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DESCRIPTION OF MATERIALS

ORDER FORM
Download our .pdf order form. Please print, fill out and mail the form to:

The Winners’ Circle 
710 E. 21st 
Cisco TX 76437

Phone:  254-442-4527
Cell: 254-493-2795
FAX: 254-939- 3712
E-mail: connieratt@aol.com

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Study Guides for UIL

For ten years,The Winners' Circle has provided various types of study guides for students competing in the UIL academic contests.  Each year, UIL coaches, academic coordinators, and principals have  acknowledged the effectiveness of the materials by reporting the success of their students and by buying the materials year after year.  Students and coaches  who have yet to try the materials are invited to join The Winners' Circle  and gain the competitive edge for success.

2008 State AA Champions in Literary Criticism
Congratulations to the S&S High School literary criticism team’s excellence in competition.  S&S teams coached by Beth Ferguson have been the AA region II champions for the past eight years and have won four state team championships since 2003.  The Winners’ Circle  is proud to have been a part of their preparation.

4 winners with medals
left to right:  Ashlee Hager, Josie Brasher, Becca Skupin, Katie Skupin

Katie competed at state for the past four years while Josie and Becca competed the last three years.  All are state champions!  This year Katie placed 2nd, Becca placed 4th, and Josie placed 8th.  Their combined scores gave them the team championship.

The four girls credit The Winners’ Circle as instrumental to their success.  Ashley found the poetry study guide helpful. “As a first year lit. critter, I had a hard time seeing meaning in the assigned poems, but the study guides made me insightful.”

Becca also relied on the poetry guide for clarification of meaning and technicalities. “They are helpful because they cover the technical aspects of poetry as well as its meaning.  I especially like the technical info because it lets me concentrate on explanation instead of identification.”

Facts and details in the reading were important to Josie.  “The study questions made me aware of obscure facts that would probably appear on the test.”  

Katie used the study materials for review.  The study guides are a great way to review before the test.  They let you cover a lot of material in a short time.” 

What The Winners' Circle Offers

The Winners' Circle helps students prepare for UIL by offering the following:

  • Study guides for 2008/2009 literary criticism tests include monthly literary criticism practice tests, The Scarlet Letter Study Guide, Poems of W.H. Auden Study Guide, new this year  Understanding Poetry Analysis Study Guide, and The Little Foxes Study Questions.
  • Sets of flash cards for literary criticism are also available.
  • Materials for journalism include November and January prompts and samples for news writing, editorials, features, and headlines. These prompts may be used for study, and in addition, they may be used by those who enter the Writers' Classic Write-in Contest.
  • Ready Writing prompts are mailed monthly.
  • Speech topics practice prompts are mailed monthly.
  • Current Events questions and answers are also mailed monthly.

See our order form for more information.

If you do not receive our mail out that thoroughly explains all materials, e-mail Connie Rattan a connieratt@aol.com.

 

 



Dr. Fred Tarpley and Connie Rattan
Dr. Fred Tarpley, state contest
director, and Connie Rattan at the
UIL/University of Texas Activities
Conference in Austin

Connie Rattan, who retired after 35 years of teaching on both the high school and college levels, is a founder of The Winners' Circle. "My greatest joy in teaching is working with intellectually curious students. I want them to succeed." Contributors to The Winners' Circle are Dr. Cleatus Rattan, MEd, MA, MLA, EdD; Connie Rattan, MA; Brandon Barnes, MA, Matthew Vermillion, MA, PhD (cand.); Marsha Vermillion, BA; and Amber Deal, BA.  All contributors have experience in UIL competition as writers and participants. Geneva Ethridge, a co-founder of The Winners' Circle, retired from all UIL activities with the exception of speaking and debate tournament management, which will be independent of The Winners' Circle.