What does NaNoWriMo stand for?
National Novel Writing Month
When does it take place?
Every November 1st through 30th.
What's the goal?
To write a novel as fast as you can without worrying about editing. The goal, in short, is word count. For adults, the goal is 50,000 words. For the Young Writers Program (YWP) anyone under 17 can set their own word count goal that is "reasonable, yet challenging" to them. Participants in YWP can change their word count goal along the way, all the way up to November 24 to allow for maintaining challenge.
How do you win?
You reach your word count goal by November 30. That's it. Throughout the month you just copy and paste your novel into their app and it verifies word count. It's not posted, no one reads it. The goal is to write write write. The more you write the better and more confident you get.
What do I get for winning?
A NaNoWriMo winner badge and certificate to show off along with bragging rights. CreateSpace will offer all winners a promo code to turn their novel into 5 Free paperback books.
How big is this?
"In 2011, 250,000 adults participated through our main site, and 50,000 young writers participated through the YWP."
What is offered to help us teach this?
There are free workbooks, lesson plans, participant badges, progress sheets, classroom/group kits, Common Core Curriculum, online classes and lots and lots of support. You can find groups in your area and a huge forum for both student and parent to go to for help.
The workbooks are PDFs that you can type in and save your progress or print out. It will take your student through the process of preparing to write their novel. There are lots of goal worksheets to use to keep motivation high. It has a great sense of humor.
How would this work with my Elementary Grade students?
Lower elementary students have the most flexibility. You can focus on storytelling rather than writing. You can work in short sessions every day and track the word count at the end. You can have them act out the story and transcribe it, keeping track of word count. There are many more ideas at the YWP site here.
To prepare for the National Mythology Exam, here are some tests from previous years and materials.
NJCL National Junior Classic League has Academic Contests annually.
These are the past tests and every year is different, but the subjects stay the same.
Click here for all the tests.
Mythology is a family favorite. We all enjoy learning about Mythology, not just Greek and Roman, but Egyptian, Norse, Chinese, Japanese and every other place you can think of. So, of course, I was so happy when I found the National Mythology Exam. So, I started looking into all the exams and here's what I found.
Medusa Mythology Exam - MME - Grades 6 and up
2012 Theme "Monsters and Malicious Mortals" The Medusa Exam is open to public, private, and home-school students. Public or private school students must be in the 6th grade or higher; home-school students must be ll years old. Latin, English, and home-school teachers are encouraged to enroll their interested students! While the exam has a different theme every year, the exam is always a 50-question, multiple-choice format, and students are allowed 40 minutes to complete the exam. Complete information regarding this year's theme will be posted August 1, 2011.
Cost: $3.00 per student plus a $15 school fee
National Latin ExamNLE Tests from Intro to Latin to Latin VI
The National Latin Exam is offered under the joint sponsorship of' the American Classical League and the National Junior Classical League. They are pleased to announce the 2012 ACL/NJCL National Latin Exam. More than 149,000 Latin students from all fifty states participated this year, as did students from thirteen foreign countries, including Australia, Mexico, Belgium, Canada, China Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Poland, Switzerland, United Kingdom and Zimbabwe. This year for the first time, students from Bulgaria and Mozambique also took the NLE.
Cost: $4 per exam, $10 minimum plus $10 additional shipping
Science National Chemistry Olympiad Local Competitions - High School
Approximately 10,000 U.S. students between the ages of 13 and 18 enter local Chemistry Olympiad competitions. Exams are administered and coordinated by ACS local sections annually in March, and students are nominated for the U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad competition based on exam scores and teacher recommendations.
Physics Bowl Website - High School
Each year, approximately 10,000 students take a 40-question, 45-minute timed, multiple-choice test under their school’s supervision. To enhance the distribution of awards, Division I is for first-year physics students and Division II is for second-year physics students. Each Division has 15 regions that have been established across the country to allow schools in each region to compete against one another. Specialized math and science schools compete in their own region. Registration Form PDF Home School: If you are home schooled a list of CEEB codes for your region is available on The College Board's PSAT/NMSQT Codes for Home-School Students page.
Team America Rocketry Challenge TARC Website
Students must design, build, and fly a one-stage model rocket carrying one raw egg to an altitude of exactly 750 feet while staying airborne for exactly 45 seconds and returning the egg uncracked. The process of designing, building, and flying a moderately complex flight vehicle teaches many concepts of teamwork as well as those of physics, engineering, aerodynamics, flight mechanics, stability, and electrical circuitry. After completing local qualification flights, the top 100 U.S.-based teams are invited to Virginia for a national final fly-off. How do homeschoolers enter this contest?
Homeschoolers can enter as part of a school team with permission of that school's principal, or they can enter by being part of a local chapter of a non-profit organization (Scouts, etc. but not an NAR or TRA club) outside of the school context. If there is a local organization specifically for homeschoolers and at least one of the students is a member of this, this counts as a "non-profit organization" as well. TARC Registration Opens September 8 More Physics Contests & Events
