Welcome Teachers!

About

WAC is an exciting, academic competition that gives students an opportunity to think critically about global development. The program consists of two phases: the research/preparation in the weeks and months leading up to the WAC Event Day, and then the competition/presentation on the day of WAC.

When

  • March 7, 2015 - High School Competition
  • April 11, 2015 - Middle School Competition

Where

Claver Hall, NW corner of Regis University, 3333 Regis Boulevard, Denver, CO 80221.  Directions are here!  Look for Claver Hall just west of 52nd and Lowell.  Free parking will be available in the lot between Lowell Boulevard and Claver Hall.

Structure and Assistance

Checklist items to complete:

Research Materials

Research/preparation phase:  WAC provides means of assistance as your student team researches and prepares for its WAC presentation. 

  1. The 2015 Theme: Global Gender Gap. The theme page explains this year’s question in greater detail.
  2. The NEW! “How to WAC” provides engaging ways for teachers to introduce this year’s theme.
  3. The Teacher Planning Guide includes WAC history and general information, team-building strategy, student preparation suggestions, judging criteria and grading rubrics, and tips for success. Download the Teacher Planning Guide here.
  4. Event Media shows videos and pictures from recent WAC competitions and programming. These provide great insight as to what students might expect on the day of WAC competition/presentation and with the shorter "exchange videos."
  5. Reading lists (Denver Public Library (DPL) Pathfinders), videos, and links throughout to academically superior articles.
  6. Interesting, relevant events and news posted to our Facebook page.
  7. A Program Director, Research Associate and university student and civic Mentors. Once your team is registered, you will be assigned a Mentor to help your students refine their knowledge, research skills, questions, and ideas for presentation. Please contact the Research Associate for more information at [email protected].

Competition/presentation phase:  

  1. The competition begins with your team’s study for and completion of the Global Awareness Quiz. This webpage provides 50 sample questions on this year’s topic, and from this list, 25 questions will be selected and reworded for the quiz. The WAC Program Director will forward to teachers the quiz, instructions, and log-in information two weeks before the WAC competition. This quiz is closed, so no book/note/computer (or any other helpful device) other than your students’ own brilliant minds!  This quiz is due online seven working days before the day of WAC competition/presentation.
  2. Students also give their Formal Presentation twice before two different sets of judges.
  3. After these presentations by each team, students are then distributed across the whole population of WAC participants to conduct on-the-spot problem-solving of a Collaborative Question. These mixed student teams must then put together and present an impromptu CQ presentation to another set of judges.

Quiz Bank-NEW

WAC has developed 50 questions to help address global gender gap, using a mix of middle school and high school research materials. We recommend that students divide up the questions and use this as an opportunity to dive into the Pathfinders and the topic. Answer the following questions regarding the relationship between the gender gap and global development. Our hope is that we have created a quiz focused on concepts in the gender gap areas of political participation, safety/government, health, allies, education, economy/work and more.

Twenty-five of these questions have been selected and reworded for the high school and middle school multiple choice quizzes administered via Edmodo.com. The quiz is due two weeks before the WAC event and will be available online shortly. Links to the quiz will be sent out shortly. Please don’t hesitate to contact us or your mentor if your team needs assistance with any of these questions. Download the quiz bank here. (Added 1/20/15)

Teacher Role

Teachers serve primarily as coaches and facilitators, helping the students prepare for the day. Students should feel free to take the lead as much as they are able and willing, and should be encouraged to take ownership of their own success.

Recruiting a Team

There are three primary ways of recruiting a team:

  1. Incorporate WAC into a course curriculum.
  2. Establish an extracurricular club.
  3. Field a team of interested students.

Teams may consist of up to 8 students. Please see the 2015 Teacher Planning Guide (link above) for more information.

The Theme

Global Gender Gap

Cost

  • Early bird discounts, multi-school discounts, and scholarships are available!
  • International teams, register and pay by January 31, 2015: $200
  • Register and pay by December 31, 2014: $400
  • Register and pay after January 1, 2015: $500
  • 2 schools from same district: Each receives a $25 discount
  • 3-5 schools from same district: Each receives a $75 discount
  • 6 or more schools from same district: Each receives a $125 discount
  • Bring-A-Friend: If a school from a different district registers and names your school as its referral source, then both schools receive a $25 discount.
  • Scholarships to offset part or all of entry fees will be available. To apply click here.

How to Register

Please click here to register. Teams must be registered by January 31, 2015.