Using Competitions to Enhance Learning for Elementary Students

Grant Black and Sharon LauxCenter for Entrepreneurship and Economic EducationUniversity of Missouri-St. Louis

Benefits of Student Competitions

•Motivate students to apply knowledge in a competitive format• Enhance collaborative learning• Build students’ analytical and problem

solving skills• Develop students’ leadership and

teamwork skills• Stimulate students’ interest and activity in

a subject

Student Competitions and the Common Core

• Address Common Core standards related to language arts, math, higher-order thinking skills, and problem solving• Student competitions motivate and

enhance learning

Connections to Classroom

• Competition is tied to what students are learning about economics, geography and entrepreneurship• 4th grade students

learn about Missouri• MO HiStory is an

online curriculum that supplements 4th grade curricula

MO HiStory – Free Online Curriculum

• MO HiStory supplements social studies curriculum by integrating economics, entrepreneurship, geography, history, and Missouri heritage

• MO HiStory includes stories of 20 Missouri entrepreneurs

• Historical maps• Lesson plans for teachers• Fun learning games

• http://mohistory.umsl.edu/

MO HiStory Common Core Connections

• Reading for informational text• Speaking and

listening• Math

MO HiStory Correlation with National Standards for Economics

• Teacher Workshop• Training on curriculum,

MO HiStory• Recruitment for Meet

Me in Missouri• Outline teacher

responsibilities for participating in competition• Give examples of

competition activities

• Budget• Funding• Promotion• Materials

Partners

• Teachers• School volunteers• University faculty • Council members• Center faculty and

staff• The Magic House,

St. Louis Children’s Museum

Partner Roles

• Teachers• Judges• Judging room

coordinators• Room Coordinators• Graders• Funders

• Registration• Orientation• Production Activity• Test• Problem Solving • T-shirt design• Evaluation• Awards

• Orientation• Awards

• Production Activity• Designed around

entrepreneurs in MO HiStory

• Test• Covers state standards for 4th grade social studies• Economics• Geography• History• Government and civics• State symbols• MO HiStory curriculum

• Problem Solving Activity• Designed around

entrepreneurs in MO HiStory

• T-Shirt Design• Evaluation• Activity Sheets

9:30-10:00 Registration10:00-10:10 Orientation10:15-10:45 Production Activity 10:50-11:10 Test 11:15-11:45 Problem Solving 11:30-11:45 Judges Meeting 11:50-12:40 Judging of problem-solving T-shirt design

(Students may work on this before or after their problem-solving is judged)

LunchStudent evaluation

12:40-1:00 Awards

Questions and Comments?

http://pcs.umsl.edu/econedeconed@umsl.edu

314-516-5248