Spotlight on Sources:
Welcome to Renzulli Learning’s Spotlight on Sources, some of our most engaging resources to excite and inspire your students!
As we approach the end of 2020 we know you may have your sights on upcoming contests and competitions for the spring!
This week we are highlighting contests and competitions available for various grade levels. If you want to assign a weekly activity simply search the title of the weekly activity from your Teacher Dashboard and then send the activity to a student as a favorite. You can also assign a self-assessment or a journal response to the activity!
Check out a few of our favorite activities below!Contests and Competitions
Jotsens Photo Contest - Art
Use your camera skills to win this photography contest. Categories include student life, academics, sports, school spirit, open, life in the hallway and middle school/junior high. Once you have the perfect picture, send it in to be judged. Prizes are awarded for first through fifth place for each category, as well as for a grand prize winner. Check out some of the winning entries to see what it takes to win. There are contests for middle school and high school students in the U.S. and Canada. In addition to photography, you'll find contests for yearbook design and online design. The contest opens January 1st, 2021!
Quill and Scroll Society International Writing and Photo Contest - Writing
Middle school and high school journalists may enter writing, blogging, photography, and yearbook contests. Winners will be awarded the Quill and Scroll's National Award Gold Key and will be given the opportunity to apply for a scholarship when they are seniors. If this year's deadline has passed, keep checking the website for next year's contest information.
Quill and Scroll Society International Writing and Photo Contest
Statistical Poster and Project Competitions - Mathematics
The American Statistical Association (ASA) sponsors project and poster competitions each year. Check out the contest rules, as well as past winners, and consider submitting your own work! The statistical project competition, for grades 7-12, involves answering a research question using statistical techniques and presenting the work in a written report. The statistical poster competition, for grades K-12, is a display containing two or more related graphics that summarize a set of data. Students will also look at the data from different points of view and answer specific questions about the data. For more information about these competitions, visit this site.
The University of Mississippi Math Challenge - Mathematics
The University of Mississippi wants to challenge your math skills! Are you up for it? There are contests for kids of any age! Click on the category for your grade and have a try at the math challenge. If you want to, submit your answers to the site so that your name will be posted for good work. The problems change frequently, so be sure to come back.
International Young Eco-Hero Awards - Science
The International Young Eco-Hero Award is designed to recognize and reward the work of young people between the ages of 8 and 16 who have done unique, creative environmental work. If this year's deadline has passed, keep checking the website for information about next year's contest. Entries for the 2021 competition are now open until February 28, 2021!
Contests on Engineering and Its Impact on the World - Science
Do you like engineering? Do you have ideas for how to make this world a better place? Check out this website in order to find out more information about a contest created just for you! If you are interested in joining this contest, keep checking the website for updates on next year's contest information. Girls and boys in grades 3 through 12 are eligible to enter.
National History Day Contest - Social Studies
Through the National History Day contest, students in grades 6-12 engage in discovery and interpretation of historical topics related to an annual theme. In the process, they hone their talents and produce creative and scholarly projects in the form of exhibits, documentaries, historical papers, or performances. After a series of district and state contests, the program culminates with a national competition at the University of Maryland in College Park each June. Check the website for application deadlines. If this year's deadline has passed, keep checking the website for next year's contest information.
NPR Student Podcast Challenge - Podcasts
Hey there! Grab your favorite teacher and check out the NPR Student Podcast Challenge. This challenge is open to teachers with students between fifth and 12th grade! Work with your teacher to create a podcast between three and 12 minutes long. Your teacher must help you to submit the podcast. Your podcast cannot include music. Your podcast entry can be on almost any topic! We don't expect you to be experts. In fact, we expect that most of you are putting a podcast together for the first time. And even though this is a contest, it's also about learning new skills in a fun way. We want to make that learning easier — so we've put together a guide to help you along the way. Check out the Challenge page for more information and happy podcasting!.
Dream Quest One Poetry and Writing Contest- Writing
Showcase your best writing on any subject with this open writing contest! Click below to find out how you could win up to $500 for your writing talents, whether it is poetry or short stories that you love.
National High School Essay Contest - Writing
The Secretary of State wants to know what you think about Foreign Service in the world today. Write an essay of 750 to 1000 words, and you may be selected to win one of the cash prizes. The topic varies each year. One year the topic was to "analyze and explain how the members of the Foreign Service promote United States national interests by participating in the resolution of today's major international issues." If this year's deadline has passed, keep checking the website for next year's contest information.
Each week, we will send you teaching suggestions and a few examples of our best and most popular resources. For more ideas to infuse enrichment activities with your curriculum, please visit the Unit Supplements on the Teacher Site, under “Teach.” We can also link these enrichment resources to your regular curriculum if you send us a theme or topic.
Thanks for being a part of the Renzulli Learning family and we hope you find these resources helpful.
Your Renzulli Learning Team