FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHAT IS THE CURRENT EVENTS CHALLENGE?
The Current Events Challenge is a current events quiz aimed at New Zealand students from Year 5 through to Year 8.
The challenge is organised by the Kiwi Kids News website, which is a news website aimed primarily for New Zealand students. The website has been running for two years and aims to be a safe and valuable resource for New Zealand schools. This year is the second year that the Current Events Challenge has been held. In 2011 we had over 7000 students take part.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
There is a Year 5/6 challenge and a Year 7/8 challenge with questions appropriate to each age group.
Children take part in 8 current events challenges spread evenly throughout the year. Each challenge has 30 questions with students given 15 minutes to answer. They do the problems individually but they can share their answers as a class afterwards.
WHAT IS THE SUPER QUIZ?
In 2012 we are offering a 'Super Quiz' during the final set of questions. This will be open to any student who has taken part in the challenge although the difficulty of the questions will be harder so it will appeal to more able students. The 'Super Quiz' will include 100 questions and cover current events from the entire year.
Schools will have the choice of doing the test online or on paper. Teachers will be required to mark their own students tests (if they do the written test) and we would ask that each school send back to Kiwi kids News the names and test papers of their top 3 results. Online tests will be marked automatically.
We will then collate and announce an overall New Zealand winner for Year 5/6 and Year 7/8.Prizes will be awarded to the top students in each age group.
HOW ARE QUESTIONS CHOSEN?
The 30 questions are based on current events that have occurred since the last test. This usually means that questions are based on events in the last 6 weeks. Questions are grouped in National, World, Sport with each section having a mixture of question difficulty.
WHAT MUST THE TEACHER DO?
For each of the 8 challenges the questions are emailed to teachers about 3 or 4 days prior to the test date. Schools have to photocopy (or otherwise make available) sufficient copies of the problem sheet for the participants from your school. Teachers then administer the challenge on the day specified (or as near as possible).
You must mark the pupil responses and record the results as you see fit. We provide each school with an Excel recording sheet which automatically calculates students overall progress.
We also provide a PowerPoint (via internet link) that can assist teachers in administering the test. The PowerPoint makes an excellent way for classes to mark the test in a learning environment.
WHAT ARE THE PRIZES FOR THE 2012 CHALLENGE?
This year we are offering Fujifilm FinePix C25 Digital Cameras to the top performing Year 5/6 and 7/8 students in the ‘Super Challenge’.
We have two cameras to give away. If we have a large number of students with equal scores in the ‘Super Challenge’, then names will be drawn out of a hat.
We are also offering three $50 book vouchers to schools that sign up for the 2012 Current Event Challenge. All you need to do is register your school and you will automatically go in the draw to win one of these vouchers.
HOW DOES YOUR SCHOOL BENEFIT?
We provide each school with Excellence, Merit and Participation certificates for each child. According to the number of people registered Kiwi Kids News provides your school with 10% certificates of excellence, 20% certificates of merit and the final 70% are participation certificates. It is up to the school to give these out as they see fit.
WHEN IS THE CURRENT EVENT CHALLENGE HELD?
There are 8 separate challenges spread throughout the year. In 2012 the first set of questions is in March and then the remaining challenges are spaced evenly throughout the year. This year’s administration days can be found below.
However, there is some flexibility in these dates and no school is precluded from entry on account of the timing.
Quiz 1 - 8 March
Quiz 2 - 4 April
Quiz 3 - 24 May
Quiz 4 - 28 June
Quiz 5 - 16 August
Quiz 6 - 27 September
Quiz 7 - 1 November
Quiz 8 - 29 November
Super Quiz - Quiz 8 will also include the 'Super Quiz' which is for those students wanting to enter the Kiwi Kids News National competition.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
The entry fee consists of $20 per school plus $5 per class.
Schools that sign up for the 2012 Current Events Challenge also receive a 5% discount on all purchases from the Kiwi Kids Bookstore this year.
