1. Science Olympiad Summer Institute Phoenix, AZ July 16 – 20, 2011

2. The Competition One member will write a description of an object and their partner will construct the object from the description

3. Materials Used for Construction Same object and materials for all teams  Commercial  K’nex  Lego  Tinker Toys  Raw Materials  Straws  Pins  Popsicle sticks  Anything goes

4. Time Allocations Writing  25 min  Time not a factor Doing  20 min  Time is used as a tie-breaker

5. Written Description Allowed  Numerals  Words  Single letters

6. Written Description (cont) Abbreviations  Must be defined  At beginning  1 st time used  No prepared abbreviations on labels

7. Written Description (cont) Not allowed  Symbols  Diagrams  Drawings

8. Written Description (cont) Allowable Symbols  printable punctuation marks/editing symbols on a PC standard 101 keyboard  Single key or single key w/ shift key

9. Scoring  Team that builds object nearest to the original  Points are given for each piece of material placed in proper connection and location  Pieces connected correctly beyond the incorrect connection will be given credit  No penalty for unused parts  Tie-breaker is the shortest time of construction

10. Scoring (cont.) Scoring violations  Unlabeled abbreviations  Improper use of symbols or codes Penalty – 1 % for each minor infraction  Example  Total possible score = 50  Initial team score = 45  # of infractions = 4  Final score = 43  45 – (50 *.01) * 4 = 45 – (0.5*4) = 45 – 2 = 43

11. Strategy Practice, practice, practice  Helps identify the best writer/doer  Helps define rule system for writing  Terminology  Potential definitions  Potential abbreviations

12. Orientation of Parts of the Object  Cardinal Points  North  East  South  West  Compass Rose  Clock Face

13. Estimating Distances Most tournaments do not provide one object/team so…  Students are not allowed to touch the object  Almost impossible to measure distances exactly so teams will need to estimate  Metric is better than English  Use fists or finger joints

14. Use Texting Skills Be clear and concise  Do not use unnecessary words  Cannot create “new” words  Proper grammar is not critical Partner must be able to make sense of what is written

15. Checking Work Writing  If time is left read instructions and check for clarity Doing  If time is left check work  Remember time is used as a tie-breaker