GENERAL GUIDELINES (Numbers apply to each language separately)

Each school that participates will receive a certificate of  participation regardless of overall performance.

Three certificates of merit, however, will be awarded to the top three schools. A maximum of FIVE (5) teams per school per language can participate, in the following six (6) events:

Poetry, Level II (maximum 3 students, each student acting as one team)
Poetry, Advanced (maximum 3 students, each student acting as one team)
Spelling, Level II (one team of one to three students)
Spelling, Advanced Level (one team of one to three students)

Each language per school may submit ONE Poster and/or ONE Video for competition.

Scoring guidelines for each event are different; but, each event carries the same number of points:

First Level = 3 points
Second Level = 2 points
Third Level = 1 point

Zero (0) points will be given if a team does not show up for a scheduled event without explanation, if a team (usually in Poster or Videos) is disqualified by the judges, or if a team does not survive the first round in Spelling.

At the end of the day, points will be totaled for each school (by language) and divided by the number of events in which the school (in each language) participates. Thus a large school that can field, for example, four or five activities will not have an advantage over a small school that can field only three or four teams. The highest point value possible is 3.00 and the lowest, 1.00. Scores as low as 0.00 are mathematically possible.

IMPORTANT: Only schools that can field a minimum of THREE (3) teams in a language are eligible for one of the top three Certificates of Merit in that language. Only schools that can field at least one POSTER or a VIDEO in a language are eligible for one of the top three Certificates of Merit. All schools who participate will receive a certificate of participation.
The top three schools ranked by the average number of points will be announced as Merit Schools. In case of exact mathematical ties, duplicate certificates will be awarded.

POETRY (Numbers apply to each language separately)

1. A maximum of three (3) students per school per level will recite poems from the list provided. Most poems should require no more than one to two minutes recitation time. Students may select any poem from the list provided for their specific level. No substitutions are allowed.
2. Students at Level II may have the text of the poem with them, but may not simply read it off the text copy. Students at the Advanced Level must, however, MEMORIZE their poems.
3. The recitation will be judged on the basis of pronunciation, clarity of recitation, and the ability to show that the student understood the poem well enough to "act" it out. Bland, lifeless readings will receive no points on "Expression."
4. A student may bring other students or a teacher to the recitation for encouragement or to act as an audience, but these may not prompt the student’s recitation.
   

POSTERS (Numbers apply to each language separately)

1. Posters should attempt to work with and around this year's motto (“Discover World Languages”), but judges will evaluate the overall quality of the work according to the Scoring Guidelines, not whether or not a Poster sticks slavishly to the motto.
2. Each school may submit only ONE (1) Poster for the actual competition, but may bring others to display, space permitting.
3. The posters may either be prepared by individual students or may be done as class project. No distinction is necessary between various class levels. This is one area where even Level I students can participate. All posters represent the entire school and its respective Foreign Language program.
4. Poster size: standard size, between 18" x 24" and 24" x 36".
5. The name of the student(s) or class, the teacher, and the school must be written clearly on the back of each poster. You may, however, identify your school on the front of the poster, if you wish.
6. Teachers should approve the content and format of each poster. Posters that contain racist or sexist material will be removed from competition and awarded zero (0) points. Students should be encouraged to emphasize the positive aspects of learning Foreign Languages.
7. Posters should be brought to the Woodard Student Center and be given to an usher who will take them to where they will be displayed.
8. The decisions of judges will be final and binding.
9. All posters remain the property of the schools and the students who produce them and should be removed at the end of the day. Posters left in the Campus Center will not be returned.

VIDEOTAPE (Numbers apply to each language separately)

1. Videos should try to work with and around the motto (“Discover World Languages”), but judges will judge the overall quality of the work according to the Scoring Guidelines, not whether or not a Video sticks slavishly to the motto.
2. Each school may prepare only ONE (1) videotape OR DVD for the contest.
3. Videos may be prepared by individual students or done as class project.
4. Video length: five (5) minutes running time, VHS OR DVD only. Videos may be slightly longer, but the judges are at liberty to view only the first five minutes for scoring purposes. In other words, put your best work into the beginning of the video!
5. The name of the student(s) or class, the name of the teacher, and the school should be clearly written on the video cassette or DVD.
6. Teachers should preview the videotape or DVD for content. Videos that contain racist or sexist material will be removed from competition and the school awarded zero points for the effort. Students are encouraged to emphasize the positive aspects of Foreign Languages.
7. Videotapes and DVDs should be brought to Great Hall in the Woodard Campus Center and be given to an usher who will take them to where they will be judged.
8. The judges' decisions will be final and binding.
9. All videotapes and DVDs remain the property of the schools and the students who produce them.

Technical Guidelines

1. Whenever possible, use brand new tapes for recording footage, editing and copying. Avoid old and heavily used videotapes.
2. Lay down a control track on the tape on which you will be editing. Record a "black" signal if possible.
3. On your edited master tape, have at least 10 seconds of black signal or other identification markers before you make your first edit.
4. Your performance should be the only thing on the tape!
5. Write the length of the production in minutes & seconds on the tape.

SPELLING (Numbers apply to each language separately)

Each school may have two different teams for Spelling, one for Level II and one for the Advanced Level. Each Level will be tested separately. Each team has three students. In the first round, each student in a team will be asked to spell three words. Once the first student has spelled three words, the second student from the team will be given three words to spell, followed by the third. If a student misses two words, that student is eliminated from further competition. If two of the three students in a team are eliminated, the entire team is eliminated from further competition. The team receives zero (0) points. If two or all three members spell at least two words each correctly, that team moves to the second round.

The second round is like the first, except that some teams have two members, others three. Now, if two members fail to spell all three words correctly, the team is eliminated from further competition and is awarded one (1) point. If at least two members survive the second round, the team continues to the third round.

The third round is "sudden death." Only one member of the team does the actual spelling. He/She will be given up to ten words in a row to spell. If he/she misspells one single word, the team is eliminated, and will be awarded two (2) points. If the designated team member spells all ten words correctly, the team is awarded three (3) points in Spelling at its respective level.

 Rules for Spelling are:

1. The standard French/German/Spanish alphabet, as well as other orthographic conventions, is enforced.

   Team members MUST say

• For French:
• Judge: Comment écrit-on “nuage”? → Team member : nuage -      n-u-a-g-e - nuage
• à, è, ù: “a - accent grave”, “e – accent grave”, “u – accent grave”
• é: “e – accent aigu”
• ç: “c – cédille”
• ë, ï : “e – tréma”, “i – tréma”
• â, ê, î, ô, û: “a – circonflexe”, “e – circonflexe”, “i – circonflexe”, “i – circonflexe”, “o – circonflexe”, “u – circonflexe”
• hyphens : ex : arc-en-ciel     “a – r – c – trait d’union – e – n – trait d’union – c – i – e – l ”

 

• For German:

• Judge: Wie buchstabiert man „Tisch“ → Team Member: Tisch – Großes T-i-s-c-h - Tisch
• Capital letters must be called out as such (Großes A, Großes Z usw.). Misspelling will be called for a word that must be capitalized. Likewise, words that are not normally capitalized (except as first words in a sentence) will be considered misspelled if they are erroneously capitalized.
• "a-Umlaut", "u-Umlaut", "Großes-O-Umlaut" usw. for the Umlautbuchstaben in German!
• "ß" must be pronounced "ess-zett" without exception. Words that must be spelled with an "ß" will be considered misspelled if spelled "ss." The new spelling rules will be in effect!

 

• For Spanish

• Judge: ¿Cómo se escribe en español "Andes"?
  Team member: Se escribe A mayúscula - ene- de- e- ese
• Students should be able to distinguish need for upper case and lower case by saying "mayúscula" or minúscula"
• Students should call out accentuated vowels by saying "con acento" for -- á, é, í, ó, ú
  Should identify "ñ" as eñe
  Should know how to say u con diéresis for words that require it, ü
• Also in spelling identify:
  "ll" --- elle
  "y" --- i griega
  "b" -- b alta or be
  "v" -- v baja or uve

2. Team members may correct themselves while spelling, either by clearly correcting an individual letter or by starting over. Once a word has been said the second time, the spelling will be considered finished and will be judged as such. The decisions of the judges are final.