schedule

VERBAL SPONTANEOUS PROBLEM: POINT OF VIEW

JUDGES tells team as they enter: This is a verbal spontaneous problem. You will have one minute to choose the five team members who will participate. (Indicate where those five will sit.) Non-participating team members may sit in the chairs on the side. (Indicate where those team members should sit and give the team one minute to decide.)

JUDGE READS TO STUDENTS: (Do not read numbers or phrases in parenthesis.)

1. You will have two minutes to think and four minutes to respond. Questions count against your thinking time. You may not talk to each other at any time.

2. You will receive one point for each common response. Creative or humorous responses will receive three points and highly creative or humorous responses will receive five points. This will be a subjective opinion of the judge and the judge's decision is final.

3. Each of you has in front of you 4 red cards and 4 green cards. When it is your turn to respond, you will place one of these cards in the center of the table.

4. Response time ends when you have given up all your cards or at the end of four minutes, whichever comes first.

5. Once the time begins, it will not be stopped. If the judge asks you to repeat or to clarify your answer, it counts against your time. Speak loudly and clearly.

THE PROBLEM IS:

6. Everyone thinks sometimes about living in another period of time. Your problem is to say why you WOULD or WOULD NOT want to live in another era. When you say why you WOULD want to live in another time period, you will place a GREEN card in the center of the table. When you say why you WOULD NOT want to live in another time period, you will place a RED card in the center of the table.

7. When you give an answer, it must be in a complete sentence and must tell the period of time. For example, you could say “I would like to live in ancient Egypt because I could meet Cleopatra,” or you could say “I would NOT like to live in ancient Egypt because they didn’t have television.”

(Repeat #6 and #7, THE PROBLEM IS: )

7. You have two minutes to think. “BEGIN” (Judge starts timer).

FOR JUDGES ONLY:

Make certain that there are four red and four green cards at each seat when the team enters the room.

Be sure to give exactly two minutes to think and four minutes to respond. Timing is critical. Students responding at the buzzer can finish and be scored. Be certain that the team member places a card in the stack in the center each time he/she gives a response.

You should read and repeat the problem the same way for each team. You may answer questions during the two minutes thinking period, but time continues. After thinking time is over, reset the stopwatch for three minutes.

Examples of common answers (primarily references to famous events or times in an ordinary way):

I would want to live in the 1800s so I could see Queen Victoria.

I would not want to live in America in 1863 because I would not want to fight in the Civil War.

I would like to live in ancient Egypt because I could meet Cleopatra.

Examples of creative answers (primarily references to famous events or time periods in different ways, some humor):

I would want to live in the 1800s because only rich kids had to go to school.

I would not want to live in 1863 America because I look awful in blue and awful in grey.

I would like to live in ancient Egypt because I could wear a lot of eye makeup.

Examples of highly creative answers (primary very creative references, using plays on words, literary references, unusual connections, etc.):

I would want to live in England in the 1800s because life was easier without computers to make our lives easier.

I would not want to live in 1863 America because I like where I live and would not want a Gettysburg Address.

I would like to live in ancient Egypt because I would never have to miss my Mummy.