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Academic Competitions for Gifted Students
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Academic Competitions for Gifted Students
A Resource Book for Teachers and Parents

Second Edition

November 2007 | 192 pages | Corwin

"The book makes an excellent case for competitions as a means to meet the educational needs of gifted students at a time when funding has significantly decreased."
—Joan Smutny, Gifted Specialist, National-Louis University
Author of Acceleration for Gifted Learners, K–5

"The authors are knowledgeable and respected experts in the field of gifted education. I believe there is no other book that provides this valuable information to teachers, parents, and coordinators of gifted programs."
—Barbara Polnick, Assistant Professor
Sam Houston State University

Everything you need to know about academic competitions!

This handy reference serves as a guide for using academic competitions as part of K–12 students' total educational experience. Covering 170 competitions in several content areas, this handbook offers a brief description of each event plus contact and participation information. The authors list criteria for selecting events that match students' strengths and weaknesses and also discuss:

  • The impact of competitions on the lives of students
  • Ways to anticipate and avoid potential problems
  • Strategies for maximizing the benefits of competitions
  • Access to international and national academic competitions

This second edition offers twice as many competitions as the first, provides indexes by title and by subject area and level, and lists Web sites for finding additional competitions.


 
Preface
 
Introduction: Making Decisions About Competitive Programs for Gifted Students
How to Use This Book

 
Characteristics of Good Competitions

 
 
Acknowledgments
 
About the Authors
 
1. Selecting, Preparing for, and Participating in Competitions
Selected Characteristics and Needs of Gifted and Talented Students

 
How They Influence Contest Participation

 
Effects of Competition: Good News

 
Effects of Competition: Bad News

 
How to Anticipate and Avoid Problems in the Use of Competitions

 
How to Maximize Benefits From Competitions

 
References

 
 
2. Competition Descriptions
AAA High School Travel Challenge

 
AATSP Elementary/Middle School Poster Contest

 
Academic Decathlon

 
Academic Games Leagues of America National Tournament

 
Academic Triathlon

 
Achievement Awards in Writing

 
All-USA High School Academic Team Competition

 
Alliance for Young Artists and Writers Scholastic Art and Writing Awards

 
Amateur Poetry Contest

 
American Computer Science League

 
American Enterprise Speech Contest

 
American History Essay Contest

 
American Invitational Mathematics Exam

 
American Mathematics Competitions

 
American Mathematics Contest 8

 
American Regions Mathematics League

 
American Scholastics Mathematics Competition

 
American Society of Newspaper Editors, Quill and Scroll International Writing, Photo Contest

 
American Veterans (AMVETS) Americanism Program

 
Ann Arlys Bowler Poetry Contest

 
Arts Recognition and Talent Search

 
Association of Educational Publishers (AEP) Student Publishing Awards

 
Ayn Rand Essay Contest

 
Baker’s Plays High School Playwriting Contest

 
BEST Robotics Competition

 
Biz Plan Competition

 
Botball Robotics

 
Canadian Open Mathematics Challenge

 
Cane Writing Contest

 
Chemistry Olympiad

 
Christopher Columbus Awards

 
Civic Education Project – Civic Week

 
Clarke-Bradbury Science Fiction Competition

 
Classical Association of New England

 
Community Innovation

 
Concord Review Emerson Prize

 
Continental Mathematics League

 
Creative Writing Essay Contest

 
Cricket League Contest

 
Destination Imagination

 
Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge

 
Doors to Diplomacy

 
DuPont Challenge Science Essay Awards Program

 
Duracell/NSTA Scholarship Competition

 
eCybermission

 
Edventures Robotics Contest

 
EngineerGirl Essay Contest

 
(Toshiba NSTA)/ExploraVision Awards Program

 
Federal Reserve Bank FED CHALLENGE

 
Federal Reserve Bank Student Essay Contest

 
Fire Fighting Robot Contest

 
First Middle-Grade Novel Contest

 
FIRST Robotics Competition

 
First Step to Nobel Prize in Physics

 
First Young Adult Novel

 
Foundations for Life National Essay Program & Contest

 
Frazier Institute Student Essay Contest

 
Freedom Foundation National Awards Program

 
Future City Competition

 
Future Problem Solving Program

 
George S. & Stella M. Knight Essay Contest

 
Harry Singer Foundation Essay Contests

 
Harvard-MIT Mathematics Tournament

 
High School Communications Competition

 
“Idea of America” Essay Contest

 
Intel International Science and Engineering Fair

 
Intel Science Talent Search

 
International Brain Bee

 
International Mathematics Olympiad

 
International Student Media Festival

 
Invent America!

 
Invitational Mathematics Examination

 
Jane Austen Society of North America’s Essay Contest

 
Japan Bowl

 
JFK Profiles in courage Essay Contest

 
Joseph S. Rumbaugh Historical Oration Contest

 
Junior Engineering Technical Society, Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics, and Science

 
Junior Science and Humanities Symposia

 
Kids Are Authors

 
Kids Can Write Contest

 
Kids Philosophy Slam

 
KidsBookshelf Contests

 
Knowledge Master Open (KMO)

 
Laws of Life Essay Contest

 
League of American Poets Free Poetry Contest

 
Let’s Get Real

 
Letters about Literature Competition

 
Mandelbrot Competition

 
Manningham Student Poetry Awards

 
MATHCOUNTS

 
Mathematical Olympiads for Elementary Schools

 
Math Leagues

 
Medusa Mythology Exam

 
Merlyn's Pen Literary Magazine Contest and Critique

 
Modern Woodmen of America School Speech

 
NAACP ACT-SO

 
NASA Space Settlement Contest

 
National Achievement® Scholarship Program

 
National African American History Academic Challenge Bowl

 
National American Indian Science and Engineering Fair

 
National Beta Club Convention

 
National Biblical Greek Exam

 
National Canon Envirothon

 
National Catholic Forensic League Grand National Speech and Debate Tournament

 
National Council on Economic Education and Goldman Sachs Foundation Economics Challenge

 
National Consumers League: LifeSmarts

 
National Engineering Design Challenge (JWOD/JETS)

 
National Federation of Press Women High School Communications Contest

 
National Forensic League, National Tournament

 
National French Contest, Le Grand Concours

 
National Geography Bee

 
National German Test

 
National Greek Exam

 
National High School Oratorical Contest

 
National High School Student Solar Design Contest

 
National History Day

 
National Latin Exam

 
National Mythology Exam

 
National Peace Essay Contest

 
National Portuguese Exam

 
National Schools Project Poetry Contest

 
National Science Bowl®

 
National Science Decathlon

 
National Science Olympiad

 
National Spanish Exam

 
National Vocabulary Championship

 
National Women’s Hall of Fame Essay and New Media Contest

 
National Young Astronomer Award

 
Nob Yoshigahara Puzzle Design Competition

 
Odyssey of the Mind

 
Ohio State University Press The Journal Award in Poetry

 
Olympiad of Spoken Russian

 
Panasonic Academic Challenge

 
Physics Bowl

 
President’s Environmental Youth Awards

 
Program to Recognize Excellence in Student Literary Magazines

 
Promising Young Writers

 
Prudential Spirit of Community Awards

 
Quill and Scroll Society, International Writing, Photo Contest

 
Scholastic Art and Writing Awards

 
Science Olympiad

 
Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee

 
Sea World/Busch Gardens/Fujifilm Environmental Excellence Awards

 
Shanghai American School's NAQT Asian Championship

 
Siemens Foundation Competition in Math, Science, and Technology

 
Society of Professional Journalists High School Essay Contest

 
Student Science Fiction and Fantasy Contest

 
Thespian Playworks

 
ThinkQuest

 
National Society of Black Engineers TRY-MATH-A-LON Competition

 
U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad

 
USA Biology Olympiad (USABO)

 
USA Computing Olympiad

 
USA Mathematical Olympiad

 
USA Mathematical Talent Search

 
UNA-USA National High School Essay Contest

 
Vegetarian Resource Group Essay

 
Veteran’s of Foreign Wars of the United States’ Patriot’s Pen

 
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Voice of Democracy Program

 
VSA arts Playwright Discovery Program

 
Weekly Mathematics Contest

 
Weekly Reader’s “What’s Your Story” Student Publishing Awards

 
West Point Bridge Design Contest

 
WordMasters Challenge

 
Writer’s Digest Annual Writing Contest

 
Young Epidemiology Scholars (YES) Program

 
Young Naturalist Awards

 
Young Playwrights Festival

 
 
Web Sites for Finding Other Competitions
 
Index of Competitions by Title
 
Index of Competitions by Subject Area and Level

"The book makes an excellent case for competitions as a means to meet the educational needs of gifted students at a time when funding has significantly decreased."

Joan Smutny, Gifted Specialist, National-Louis University
Author of Acceleration for Gifted Learners, K-5

"The chapters are cohesive and well integrated."

Kay L. Gibson, Professor of Curriculum & Instruction
Wichita State University

"The authors are knowledgeable and respected experts in the field of gifted education. There is no other book that I am aware of that provides this valuable information to teachers, parents, and coordinators of gifted programs."

Barbara Polnick, Assistant Professor
Sam Houston State University

"A key resource perfect for anyone who would understand academic competitions for Grades K-12."

The Bookwatch, June 2008
Midwest Book Review
Key features

Academic Competitions for Gifted Students includes:

  • Criteria for selecting and implementing competitions that match students' strengths and weaknesses
  • A listing of competitions that has doubled in the second edition
  • Contests for minority populations as well as for students with special needs
  • Indexes of competitions by content area, grade level, and title with information on those that accept applications from home or from home schools
  • Web links for latest updates on competitions 

For instructors

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