by Maria de Jesus DixonParent Coordinator of HUS Spelling Bee

Region V Title 1 Conference - Milwaukee, WIMarch 9, 2012 – Walker Room

What we will cover todayThe Scripps Spelling BeeThe Geography BeeMathCountsThe National Middle School Science BowlFunding IdeasQuestions

The Scripps Spelling BeeURL – www.spellingbee.com

Purpose – To help students improve their spelling, increase their vocabularies, learn concepts, and develop correct English usage that will help them all their lives.

Cost - $109 per school & then $85 for the Regional Bee

The Geography Bee• URL - www.nationalgeographic.com/geobee/

• Purpose - The National Geographic Bee, 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.

• Cost - $90 per school; $110 after October 15th and there is a donation page on the website.

MathCounts• URL – www.mathcounts.org

• Purpose – The MATHCOUNTS Competition is a national middle school coaching and competitive mathematics program that promotes mathematics achievement through a series of fun and engaging "bee" style contests.

• Cost - $90 per team, $25 per individual OR Title 1 Cost - $40 per team, $10 per individual

MathCounts – cont’dIn the Sprint Round, contestants solve a written exam

consisting of 30 problems with a time limit of 40 minutes. There are no penalties for incorrect answers.

Calculators are not permitted, and contestants work individually.

Questions in the Sprint Round are usually the easiest problems in the written individual contests because the Sprint Round tests contestants' ability to solve problems within a tight time constraints. The problems get harder from the first question to the last.

Sprint round questions are worth one point each. A good score ranges between 20 and 30.

MathCounts – cont’dThe Target Round contains four, two-problem mini-

exams, for which six minutes are allowed per pair. Calculators may be used during this round. The problems in the Target Round are usually more

difficult than most of the problems in the Sprint Round. In the pairs, one question tends to be a "confidence booster" and another a challenging problem.

Each problem is worth two points. The mini-exams tend to get harder as the round

progresses, with the first mini-exam having the easier problems and the last mini-exam having the hardest problems.

A good score ranges between 12 and 16. Calculators are permitted, and contestants work

individually.

MathCounts – cont’dThe Team Round is a ten question exam for which twenty

minutes are allotted. Calculators are allowed, and up to four teammates take the

examination as a group. In this round, contestants are allowed to discuss the

problems within the team. These problems are typically more difficult than the individual round problems, so that it would be difficult for a single contestant to solve all of them alone within the available time.

Each question is worth 2 points for the team score, and are added to the average of the four individual scores in order to determine the winning team. A good score ranges between 6 and 10.

MathCounts – cont’dTwo contestants compete face to face in the

countdown round. A problem is posted on a projector, and the

two contestants race to finish the problem (with pencil and paper).

Upon finishing the problem, a contestant is expected to press his/her buzzer.

The first person to buzz in with the correct answer gains a point.

The National Science Bowl• URL - http://science.energy.gov/nsb/

• Purpose – The National Science Bowl is designed to get young students interested in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). It is made to do this in a fun way and designed in a fashion similar to that of a sporting competition. The Science Bowl gets students excited about STEM and interested in learning more about the fields.

• Cost – ?

Funding IdeasSchool’s PTA/PTO/PSO/PSALocal Business SponsorshipLocal Newspaper SponsorshipColleges and UniversitiesBooster ClubsCompetition led fundraiserOthers ???

Fun Facts – Scripps Spelling BeeOhio – 1927, 1933, 1935, 1948, 1949, 1964 &

2010Indiana – 1928, 2004, 2008Illinois – 1931, 1985Florida – 1996, 1999Michigan – 1941Wisconsin – 1991Minnesota - 2001

Fun Facts – Geography BeeMichigan – 1993, 1995, 1998, 2002Minnesota - 2005Illinois – 2006Florida - 2010

Fun Facts - MathCountsIllinois – 1988, 1994, 2000, 2002, 2004Wisconsin – 1997, 1999Florida – 1986Ohio – 1992Indiana - 2010

Fun Facts – National Middle School Science Bowl2003 – Florida: Solar Car Competition2004 – Florida: Academic Competition2005, 2006, 2007 – Indiana: Academic

competition2006 – Illinois: Hydrogen Fuel Cell Car

Competition

Geography Bee Sample QuestionsWhich state has a climate suitable for

growing citrus fruits—California or Maine? Which country has the world's largest Muslim

population—Indonesia or Mexico?The North Atlantic current brings warm

waters from the tropics to the west coast of which continent?

Geography Bee Sample QuestionsWhat is the term for a part of an ocean or sea

that cuts far into the bordering landmass and may contain one or more bays?

Which Canadian province produces more than half of the country's manufactured goods?

To visit the ruins of Persepolis, an ancient ceremonial capital of Persia, you would have to travel to what present-day country?

MathCounts Sample Question A Sprint copier can copy 2400 pages in 60 minutes. At this rate, how many minutes will it take for a Sprint copier to copy 120 pages?

Science Bowl Sample Questions TOSS-UP

PHYSICAL SCIENCE (Short Answer) What physical state of matter is intermediate between a solid and gas? ANSWER:

BONUS PHYSICAL SCIENCE (Multiple Choice) Which of the following BEST describes the term static: W) stationary X) low Y) constant Z) used ANSWER:

Contact Information

Email is the best way to reach me – mdjdixon@yahoo.com or find me on LinkedIn at:

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/maria-de-jesus-dixon/9/bbb/5b9