Andrew Bates Social Studies Director @mracademics

1. Andrew Bates Social Studies Director @mracademics

2. Where in the World? You are in - Session 204. Introduction to the Social Studies Contest, What is in the session • Basics of Contest (nuts & bolts) parts of it and how to compete- Intro. of Topic - different sections 3-2-1 (reason for that to come) and types of questions • Strategies and Resources • Some overlap w/ Advanced -more question based (I came to hear you -Do you want to hear from me or hear others?) • Questions answered • Door prizes!

3. Who am I? HS Principal of Sabine Pass - UIL Coordinator for 15 years - Coached State Competitors in Debate, Speech, OAP, Spelling, Current Events, and Social Studies - Won 19 state titles, including 6 straight in SS, and as Academic Coordinator won 7 of the last 8 overall academic state championships. Follow along - Take notes -Ask questions - I will repeat - and Hope to have posted or just tweet at me @mracademics or email abates@sabinepass.net - Twitter Poll for Topics How many experienced? How many newbies?

4. The Social Studies Contest Preparing For Competition (what is it about?)

5. History of Contest Pattern 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 2006 WWII - Citizen Soldiers 2007 Am. Revolution - 1776 2008 Supreme Court 2009 African Colonization - King Leopold’s Ghost 2010 Civil War 2011 Space Race - The Right Stuff 2012 Latin America 2013 American Indians -Comanche -Empire of the Summer Moon 2014 Australia & Oceania - Commonwealth of Thieves 2015 Presidents - 1920 Year of the Six Presidents 2016 WWI - Guns of August 2017 US Constitution - Madison’s Gift 2018 Former Soviet Union - Lenin’s Tomb 2019 U.S. Civil Rights Movements - Race Beat 2020 East Asia - Everlasting Flower

6. 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

7. The Contest Individual Competition Up to 4 students per school

8. The Contest Team Competition at least 3 students per team

9. Who Advances? • Top three individuals • All members (up to 4) of the top team • The wild card team - VERY important (3x State before Region)

10. The Test Objective Questions 45 total questions = 80 total points Essay Questions 1 questions = 20 total points

11. Important Reminder Failure to submit an essay shall results in disqualifications.

12. The Test Top 8 objective scores (or more if ties on eighth) Essay scores

13. The Test Ranking Individuals = Objective + Essay Tiebreaker = judging of essays (scores then side-by-side) Team = top 3 objective scores Tiebreaker = score of 4th member (Now at State!)

14. Objective Questions Categories and points Best Answer

15. Part One 20 questions • General Knowledge and Terms • 1 point each

16. Part Two 15 questions • Usually Primary Document / Book • THIS YEAR: Country Profiles • 2 points each

17. Part Three 10 questions • Usually Supplemental Reading/Documents • THIS YEAR: Primary Document Everlasting Flower: A History of Korea • 3 points each

18. 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)

19. 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)

20. PROMPTNESS COUNTS

21. 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.

22. “There is no issue of state's rights or national rights. There is only the struggle for human rights. I have not the slightest doubt what will be your answer. But the last time a President sent a civil rights bill to the Congress it contained a provision to protect voting rights in Federal elections. That civil rights bill was passed after eight long months of debate. And when that bill came to my desk from the Congress for signature, the heart of the voting provision had been eliminated. This time, on this issue, there must be no delay, or no hesitation, or no compromise with our purpose. We cannot, we must not, refuse to protect the right of every American to vote in every election that he may desire to participate in. And we ought not, and we cannot, and we must not wait another eight months before we get a bill. We have already waited 100 years and more and the time for waiting is gone. So, I ask you to join me in working long hours and nights and weekends, if necessary, to pass this bill.” -President Lyndon Baines Johnson

23. There had been legislation passed since the Civil War addressing the need to fully deliver on the civil rights promised by the U.S. Constitution, but none of it had managed to do so effectively or comprehensively. The passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 delivered protections for those rights at a level that was unprecedented. The creation of such a seismic document was not without struggles. Describe the history of the attempts to create such a bill and how the Civil Rights Act of 1964 succeeded in ways previous legislation and government action did not by changing the law as well as paving the way for further acts.

24. The PERFECT ESSAY • Sample Answer Guides • Rubric • Consensus vs. Average (both if done correctly) • Not an English Paper...seriously though

25. 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.

26. 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.

27. The BUTLER DID IT!!! (skip to the end) • Let it percolate • Test questions might spark something • Dulls the impact

28. Possible Essay Question Areas! People (Book or Terms - Generally) • Leaders: Mao Zedong, Chiang Kai-shek, Chinggis Khan, Cixi Empress Dowager, Deng Xiaoping, Empress Wu Zetian, Park Chung-hee, Qin Shi Huang, Sejong, Tokugawa Ieyasu, Toyotomi Hideyoshi • But also: Confucius, Kim Dynasty, and Modern ROK, groupings/interactions (overlap with III- (Section II this year)) Major Events or Processes or Beliefs • Terms w/ overlap in II & III • Confucianism/Neo-Conf., Buddhism, Shamanism • Korean War, European Contacts, Chinese Civil War, Meiji Restoration and Empire, Economic Miracles, Silk Road, Mongol Empire. Multilateral Alliances/Invasions

29. Possible Essay Question Areas! Country histories, regional events, and cultural concepts • Cause and effect • Compare and contrast • Could be stand alone if significant enough

30. Look for Section Overlap “How could a king who should rule over all people and all things in the country with impartiality treat those of low birth any differently from the way he treats others?” If it’s in on the List and in the Book and in Supplemental Readings… all the more reason to focus

31. General Guidelines for Essay Questions • Objective is to encourage thinking and analysis • Specific focus in most questions • Abundant information available for response

32. 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)

33. 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) • Terms are set (except possible clarifications)

34. What is the Topic...Really? “The wise man does not lay up his own treasures. The more he gives to others, the more he has for his own.” -Gunpowder, paper, metal type, mortars, Silk Road VS -Sakoku, Hermit Kingdom, Boxers VS Economic Miracles, World Power, US Financers (Wild ride, but once you get a grip, Amazing ride!)

35. What is the Topic...Really? • Not just China...but a lot of China - more balance, but China for I/II • Korea next due to book and 2 profiles • Japan still with a lot of terms and a strong presence in profiles and histories of others • Mongolia last, but never underestimate the Mongols

36. What is the Topic...Really? “The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their proper name.” • Not definitive just an attempt at uniform • List is based on preponderance • Book will always be source • Attempt to do the same on questions or use multiple

37. Say...what? • Korean examples P/Busan; Joseon/Choson; Goryeo/Koryo • “Japaneseasy” • Simplified • Accents/Over use of apostrophe’

38. 3-2-1 Approach (2-3-1 Update) • Finite (kind of) to Infinite (Seemingly) • Section 2 is by no means simple, but is more limited than the rest and needs time to simmer • Knowing Section 2 makes the Book much easier to understand and retain • Studying the Book covers a large portion of Section 1 • Section 1 will be easier and more effectively studied after the others • The Math Don’t Lie

39. TERMS - 100 COUNTRIES - 75 BOOK - 50 225 TOTAL

40. Section One Questions • In the past, I have hit this last • Especially when Section II and Section III overlap • Cards early, but practice late

41. People/Terms • Term related questions Approx. 250-300 Explore List • Lots of People and Groups • Events • Section II and III Overlap • Terms • Terms • More terms

42. Section One Questions Term related questions • People (Movement, Group(s), Background, Positions, Unique qualities, Controversies, Accomplishments, Deaths (again), Alternative Names) • Chronology Questions (emphasis) • Events (Where, When, Who) • Firsts, Lasts, Unique

43. Section Two Questions Questions related to Country Profiles • CHINA • Taiwan • Hong Kong • Tibet • Macau • JAPAN • NORTH KOREA • SOUTH KOREA • MONGOLIA

44. Section Two Questions Questions related to Country Profiles • BBC- full (media least important) (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/country_profiles/default.stm) • CIA World Factbook (Intro/Geo/People/Gov/Eco) (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/xx.html) • Infoplease (Country Profiles - History) (https://www.infoplease.com/world/countries/china)

45. Section Three Questions Everlasting Flower: A History of Korea by Keith Pratt • Topical and unique perspective of important topic • Korea is a geographic/cultural area with artificial boundaries • Very chronological even with Art/Cultural insets • Incorporates a full understanding of the area not just a political history • As with most years the book is a magnifying glass - not representative of whole topic

46. … about the questions

47. Sample Question • Gwangju, Ulsan, Suwon, and Mokpo are all cities located in _____. A. China C. Mongolia B. South Korea D. Japan

48. … and another 2. The practice of foot binding is most associated with what country? A. Japan C. Mongolia B. Korea D. China

49. No really easy questions

50. Do NOT Expect This One • What group from Mongolia created a tributary relationship with the Koryo Kingdom in the early Thirteenth Century? A. Mongols C. Jurchens B. Khitans D. Goturks