Tips for Preparing Your Team

Know the Rules and Game Playing Strategies

 Make sure each student knows the rules of the competition. This cannot be stressed enough. Every year there is a team that loses points because the students don’t know all the rules. Furthermore, learn how to use the rules to your advantage; strategies of the game are important. While this is an academic event it is also a competition, don’t ignore strategy preparation. Believe it or not, this could be your ace in the hole. For example: if your team is in the lead during the second half of the game, recognize that the clock is now your ally. If you are awarded a bonus question, let the students take a few extra seconds to double check with each other to make sure they get the question right. The questions usually get more difficult as the match progresses. If you are too hasty with your decisions, the lost six bonus points could come back to haunt you in a close match. By being well versed in the rules and knowing all the strategies of the game, your team will have the edge in a close match and may even allow them to triumph over a better team that isn’t as strategic. Your students should also be very familiar with the roles of the officials to ensure the rules of the game are enforced and the game is played fairly.

Practice, Practice, Practice

There is no substitute for hard work and this means self-discipline and practice. Make an effort to duplicate an actual competition as much as possible. Set up the room the same as an actual competition room. View a diagram of the room set-up. Also it is a good idea to rotate the person asking the questions each game. This will allow them to get experience hearing the questions come from different tones of voice, accents, and dialects. Don’t wait until the month before the Regional NOSB competition to practice the competition. Use old test questions from your previous exams or even Trivial Pursuit and Jeopardy games if you have to. Just get them familiar answering the questions orally and waiting to be recognized before answering.

Keeping It Fun

Don’t lose sight of the overall focus of getting your kids interested and excited about science and math. Finding the right combination of fun games and interesting study tools could take a little work. Just remember, the more students enjoy it, the more they will want to participate, and the more successful they will become. Given the proper motivation, preparation, and encouragement, your team will have a successful and rewarding science bowl experience. You can then channel your NOSB Club’s enthusiasm and momentum to do other fun things throughout the year. For example: the National Science Bowl, the National Science Olympiad program, Math Counts, Odyssey of the Mind, or the Destination ImagiNation program.