Preparation for the zDolny Ślązak contest
The contest runs only in the Dolnośląskie voivodeship, for grades 5–8. Computer science was added to it recently — we are only one edition in.
That makes this a good moment to look at it properly. There is not much material about it yet, and the first edition's problems already show where it is heading.
And it is heading somewhere I know well: it strongly resembles the older editions of OIJ. The same kinds of problems and the same way of thinking, with a gentler entry point.
I think it is an excellent bridge between a student's first steps in programming and OIJ itself. A student who does zDolny Ślązak arrives at OIJ prepared rather than surprised.
It is a regional contest, so I run this preparation remotely.
The route
Each row is a step, in order. Where a row is marked “or”, those are alternatives — pick one. Everything else in a row you do.
- 1
-
2
zDolny Ślązak — stage 1
- 3
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4
zDolny Ślązak — stage 2
- 5
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6
zDolny Ślązak — finals
Explain, demonstrate, then you solve.
I explain the topic and work a few examples through with you. Then the real work: a set of problems, chosen for where you actually are, and I read every solution you send. Approved, sent back with notes, or worked through together — nothing is marked by a machine.
