2016-17 Academic Decathlon

World War II

Who is on an Academic Decathlon Team?

1st team - consists of 9 members and 2 alternates...3 Honors; 3 Scholastic; 3 Varsity

All other students compete as 2nd team members gaining valuable experience for future years

What do I get out of Acadeca?❏ Learning how to think. By taking one topic and

examining it from many perspectives we will be seeing how different subject areas try and answer similar questions - how they think.

❏ Developing Leadership Skills - working in groups, as a team, developing presentation skills including public speaking - developing confidence

❏ Having fun and hanging with cool people! Learning for the sake of learning can be fun...sometimes that gets lost in the high stakes AP-everything world we seem to live in here at Vista.

How would this year’s model compare to the class?● Much of the studying would have to be done on your

own time. As a group we can figure out when to schedule regular team “meetings” afterschool or weekends where we can review/practice content together. I will have to MC test content to establish 1st team members but those tests are now practice and review tools unless we have more than 3 students competing for one of the three levels.

● We will set aside time and solicit faculty support for the speeches and interview portions of competition

What about Saturdays? (and Tuesday evening)

● (early Nov.?) Lecture/concert at Arcade Baptist Church (8:30-3)

● (Dec. 11th?) CSUS scrimmage (8:30-3)● (Feb 4th?) County Competition-Inderkum High School in

Natomas (7:30 - 5:30)● (Tue. Feb 7th) Banquet

○ 6-9pm CSUS Ballroom

So what are we learning this year?...

7 mult. Choice test topics● Science (atomic and nuclear physics w/ Manhattan

Project)● Literature (novel: Transit by Anna Seghers and

short works from the era); ● Art (focus on art of WWII era); ● Music (focus on WWII era); ● Social Science and Economics which focus on

origins and impact of WWII.● Mathematics (focus on Algebra and Trig.).

Other Events:● Speech - prepared and extemporaneous● Interview- think college or job interview skills● Essay - taken online about 2 weeks prior to February

competition● Super Quiz - you tube click of last year's super quiz

Last Two Year’s Successes● 2015: Placed

13th out of 22 in Sacramento County.

● 2016: placed 5th-medal

● Both years individual medal winners in various events

Last Word(s)One of the goals of having Acadeca as a class is to provide an opportunity to learn ”just for fun”. I want everyone in this class ● to make new friends who outside of this class

they might not meet● to learn more about their own strengths

personally and academically as they work collaboratively in an assortment of disciplines

● to discover their leadership and public speaking potential.

Next steps

Please complete the interest/information survey...if you are interested in participating in the leadership team stay for a minute so we can figure out when to meet and make some decisions. Copy posted separately on web page ..turn in to Ms. Suter E103 ASAP!! (by Sept 2nd)