Andrew BatesSocial Studies Director

UIL Social Studies Contest: 2021-2022 Topic Overview

@mracademics

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Andrew BatesSocial Studies Director

UIL Social Studies Contest: 2021-2022 Topic Overview

@mracademics

Where in the World?You are in -Social Studies Contest Overview and Discussion, w/ Andrew Bates

What is in the session (2 for 1 double back)● Basics of Contest (nuts & bolts) parts of it and how to compete-

Intro. of Topic - different sections 3-2-1, and types of questions● Strategies and Resources ● In-depth Topic Discussion - Essay topics, formulation/inspiration● Questions answered

And We’re Back!

HS Principal of Sabine Pass - UIL Coordinator for nearly 20 years - Coached State Competitors in Debate, Speech, OAP, Spelling, Current Events, and Social Studies - Won over 20 state titles, including 8 of the last 9 overall academic state championships.

Follow along - Take notes -Ask questions(in chat) - I will repeat - and hope to have posted or just tweet at me @mracademics or email abates@sabinepass.net - Twitter Poll for Topics, Tips, Resources

How many experienced? How many newbies? (show of hands)

History of ContestPattern of CX like foreign/domestic variety of geographic heavy-to straight

history-to culture -to government and combos

2003 - 2004 Gilded Age - Devil in the White City

2005 Fifties - The Fifties2006 WWII - Citizen Soldiers2007 Am. Revolution - 17762008 Supreme Court2009 African Colonization - King

Leopold’s Ghost2010 Civil War2011 Space Race - The Right Stuff2012 Latin America2013 American Indians -Comanche

-Empire of the Summer Moon2014 Australia & Oceania -

Commonwealth of Thieves

2014 Australia & Oceania - Commonwealth of Thieves

2015 Presidents - 1920 Year of the Six Presidents

2016 WWI - Guns of August 2017 US Constitution - Madison’s Gift2018 Former Soviet Union - Lenin’s

Tomb2019 U.S. Civil Rights Movements - Race

Beat2020 East Asia - Everlasting Flower2021 American Empire - Honor in the

Dust2022 Olympics - Rome 1960Almost 20 years - Where next?!?

To Boldly Go Where No Topic Has Gone Before?

● Domestic/Foreign● Think outside the box, but the box is good

too● Need Primary Reading Selections (multiple

options)● Be heard and whatnot - discuss, develop,

start a movement!● Twitter poll suggestions - Check back / Sites

The Contest

Individual CompetitionUp to 4 students per school

The Contest

Team Competitionat least 3

students per team

Who Advances?

● Top three individuals● All members (up to 4) of the

top team● The wild card team - VERY

important (3x State before Region)

The TestObjective Questions

45 total questions = 80 total points

Essay Questions1 questions = 20 total points

Important Reminder

Failure to submit an essay shall results in

disqualifications.

The TestTop 8 objective scores

(or more if ties on eighth) Essay scores

The TestRanking

Individuals = Objective + EssayTiebreaker = judging of essays (scores then

side-by-side)

Team = top 3 objective scoresTiebreaker = score of 4th member

(All the way to State!)

Objective QuestionsCategories and points

Best Answer

Part One

20 questions ■ General Knowledge and Terms■ 1 point each

Part Two

15 questions ❖ Primary Document

or Book ❖ 2 points each

Part Three

10 questions ❖ Supplemental readings and

documents❖ 3 points each❖ Can switch from topic to topic, but this

is standard

Tips on Writing an Analytical Essay for the UIL Social Studies Contest

-This is the KEY to the individual component and very much acts as the determining factor in deciding the best of the best - I didn’t use to focus on this - Shows true extensive knowledge - Subjective/Objective Balance (Objective has random/luck aspect)

First read the prompt carefully. Examine the question in a variety of contexts: social,

political, scientific, cultural, and economic, for example. We recommend that you outline your

essay before writing.

Make sure to have a THESIS and ANSWER THE QUESTION

(no matter how much you wish it was about something else)

More Essay tips...

PROMPTNESS COUNTS ESSAY PROMPT:NOTE: Contestants who do not write an essay will be disqualified. Any essay that does not demonstrate a sincere effort to discuss the assigned topic will be disqualified. The rankings of essays will be based primarily on how well the topic has been addressed. A focused, concise and specific essay beats a vague and rambling essay. Proper grammar and organization should be used to aid clarity, but should not be considered a major factor in scoring. Cover as many corners of the issue as practical. Avoid including personal editorialized opinions, as more than enough information on the subject has been published.

“Although Japan learned many of its colonial strategies from the tough experiences gained in its own ‘unequal treaties’ with the US and European nations, Japanese colonialism was not exclusively a product of cultural borrowing from the West. Japanese tactics were largely cultural in nature, operating under the ancient Confucian principle that peripheral ‘barbarians’ could be incorporated through adopting the civility of the center. By the early twentieth century, Japan was well on the road to empire creation…” Brett L. Walker, from A Concise History of Japan

The intense and rapid revolution associated with the Meiji Restoration is arguably unparalleled in human history. Domestic reform may have been more transformative, but the dramatic developments in foreign relations is perhaps the most well-known change of the era. Trace the evolution of Japan’s international status from the era of unequal treaties to the end of the Meiji period.

ESSAY PROMPT

NOTE: Contestants who do not write an essay will be disqualified. Any essay that does not demonstrate a sincere effort to discuss the assigned topic will be disqualified. The rankings of essays will be based primarily on how well the topic has been addressed. A focused, concise and specific essay beats a vague and rambling essay. Proper grammar and organization should be used to aid clarity, but should not be considered a major factor in scoring. Cover as many corners of the issue as practical. Avoid including personal editorialized opinions, as more than enough information on the subject has been published.

“Although Japan learned many of its colonial strategies from the tough experiences gained in its own ‘unequal treaties’ with the US and European nations, Japanese colonialism was not exclusively a product of cultural borrowing from the West. Japanese tactics were largely cultural in nature, operating under the ancient Confucian principle that peripheral ‘barbarians’ could be incorporated through adopting the civility of the center. By the early twentieth century, Japan was well on the road to empire creation…”

Brett L. Walker, from A Concise History of Japan

The intense and rapid revolution associated with the Meiji Restoration is arguably unparalleled in human history. Domestic reform may have been more transformative, but the dramatic developments in foreign relations is perhaps the most well-known change of the era. Trace the evolution of Japan’s international status from the era of unequal treaties to the end of the Meiji period.

The PERFECT ESSAY

■ Sample Answer Guides■ Rubric■ Consensus vs. Average (hybrid)■ Not an English Paper...seriously

though

ESSAY Continued

Open with a clear, precise statement that assimilates all the information you’ve gathered regarding the question.

Important: Do not repeat the essay prompt in your opening paragraph.

Take it to a new level of understanding.

DEFEND YOUR STATEMENT

● You have 90 minutes for the objective portion of the test and the essay.

● That’s more time than you’ll probably need, so think first before writing.

● Outline your essay. ● Prioritize your points. Then, be specific. ● Use specific examples.

The BUTLER DID IT!!! (skip to the end)

➔ Let it percolate

➔ Test questions might spark something

➔ Dulls the impact

General Guidelines for Essay Questions

■ Objective is to encourage thinking and analysis

■ Specific focus in most questions

■ Abundant information available for response

Details Review Understand the Math?

-80 is Perfect Objective-20 on Essay

Top 8 Objective (or more if ties at the bottom)Both are important

-Perfect score and not place (b/c bad essay) -Amazing Essay that no one ever reads (b/c not top 8 objective)

Team Score is Top 3 -Tie break is 4th place score (if there is a 4th)

-Now we break ties at State

Individual Tie-Break = Essay -2nd tie-break = compare side by side (cannot be an individual tie)

What is the Topic...Really?

“Pull a thread here and you'll find it's attached to the rest of the world.”

● Different than any other topic/almost gave up● Books used to formulate topic● The Movement then and now● Culture of the games

What is the Topic...Really?

What is the Topic...Really?

● Politics and Sports● History/Importance of Sport● The Games versus The Individuals● Events - Connections to the Games vs the Games’

Connections

“A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma”

Test Schematics● Balance of difficulty is...difficult ● All tests will be similar rigor in objective for

practice and honing● Essays will become progressively more

challenging (narrow or comprehensive)● Some lensing/What I’m looking at/Changes

coming● Terms are 99.9% set (Aug. 1 set in stone-ish)

Strategy: 3-2-1 Approach

■ Finite (kind of) to Infinite (Seemingly)■ Section 3 is by no means simple, but is more

limited than the rest and needs time to simmer■ Knowing Section 3 makes the Book (2) much easier

to understand and retain■ Studying the Book (2) covers a larger portion of

Section 1■ Section 1 will be easier and more effectively

studied after the others■ The Math Don’t Lie

Section One Questions

■ Term related questions approximately 250-300Explore List

■ Very Different As Well■ Lots of People - New normal - more complex

information■ Terms...lots of them - Not as many in most

years■ Look for Overlap

Section One Breakdown (Don’t Waste Your Time)

Section One test questions will be distributed by category as well, in other words, while there will likely be questions about battles on every test, there will still only be a limited number of questions about battles on each test. While there is no magic number here approximately 7 per test.

Which allows about 10-15 for other topics■ 1-2 places and geography terms■ 3-7 terms■ most likely 5-10 people

■ Alternate Names/Nicknames, Firsts, Lasts, Cause/Effect ■ Old Man of Europe, Tanks/Barrels, Cambrai (tanks)

Section One Questions(How Are They Written)

■ Terms: ~75 people/Approx. 200 Terms (~150 this year) ■ Several may be used in combination

■ People, Events, are best chances for repeats

■ Randomizer with weight for people with a few tweaks

Section One Questions

■ In the past, I have hit this last

■ Especially when Section II and Section III overlap

■ Cards early, but practice late

Section Two QuestionsROME 1960, David Maraniss■ Could have gone a lot of ways - went with approachability

■ As with most years the book is a magnifying glass - not representative of whole topic

■ Chronological with small jumps back and forth

■ Gives good context of world around it - starts with US/USSR

Section Three Questions

Questions related to documents

• Articles (New Twist!)• Movie (Old School!)• Games (Foreign Topic Standard)• Equal Chance for Questions from each individual, but weighted like Section 1

Section Three Questions

Questions related to Documents■Chariots of Fire

(https://thescriptsavant.com/pdf/ChariotsOfFire.pdf)

■Featured Games

(https://www.britannica.com/sports/Olympic-Games/Women-and-the-Olympic-Games)

■Other Sources within Links

Possible Essay Question Areas!

Major events, People, and issues/eras■ Cause and effect■ Compare and contrast■ Could be stand alone if significant enough

Possible Essay Question Areas!People (Book or Terms - Generally)■ Key People: (Leaders/Athletes) Coubertin, Brundage, Samaranch,

even Bach(overlap with III)■ But also: Richard Pound, Jim Thorpe, Paavo Nurmi, Muhammad

Ali, Jesse Owens, Evangelos Zappas, William Penny Brookes

Major Events or Issues■ Terms w/ overlap in II & III - All political events and their relation

(Suez Crisis, Cold War (or specifics:Hungarian Revolution, Prague Spring)

■ Beginning/Roots of the Movement, Boycotts, Demographics (where/who/how many)

■ Boycotts (backgrounds and context), Scandals/Controversies, (cause and effects), Costs/Commercialism,

■ Processes/Evolution - Amateurism, Representation

People (Book or Terms - Generally)

■ Key Figures: Athletes, Political Figures, Journalists (Rafer Johnson, Rudolph Khrushchev, Brundage)

■ But also: David Sime, Abebe Bikila, Tigerbelles, groupings/interactions (overlap with III)

Major Events, Movements, Issues

■ Terms w/ overlap in II & III

■ Cold War (race, propaganda, spy vs spy), Women’s Sports, Television/Coverage, Amateurism

■ Italy’s recent history, the China problem, Unified German Team

Book Topics

Look for Section Overlap

If it’s in on the List and in the Book and in Supplemental Readings… all the more

reason to focus

… about the questions

TERMS - 100 BOOK - 75 DOCS - 50225 TOTAL

Section I Section II Section III

Set A 20 15 10

Set B 20 15 10

District 20 15 10

Region 20 15 10

State 20 15 10

Question Areas

■ Cause/Effects

■ Evolution of involvement-key political events

■ Exceptional situations

 Question Areas■ Matching individuals and

country/state/party, position, philosophy, accomplishments

■ Issues related to specific events

■ Specific accomplishments (firsts)

Question Areas

■ People/writings/documents with ideas

■ Context (where, when, why)

■ Specific accomplishments (land, rules, precedents, beginning/ends)

Question Areas■ Timeline kinds of questions

■ The order in which major events transpire

■ Emergence of political demands/rights

No really easy questions

Do NOT Expect This One 1. The United States set a record for the

number of gold medals won at a single Olympiad in the 1984 Games hosted by Los Angeles, _____.

A. Texas C. NetherlandsB. Brazil D. California

Actual Sample Question

1. An international force was assembled mostly from Japan and Russia, but also from Britain, the U.S., France, Austria-Hungary, and Italy to take part in the _____. In August 1900, that force finally captured Beijing, relieving the foreigners and Christians there. While troops looted, the Empress Dowager fled leaving behind a few princes to conduct negotiations.

A. Boxer Rebellion C. Tonghak Rebellion

B. The First Sino-Japanese War D. The Opium War

… and another 2. The boycott of the 1976 Games by 29 countries led by a coalition of African nations was in response to _____ being invited to compete in Montreal.

A. Rhodesia C. ChinaB. South Africa D. New Zealand

But none of these

3. In the contested 100m men’s freestyle final of the Rome Games, _____ second place judge(s) had Lance Larson finishing second and _____ had John Devitt while the opposite was true for the first place judges.

A. 0,3 C. 2;1B. 3,0 D. 1;2

(no questions relying on specific minutiae)

… nor ones like this

2. Toyotomi Hideyoshi invaded Korea with _____ troops in 1592.

A. 156,000 C. 63,000B. 17,400 D. 558,000

(will not be questions based on specific numbers / statistics)

...or these

4. After the inquest into the death of Danish rider Knud Jensen the final autopsy seemed to disappear with only a partial postmortem report being sent to the _____.

A. Repository for Wayward Facts and Otherwise Pointless Data

WebsitesNot the be all end all-Research-Send me more-Not just memorizing

“Those who know how to think need no teachers.”● LINKS● Ancillary vs Resources● TBT (To Be Tweeted)● The Dreaded Wikipedia● Great Courses● Youtube (Documentaries-Several were almost included)

Competition

■ Official UIL – District, Region and State■ UIL – Invitational tournaments■ Informal competition■ Internet competition

■ http://virtualchallengemeets.com/■ http://bestoftexascontest.net/

Additional Helpful Material

Recruiting Students

➔ Previous competitors➔ Classes➔ G/T Program➔ Recommendation➔ Personal Observation

Preparation ➔ Select a team – yes, there is individual competition but

teamwork is helpful

➔ Begin as soon as possible – teams that compete in APRIL and MAY, begin work in August (or earlier - BOOT CAMP)

➔ Establish reading deadlines – do not try to read the whole book in a week, especially the week before your first contest. Subscribe to a provider of practice material.

➔ Subscribe to a provider of study guides/practice material – multiple companies listed on the UIL website offer great material

Preparation

➔ Practice regularly – the football team does it; so why not the Social Studies team

➔ Prepare team questions – a great way to gain new insight

➔ Question writing assignments – see above and add some focus

Preparation

➔ Flashcards – one of the best ways to prepare

➔ Practice test-taking skills – regardless of the test, skills remain the same

General Suggestions

➔ Regular practice sessions

➔ Develop flashcards and study materials

➔ Practice tournaments

➔ Stress team aspect of the contest

➔ Student activity conferences

More Suggestions

➔ Review tests from previous competition

➔ Network with other coaches/students

➔ Ask questions @mracademics