Elementary Science Olympiad: 1999 Workshop Notes


	INTRO & INFO
	IMPORTANT DATES
	EVENT DESCRIPTIONS
	NEWS & NOTES
	RULE CLARIFICATIONS
	EVENT ARCHIVE

Dear Coaches and Educators,
   Jacksonville High School invites your school to become a part of an exciting hands-on science experience in northeast Alabama. For the seventh consecutive year, Jacksonville High School is sponsoring an Elementary Science Olympiad, an academic interscholastic competition which is designed to increase student interest in science and improve the quality of science education. The Elementary Science Olympiad offers a unique opportunity for your students to test their creative and cooperative skills, interact with other motivated students, and expand their minds with science.
   Over its first six years, the Elementary Science Olympiad at Jacksonville High School has hosted over 1,500 student participants from schools throughout northeast Alabama. Teams from Anniston, Attalla, Boaz, Childersburg, Gadsden, Glencoe, Jacksonville, Lincoln, Munford, Oxford, Roanoke, Saks, Talladega, Wellborn, and White Plains have competed in very successful tournaments. We would now like to add your school’s team to this growing list.
   Elementary Science Olympiad teams are comprised of up to 24 upper elementary students who compete in a series of individual and team events which participants prepare for prior to the tournament. The majority of Elementary Science Olympiad events are team competitions which require teamwork, group planning, and cooperation. The emphasis is on learning, participation, interaction, and having fun. If you are not familiar with the Science Olympiad, please read the enclosed information and visit the Official Elementary Science Olympiad 1999 Web Site at http://garnet.acns.fsu.edu/~ddp0223/index.html.
   The Elementary Science Olympiad at Jacksonville High School, set for Saturday, February 27, 1999, will once again be offering competition in Division A-2 for students in grades 4, 5, and 6. Olympic-style medals will be awarded to the top four teams in each of the 28 events. In addition, team trophies will be awarded to the top four schools based on a total compilation of points during the day-long Olympiad.
   For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Science Olympiad or just want to get a head start on preparation, we will be conducting an Elementary Science Olympiad Coaches’ Workshop on Friday, October 23rd beginning at 4:15 pm in the Jacksonville High School Media Center. At this free workshop, we’ll take an in-depth look at each ESO event, address team preparation and strategy, and answer your questions in detail. New participating teams attending the workshop will also receive a free copy of the ESO Coaches Manual packed with over 80 exciting events. Plus, new coaches will have the opportunity to interact with veterans to gain a better understanding of the Olympiad. If you are uncertain about participating in the Olympiad, please come to the workshop and then make your decision.
   This year's workshop and Olympiad have moved to their new location, the Jacksonville Educational Park. Completed this past summer, the new Jacksonville Educational Park serves as home to the 1,000 faculty, staff, and students of Jacksonville High School. The $10-million complex provides the Olympiad with expanded state-of-the-art facilities to better serve the almost 400 students anticipated to participate in this year’s event.

*Participating coaches not attending the workshop will receive ESO at JHS materials in early November. Returning coaches may purchase additional 1997 ESO (Division A-2) manuals from ESO national headquarters by sending $18.70 per manual to Elementary Science Olympiad, 5955 Little Pine Lane, Rochester Hills, MI 48306.

ESO 1999 Fast Facts
+ Competition will be offered in Division A-2 for students in grades 4, 5, and 6.
+ Teams shall consist of no more than 24 students from grades 4 through 6. There is a limit of 8 sixth graders per team, but an unlimited number (up to maximum of 24) of fourth and fifth graders.
+ The Elementary Science Olympiad is a day-long competition beginning at about 8:00 am and ending around 3:30 pm.
+ Most events are 30 minutes to 1 hour long. All events take place on the grounds of Jacksonville High School under the supervision of sponsors and Elementary Science Olympiad staff members.
+ Teams may enter as many or as few of the 28 events as they wish. For each event, teams should enter the required number of participants.
+ Most events are attended only by its students participants (i.e. no coaches or parents), but individuals may wait outside the event site for their participants to exit.
+ Up to 6 events may be occurring simultaneously. Complete event schedules are available at the ESO 1999 Coaches' Workshop in October.
+ Olympic-style medals will be awarded to a minimum of the top four individuals in each event. In addition, team and coach trophies will be awarded to the top four schools based on a total compilation of points during the Olympiad.
+ Elementary Science Olympiad 1999 at Jacksonville High School is only an regional event. There is not a statewide competition for winning teams.

ESO 1999 Important Dates
Please note the following dates for Elementary Science Olympiad 1999 at Jacksonville High School:

ESO 1999 Coaches Workshop	Friday, October 23, 1998
ESO 1999 Registration Deadline	Thursday, December 10, 1998
ESO 1999 Pre-Registration Forms Due	Monday, February 1, 1999
Elementary Science Olympiad 1999	Saturday, February 27, 1999

We are excited about working with you on our seventh Elementary Science Olympiad and look forward to seeing you in October and February. Please share this information with your colleagues. If you have any questions or for additional information please don't hesitate to contact us at ddp0223@garnet.acns.fsu.edu.

Andra Lyons, Sponsor / Jessica Childs, Student Coordinator
David Peters and Brad Rohrer, Alumni Consultants
Elementary Science Olympiad at Jacksonville High School

Elementary Science Olympiad 1999 Events
The ESO at JHS staff has adopted only minor changes to this year's event line-up. Tennis Ball Catapult, Wildlife Safari, and Zowie Metrics have been dropped from the 1998 list and replaced with three new events, including a new ESO at JHS original.
New for 1999, students will test their investigative skills in Knock, Knock, Who’s There? in which teams will attempt to identify organisms from the various evidence they might leave behind in passing. Get the rulers ready for Metric Mastery, an ESO at JHS original where students will perform a number of measurements and work with the various units of the metric system. Finally, adapted from the junior and senior high competitions is Mission Possible, a challenging event in which students design and build a device which incorporates various action transfers and different forms of energy to complete a task.

Elementary Science Olympiad events are distributed among three broad goal areas of science education.
   Science Concepts and Knowledge
Boggle Science, Categories, Deep Blue Sea, Food for Thought, How Do You Spell Science?, 'Knock, Knock, Who's There?', Metric Mastery, Pentathlon, Picture This, Science Bowl, Starry, Starry Night, Weather or Not
   Science Processes and Thinking Skills
A is for Anatomy, Barge Building, Calculator Contest, Cranium Command, Estimania, Grab a Gram, Reflection Relay, Treasure Hunt, What Are You Trying To Tell Me?, Which Way's North?, & Write It, Do It
   Science Applications and Technology
Bridging the Gap, Crash Landing, Mission Possible, Mystery Architecture, Pastamobile

Event Descriptions
1. A is for Anatomy - Each team of two will view models, slides, and pictures of organs and tissues from the human body. They will identify and explain the function of each.
2. Barge Building - Each team will construct a barge of aluminum foil that can support a cargo of the largest number of pennies without getting them wet.
3. Boggle Science - Students will attempt to locate words pertaining to a particular category in a letter grid similar to the game Boggle.
4. Bridging the Gap - Teams will try to build a strong bridge with the greatest span with materials supplied at the competition.
5. Calculator Contest - This event allows students to demonstrate their knowledge of problem-solving using a hand-held, non-programmable calculator.
6. Categories - This event demonstrates students' ability to sort information given into categories.
7. Crash Landing - Students design and build a contraption onsite from predetermined materials to safely protect a raw egg dropped from a high place.
8. Cranium Command - Teams of two students tackle challenging scientific mindbenders containing clues to an overall puzzle.
9. Deep Blue Sea - Each team of two students will work cooperatively to answer questions and identify ocean flora and fauna, physical features and phenomena related to marine science.
10. Estimania - Groups of two students will be asked to make quick estimates of large numbers.
11. Food for Thought - Students will be quizzed on their knowledge of nutritional information.
12. Grab a Gram - Teams of three students cooperate to pick up given materials in an amount not to exceed fifty grams.
13. How Do You Spell Science - Students will be asked to spell words from the earth, life, and physical sciences and give a definition of the word spelled.
14. Knock, Knock, Who's There? - By examining a collection of evidence, teams of students will attempt determine the presence of, the passage of, or the existence of a particular organism in a given environment.
15. Metric Mastery - Teams will be quizzed on the various units of the metric system then asked to perform a number of simple measurements on a variety of objects.
16. Mission Possible - Participants will design, build, and test a "Rube Goldberg-like device" which incorporates unique action transfers and up to five forms of energy to complete a pre-determined task.
17. Mystery Architecture - Teams of students build the tallest, strongest, and most stable tower from materials unknown to them prior to the competition.
18. Pastamobile - Teams of students build a cart made entirely of pasta that will traverse a course in a predetermined amount of time.
19. Pentathlon - Five physical skills are interspersed with science questions in an obstacle course that will be run in a relay race style.
20. Picture This - This event has teams of 3 students each competing in a contest in which one member draws "clues" for the others to guess a science term or concept.
21. Reflection Relay - Three team members, each supplied with a pocket mirror, cooperate to bounce a light beam from a filmstrip projector onto a predetermined target.
22. Science Bowl - Students display their general science knowledge in this buzz-in style event.
23. Starry, Starry Night - A team of two students will identify constellations, planets, and other common celestial bodies in our universe.
24. Treasure Hunt - Students navigate a prescribed area with a compass to locate a hidden treasure.
25. Weather or Not - Students will demonstrate their knowledge of meteorological terms, instruments, and forecasts.
26. What Are You Trying To Tell Me? - Students will interpret written paragraphs, graphical relationship, illustrations, and demonstrations.
27. Which Way's North? - Teams will identify map features as they follow directions around an Alabama state map.
28. Write It, Do It - Students will prepare a written description of a contraption and other students in a separate room will attempt to recreate the contraption using only the written description.

For the electronic release of all the ESO 1999 updates, check here first...
The Elementary Science Olympiad 1999 Web Site at http://garnet.acns.fsu.edu/~ddp0223/index.html
Returning teams should expect hard copies of this information in the coming week.

Last Updated: August 8, 1999