THE M. H. RUSSELL CENTER FOR
ECONOMIC EDUCATION

ECONOMICS FAIR

The M. H. Russell Center for Economic Education is sponsoring the 16th annual Economics Fair on the campus of Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas for all Arkansas schools. The fair will be on Saturday, April 25, from 8:00 a.m. until approximately 2:00 p.m. Students will participate in five events: display, testing, product, t-shirt design and relay race. Prizes are awarded at each grade level for all events. All students receive a t-shirt and participation ribbon.

Motivate, Interest, Energize
Your Students!!
Bring them to Arkansas' Annual
Statewide Economics Fair

Saturday, April 25, 2009
HENDERSON STATE UNIVERSITY
Arkadelphia, Arkansas

There's nothing like a little competition to get your students fired up. Have fun as you prepare your students to enter Arkansas's 16th annual Economics Fair.

WHO can participate? Teams of four students from 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th,7th and 8th grade classrooms in Arkansas. Participating classroom teachers must attend.Teachers serve as guides for their teams. If a teacher has more than one class and/or more than one team, parents can be recruited as guides.

WHAT is it all about? Students will engage in various competitive activities, competing within their own grade level - 3rd graders will compete with other 3rd graders, etc.

HOW TO REGISTER? Complete the registration form and submit by April 1, 2009.

AREAS OF COMPETITION

1. STUDENT ECONOMICS QUIZ (preparation needed)

Do your students understand basic (elementary) economic concepts? Four of your team members will individually take an economics quiz. From those four scores, the team's average score will be determined. Teams with highest scores will be declared winners in the testing competition.

2.PRODUCE A PRODUCT

How creative are your students? Each team will be given a bag of identical resources which have not been previously disclosed. They will be instructed to "create a product" from those resources. Teams will then go before a panel of judges and name their product, its price, and what is does/how it is used.

3. DESIGN A LOGO FOR A T-SHIRT

Each student team will design an economics logo. Teams will be given identical "art" resources. Each will design a "logo" which they will present to a panel of judges. First place winners from each grade will compete for OVERALL WINNER. The overall winning team's logo will then be placed on the T-shirts for the year 2010.

4. DISPLAY PROJECT (prior preparation needed)

Student team members will bring to the Fair a three-sided display which describes the economic activities completed in their classroom or describe some economic concepts they have learned in their elementary class. It is a classroom constructed "visual" that illustrates a classroom's economics project or economic learning/activities. Team members will present their display to judges, during which time one student will give a one-minute presentation, then judges will ask four questions (one per team member) related to the display project. MAXIMUM Shape/Size: Three panels, free-standing with the following dimensions: WIDTH: back panel, 48inches; two side panels, 30inches each. HEIGHT: Table top display, 48 inches. Note: A regular-size three-sided display board is very much acceptable.

***Be sure to get to the Fair early to allow time to set up your display.***

5. ECONOMICS FUN RUN: This activity, a "favorite" among participating teams, will help students become excited about ECONOMICS. This is a relay race where one team member will run to a designated location, answer an economics question, then "hand-off" to another team member who will run to another station, etc. There will be four stations, so four team members will participate. Competition is based on speed and the number of correct answers.

MARKETPLACE (Optional)
A "Marketplace" will be provided for those who wish to bring/sell student produced items from economic projects. We will provide the space, you must bring a table, your products, an adult to supervise (this is a good place to use parents), and plenty of change. Students who are not competing may be used for the marketplace.

GRAND FINALE' - Awards Ceremony
All grades come together for an exciting climax to the day's events. For teams from each grade level, the following awards will be given: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place ribbons for each grade level team in each area of competition and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place for overall winners in each grade level team (highest total score for grade). An overall logo winner from all grades will also be chosen.

A DAY OF FUN! What Will It Cost?

Student entry fee, $10.00 per student. If you are bringing one team, your cost would be $40. Some teachers seek "creative" ways of raising these funds (for example, ask your school district to pay, ask a bank to sponsor your group, ask parents to pay, etc.)

Activities of the Day:

Registration 8:00 - 9:00 a.m.
Economics Competition 9:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Economics Fun Run 11:30 - 12:15 p.m.
Lunch 12:15 - 1:00 p.m.
Awards Ceremony 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.

Parents/Visitors. Parents are welcome to watch the Fun Run, eat lunch with the students (bring lunch or purchase; see "Lunch"), and attend the Awards Ceremony.

Registration. Fill out and return the registration form at ASAP. Get your registration in early. Be sure to fill out the form completely including t-shirt orders for parent or teachers, orders for sack lunches and a check or money order. Deadline for registration is April 1, 2009.

T-Shirts. Entry fees will cover the cost of T-Shirts for team members and alternates. ANYONE (teachers, parents, etc.) can purchase a T-Shirt for $8.00 each in size ADULT - S, M, L, XL, XXL.
Order Deadline - April 1, 2009 ***Place your orders now!***

Lunch. The menu includes hamburgers, hot dogs, baked beans, chips, a dessert & a soft drink. Since time will not allow off- campus dining, each student must either bring a sack lunch or purchase one with your registration at a cost of $5.00.

Questions?? Call Celya Taylor, Director, M. H. Russell Center for Economic Education, Henderson State University, Arkadelphia, Arkansas, 870-230-5232 or FAX - 870-230-5029. E-mail: taylorc@hsu.edu.

Special Note. Teachers, be sure and allow enough time to set up the display before 9:00. Students must be ready to begin in their scheduled event at 9:00 or miss the chance to compete in that event.

Judging Criteria For Areas of Competition
Entries are rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being Excellent and 1 being Poor.
The categories are listed below.

LOGO

Clarity/Impact
Eye Appeal
Appropriate Size
Use of Color or Black & White
Level of Creativity
Use of Typography
"Economics Fair 2010" appears in a prominent position
Non-gendered (suitable for male or female)
Overall Effect

CREATE-A-PRODUCT

Product

Name
Originality/Creativity
Functional

Basis of a good advertisement. What's for sale (name)? Why buy this product? Where to buy...What it is or does.
Develops a want or need for the product.
Presentation