The University Interscholastic League offers the most comprehensive literary and academic competitive program in the nation.  It offers more than any other UIL division in terms of activities, with 24 individual activities.  More than a half million students participate in UIL academic contests.

These activities, which exist to complement the academic curriculum, are designed to motivate students as they acquire higher levels of knowledge, challenge students to confront issues of importance, and provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate mastery of specific skills.

Academic UIL Code of Conduct

Questions? Please contact: Stacian Roberts 

1. In order to compete for an event, you must come to practices, perform for your coach and have a good attitude.

2. Once you have made a commitment to a team, you need to stick with it. Our coaches and your teams depend on you. Unless you have a circumstance that cannot be avoided, you must participate once you have signed up.

3. Always clean up after yourself. That is in your coaches’ rooms, practice rooms, the stage, and your area during district.

4. Show complete respect to everyone on our UIL team, whether it be a student in your event, in another event, a coach, or yourself. Follow the golden rule and we will all be just fine.

5. Just as in any extracurricular, if you do not pass, then you are not able to compete.

6. We will be wearing a team uniform when we go to district. We will wear a specific Aubrey Middle School T-shirts with jeans. We will be dressed in school appropriate attire at all times. Students doing speaking events will dress up to compete.

Art- Grades 6, 7, and 8
Students will demonstrate an understanding of art history and interpret ideas and moods in original artworks while making informed judgments about the artwork. Part A of the contest requires the contestant to identify the names of 15 selected artists and titles of pictures selected randomly by the director from the official list of 40 pictures. Part B consist of 30 questions about art history and art elements characteristics of the 40 art selections.

Calculator Applications- Grades 6, 7, and 8
This contest is designed to stimulate the development of mathematical and calculator skills. Goals are both intellectual and practical developing mathematical reasoning and knowledge. The contest consists of problems which may include calculations involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, roots, and powers. It also includes straight-forward calculation problems similar to those found in recently adopted textbooks.

Chess Puzzle- Grades 6, 7, and 8
Chess puzzle competition is very different from tournament chess play. Contestants in a chess puzzle contest receive a paper-and-pencil test that includes a series of chess boards with pieces in particular positions. The contestant must then determine the fewest moves to checkmate given that particular board layout. Time is also a factor - contestants are scored based on the most puzzles solved in the least amount of time.

Dictionary Skills- Grades 6, 7, and 8 
Students will develop a thorough knowledge of the dictionary to increase the student’s ability to find information that is needed for class work as well as everyday living. Contestants use dictionaries in the competition, which may be tabbed. Contest questions cover word origins and histories, parts of speech, pronunciation, variant spelling, plurals, alphabetizing and other such elements. Test questions are also taken from charts, tables and lists contained in the dictionary.

Editorial Writing- Grades 7 and 8
Designed to develop the persuasive writing skills of the participants. Students must advocate a specific point-of-view in response to a prompt. The student will have 45 minutes in which to complete their editorials. 

Impromptu Speaking- Grades 7 and 8
Contestants will draw three topics and have three minutes to prepare a speech, which must be presented without any notes. The contest gives participants experience in thinking, organizing, formulating clear thoughts, and delivering those thoughts to an audience effectively.

Listening- Grades 6, 7, and 8
Designed to help the students recognize the importance of effective listening skills and to identify problems they may have in listening effectively. It also provides a challenging format to test the improvement of their abilities.  Through the preparation for the contest, participants will listen actively to a variety of material and learn to analyze and evaluate a speaker's message critically.

Maps, Graphs, and Charts- Grades 6, 7, and 8
Students learn to obtain information from a variety of maps, graphs, and charts including world maps, pie charts, bar graphs and local area maps.  The objective test will measure skills such as using a reference book to locate information, making comparisons, estimating and approximating, using scale and interpreting grid systems, legends and keys.

Mathematics- Grades 6, 7, and 8
This contest includes problems covering, but not limited to numeration systems, arithmetic operations involving whole numbers, integers, fractions, decimals, exponents, order of operations, probability, statistics, number theory, simple interest, measurements and conversions. Geometry and algebra problems may be included as appropriate for the grade level.

Modern Oratory- Grades 7 and 8
Contestants will select one of the topics, determine the critical issues in the topic, and acknowledge both pro and con points citing support discovered in their research. Students will choose a side they will defend and support that side with additional evidence. Along with the skills of analysis, research, note-taking, documentation, evaluation and decision-making come those of delivery and the skill of memorization.

Music Memory- Grade 6, 7, and 8   (7 and 8 Grade are pilot programs this year)
Provides an in-depth study of fine pieces of music literature taken from a wide spectrum of music genres to expose students to great composers, their lives and their music.  

Number Sense- Grades 6, 7, and 8
Students will be given 10 minute, fill-in-the-blank test which they must complete without doing calculations on paper or on a calculator.  Concepts covered include, but are not limited to addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, proportions, and use of mathematical notation.

Oral Reading- Grades 6, 7, and 8
Provides students the opportunity to analyze a piece of literature, grow and develop as a performer, to communicate a message to an audience, and to perform an artistic creation.

Ready Writing- Grades 6, 7, and 8
Contestants are given a choice between two prompts which define the audience, and provides the purpose for writing.  Students should be encouraged to analyze the prompts for the purpose of writing, the format, the audience and the point of view. the format may be, for example, a letter, an article for the newspaper or an essay for the principal. Various writing strategies may be stated or implied in the prompt.

Science- Grades 7 and 8
Emphasis will be placed on knowledge of scientific fact, understanding of scientific principles and the ability to think through scientific problems.  The contest was designed to test not only memory but the ability to critically think about science and scientific processes and concepts.

Social Studies- Grades 6, 7, and 8
Encourages students to expand their knowledge of social studies, particularly in the areas of history, government systems, economics, citizenship and culture.  Students will be tested on their knowledge of state, federal, and world issues of the past.

Spelling- Grades 6, 7, and 8
Designed to give students exposure to a wide variety of vocabulary words. It is not a contest of memorization. For the most educational value, preparation for this contest should include instruction in the rules of the English language, meanings and definitions, and root words. Students will learn to spell proficiently, write clearly and to capitalize words properly.