Elementary Science Olympiad: Scrabble Sprint

Description
Students will identify a science word from given clues and as letters are revealed at random in the word.

Number of Participants / Approximate Time
Up to 2 / 45 minutes

The Competition
1. For each word, boxes corresponding to the number of letters in the science word will be shown on a board or projected onto a screen.
2. A clue describing the science word will be read aloud to all teams.
3. Following the reading of the clue, a letter will be revealed in the word. Teams may attempt to guess the word from the given clue and letter shown.
4. Each team receives only one guess for each word. Teams shall signal to the judges that they have a guess for the word by raising a hand. Judges will collect the team's guess immediately.
5. Additional letters are revealed at 8-10 second intervals until all letters are shown. Teams may attempt to guess the word at any time by signaling to judges (raising a hand) that they have a guess to submit for scoring.
6. Each round will consist of five (5) words. Four (4) to six (6) rounds will be played.

Scoring
1. Teams will receive points for each word correctly identified based on the number of unrevealed letters remaining in the word at the time of the guess. For example, if a team guesses the six-letter word VIOLET after two letters are revealed (V-_-_-_-E-_), the team will be awarded four points for its answer.
2. No points will be deducted for an incorrect guess, however teams receive just one chance to guess per word. It is suggested that teams only submit a guess when they are sure of their answer.
3. All teams are scored independent of one another. Therefore, if Team #1 guesses VIOLET after 2 letters, play will continue for all other teams until a correct guess has been received from all teams or all letters are shown in the word.
4. The team with the most points accumulated during all rounds will be declared the winner. Ties will be broken with a score comparison among tied teams in a predetermined five-word round of play.

Updated for 2012.