving the "American Dream" more difficult today compared to previous generations? 

5. Is the fast-food industry to blame for obesity in America? 

Students will deliver a three to six minute speech without the use of notes on their topic. In the process of preparing for the contest, the student will need to:

1. define the problem;

2. determine the pro and con issues;

3. research the issue;

4. look at both sides of an issue;

5. reach a conclusion; and

6. support that conclusion with documentation.

6th - 8th Grade Study Materials

The focus of the Music Memory contest is an in-depth study of fine pieces of music literature taken from a wide spectrum of music genres to expose students to great composers, their lives and their music. In the course of preparing for the contest, students should be given the opportunity to describe and analyze the music, relate the music to history, to society and to culture, and to evaluate musical performance. 

Students will listen to approximately 20 seconds of up to 20 musical selections and identify the name of the major work, selection and the name of the composer.

To receive full credit for an answer, all information about the music selection must be complete as shown on the official list. Spelling and punctuation are considered in the grading of this contest.

2nd Grade Materials

3rd & 4th Grade Materials

5th & 6th Grade Materials

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 mathematic 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.

4th  & 5th Grade Materials

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. See the link below for frequently asked questions about oral reading.

Students in grades 4 and 5 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.

4th  & 5th Grade Materials

• 40 questions

• 30 minutes

• Test topics defined by a study outline, to be updated yearly (see links below)

• Correlate with the TEKS for social studies

• Test content taken from state adopted text books and identified primary sources

5th & 6th Grade Study Materials

7th & 8th Grade Study Materials

The spelling contest is designed to give students in grades 3, 4, 5, and 6 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.
The tiebreaker is given to all contestants immediately following the initial test.

3rd & 4th Grade Study Materials

5th & 6th Grade Study Materials

To tell a story, the participant must develop skills in listening, thinking and speaking. This contest also allows for the development of creative expression, something being given more attention in the professional world. For practice, teachers can use stories from any good children's books or magazines. 

Contestants in the second and third grades shall listen to a storyteller read a brief story (between 600 and 1100 words long) only once, and then retell that story in their own words before a judge or judges. For practice, teachers and guardians can use stories from any good children's book or magazines.

There are no time restrictions on the length of the story the student creates.

2nd & 3rd Grade Materials