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The Technical Challenge prompts students to complete tasks by using engineering, research, strategic planning, and related skills.

 

  Your team will:

• Create and present a video presentation in the style of a video game.

• Include an adventurer who goes on a quest to win an ultimate prize.

• Portray a special ability used by the adventurer.

• Integrate 3 quest items and combine them to create a tool.

• Create and present two Team Choice Elements that show off the team’s interests, skills, areas of strength, and talents

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Grades 2-5 (EL) Grades 6-8 (ML) Grades 9-12 (SL) and University/College (UL)

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The Scientific Challenge blends the curiosity of scientific research with the creative expression of performance art.

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  Your team will:

• Produce a video presentation that tells a story about a Scientific Law that is bent and/or broken.

• Show how the Scientific Law is bent and/or broken.

• Include an expert and a witness in the story.

• Use documentary techniques to tell the story in the style of a documentary film.

• Create and present two Team Choice Elements that show off the team’s interests, skills, areas of strength, and talents.

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Grades 2-5 (EL) Grades 6-8 (ML) Grades 9-12 (SL) and University/College (UL)

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The Engineering Challenge asks students to explore and apply engineering skills and tools to design and build solutions to specific applications.

 

  Your team will:

• Research visual art and architecture styles.

• Design and create a single three-dimensional physical model of a building.

• Create a video presentation that tells a story about how opposites can be complimentary.

• Integrate your model of a building and a planning artifact into the video presentation.

• Present part of the video presentation using a split-screen to enhance the story.

• Create and present two Team Choice Elements that show off your team's interests, skills, areas of strength, and talents.

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Grades 2-5 (EL) Grades 6-8 (ML) Grades 9-12 (SL) and University/College (UL)

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The Fine Arts Challenge helps students develop acting and creative skills through artistic media, theatre arts, scriptwriting, and prop design. 

 

Your team will:

• Research music videos and create a music video of your own.

• Use music and lyrics to retell all or part of a piece of literature.

• Design and build a costume.

• Research production techniques to enhance the music video.

• Create and present two Team Choice Elements that show off the team’s interests, skills, areas of strength, and talents.

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Grades 2-5 (EL) Grades 6-8 (ML) Grades 9-12 (SL) and University/College (UL)

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 The Improvisational Challenge is all about research, spontaneity, and storytelling. Teams receive topics and quickly produce skits. 

 

  Your team will:

• Research detective and forensic techniques.

• Create an improvisational video presentation that tells a story about a detective and a sidekick teaming up to solve a mystery.

• Integrate a true clue and a red herring into the mystery.

• include the use of a forensic technique to help solve the mystery.

 

Grades 2-5 (EL) Grades 6-8 (ML) Grades 9-12 (SL) and University/College (UL) 

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The Service Learning Challenge is designed to engage students in public service that addresses real-life community issues. 

 

  Your team will:

• Identify, design, carry out, and evaluate a project that addresses a need in a real community.

• Create a video presentation that includes a podcast and a commercial.

• Include a cliffhanger and a quirky character.

• Integrate information about the project into the video presentation.

• Create and present two Team Choice Elements that show off your team’s interests, skills, areas of strength, and talents.

 

Grades 2-5 (EL) Grades 6-8 (ML) Grades 9-12 (SL) and University/College (UL)

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The Rising Stars® for Early Learners Challenge offers simple (non-competitive) experiences with the creative process, and it gives young children a place to work together and make new friends.

 

Your team will:

• Create and present a story about a critter who goes on a big adventure.

• Write and illustrate a picture book.

• Integrate a special effect into the picture book.

• Create a song that helps tell the story.

• Share the picture book and the song in a team-created video.

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Kindergarten through Grade 2

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INSTANT CHALLENGE

All teams will have the opportunity to solve an Instant Challenge. These challenges require teams to engage in quick, creative and critical thinking.

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In a world with growing cultural connections, increased levels and types of communication, and a new need for real-time teamwork and problem solving, the ability to solve problems quickly is becoming increasingly critical.

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At a tournament, a team will receive an Instant Challenge and the materials with which to solve it. The team members must think on their feet by applying appropriate skills to produce a solution in a period of just five to eight minutes.

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Instant Challenges are performance-based, task-based, or a combination of the two. Although each Instant Challenge has different requirements, all Instant Challenges reward teams for their teamwork. Instant Challenges are kept confidential through the day of the tournament.

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