After a lot of studying my sister has her class spelling bee tomorrow. The top ten students from the fifth grade will advance to the school spelling bee. She is very excited, and she is hardly nervous. Last year at her homeschool spelling bee she placed fourth, but since she is at a new school now she may possibly have a strong chance of winning!
Her goal this year is to advance to the Championship Finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, and I think that is a great ambition! Her friend has already advanced to the school level, but they both want to be co-champions and make it all the way to the National Spelling Bee together!
Another of my friends that I coached won his school spelling bee (I am so glad I coached him!), and he is already advancing to the final level before nationals! Besides spelling he also has to juggle a school play, piano, school, and basketball! Perhaps the 2011 Salt Lake Valley Champion returns, because she is very exciting to watch, and she did great at the Bee last year.
Good luck to everyone competing! The time is here!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
145 Days Until the National Spelling Bee!!!!!!!!!!!/Root Word Study
Guess what? There are only 145 days until the 2012 Scripps National Spelling Bee (May 27-June 2, 2012) at the Gaylord National Hotel! Many classroom, school, and local level bees have already been conducted, and every speller who wins their final local bee (has to win on or after February 1) will be able to compete at the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
My sister has not had her classroom bee yet, but my friend, who also goes to her school, has. She has been studying, and she is very excited to compete this year! I have been coaching both of them and several other young aspiring spellers, and all of them are outstanding at spelling.
In my Honors English Class we just finished reading The Merry Wives of Windsor by William Shakespeare. There were many words from the play that I recognized, but there were also some I did not know.
pribbles
prabbles
sirrah
fico
avaunt
usquebaugh
lascivious
vouchsafe (1973 National Spelling Bee Winning Word)
frampold
larum
polecats
declensions
varlet
daubery
wantonness
Just yesterday in English, we started learning Greek and Latin roots. When we played a game we could figure out the meanings of the words by breaking them down into roots. In my Honors Biology class we were studying roots of words so we can figure out the meanings of the obscure science terms. Since we were studying sugars and enzymes, we learned that if a word has glyc- or gluc- it has to do with sugar (such as glycolysis, glucose) , and if a word ends with -ase (such as lactase) it usually has to do with enzymes (thanks to root word study for the spelling bee that I know these). Diligent root word study will help you immensely
On the weekends (if I have time) I will be posting more tips for the Bees.
Good luck and continue spelling!
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Studying for the School Bee/When Competing in the School Bee
Many of you may already have the Classroom Graded Lists. Unfortunately, I can't post the list, because it is copyrighted, but there is a free list with the words:(http://www.hexco.com/content/National_Spelling_Bee_2011_word%20list.pdf) The first few rounds at the school bee will usually have these words, then there will be off-list words. I stuggest studying the Consolidated Word List (CWL): http://www.spellingbee.com/consolidated-word-list. Some School Bees use Spell It!, which is also listed in the Hexco list above.
If you have not had your classroom bee yet, and your teacher is using words from the Classroom Graded Lists, you cannot ask for the origin, because it is not in the Classroom Pronouncer Guide. If your school uses the School Pronouncer Guide, which draws words from the Classroom Graded Lists and Webster's Third, you can ask for the origin. I do not have these lists, but the teachers and principal knew told us what we could ask.
You may know a specific root/combining form, but these questions are only entertained at the national level of the competition. A wrong answer can mislead the you. Study etymology patterns and their exceptions, and pay attention to the definitions of the words. For example, if you receive the word cytology, and you hear cell in the definition, you know the first four letters are c-y-t-o, and not s-i-t-o, c-i-t-o, s-y-t-o, etc.
The school spelling bee is not as nerve-racking as the National Spelling Bee. The school bee may be a little nerve-racking for spellers who have made it to nationals before or have been very close, because it is one wrong letter, and it is over. Although I am someone who is comfortable on stage, I only remember being nervous once, and I misspelled a word I knew (It was not my final Bee, although). You have to have confidence to stand up on the stage. Close your eyes if you need to, so you can concentrate on the word. Think of all the possible spellings of a word if you don't know it and choose the best one.
More Advice: Make sure the pronouncer pronounces the word correctly, and you pronounce it correctly back to him/her. Ask these questions, "Is the word pronounced correctly?" and "Am I saying this correctly?"
Good luck, and continue studying!
If you have not had your classroom bee yet, and your teacher is using words from the Classroom Graded Lists, you cannot ask for the origin, because it is not in the Classroom Pronouncer Guide. If your school uses the School Pronouncer Guide, which draws words from the Classroom Graded Lists and Webster's Third, you can ask for the origin. I do not have these lists, but the teachers and principal knew told us what we could ask.
You may know a specific root/combining form, but these questions are only entertained at the national level of the competition. A wrong answer can mislead the you. Study etymology patterns and their exceptions, and pay attention to the definitions of the words. For example, if you receive the word cytology, and you hear cell in the definition, you know the first four letters are c-y-t-o, and not s-i-t-o, c-i-t-o, s-y-t-o, etc.
The school spelling bee is not as nerve-racking as the National Spelling Bee. The school bee may be a little nerve-racking for spellers who have made it to nationals before or have been very close, because it is one wrong letter, and it is over. Although I am someone who is comfortable on stage, I only remember being nervous once, and I misspelled a word I knew (It was not my final Bee, although). You have to have confidence to stand up on the stage. Close your eyes if you need to, so you can concentrate on the word. Think of all the possible spellings of a word if you don't know it and choose the best one.
More Advice: Make sure the pronouncer pronounces the word correctly, and you pronounce it correctly back to him/her. Ask these questions, "Is the word pronounced correctly?" and "Am I saying this correctly?"
Good luck, and continue studying!
Monday, December 19, 2011
It's Time to Continue Studying (Even if Many Have Been Studying for a While)
Since my friend advanced to the school bee she has been studying with vigor. She wants to do very well in the entire contest, even if it is not the semifinals of the National Spelling Bee. I told her that making it to semifinals is probably the most difficult part of the Bee, because of the Round 1 test. She reads a lot in her spare time, and that is where a lot of words in the Round 1 test are drawn from (epilepsy, tutelage, electromagnetic, and others).
My sister is also studying for the Bee, and she wants to advanced to the championship finals of the Bee. This is a problem, because my friend and sister both go to the same school. The only way they can both make it to the national level is by being co-champions at the school and local level. My sister has four years, while my friend has three years, so they are still pretty young.
This brings me to my friend's sister who is only eight and in the third grade (she's too young, unfortunately). She can already spell words such as xanthosis, huapango, logorrhea, devoir, and a lot of other words. Her favorite word is kwashiorkor.
Continue studying spellers, and I hope to see you all next year at the National Spelling Bee!
My sister is also studying for the Bee, and she wants to advanced to the championship finals of the Bee. This is a problem, because my friend and sister both go to the same school. The only way they can both make it to the national level is by being co-champions at the school and local level. My sister has four years, while my friend has three years, so they are still pretty young.
This brings me to my friend's sister who is only eight and in the third grade (she's too young, unfortunately). She can already spell words such as xanthosis, huapango, logorrhea, devoir, and a lot of other words. Her favorite word is kwashiorkor.
Continue studying spellers, and I hope to see you all next year at the National Spelling Bee!
Friday, December 16, 2011
Late Registration Deadline Ends Today
If you want to make it to the Scripps National Spelling Bee make sure your school is signed up. Check to see if your school is enrolled for the 2012 Bee: https://secure.spellingbee.com/enrollment/check. If not, you may want to contact your school RIGHT NOW and sign your school up for the Scripps National Spelling Bee program If your school is enrolled it will be highlighted in green.
This year will be very exciting, so good luck to you all!
This year will be very exciting, so good luck to you all!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Science-Related Terms/Science Fair
Here are some science-related terms:
phthisis
electromagnetic
apparatus
anthropometry
lumbago
clavicle
photosynthesis
adenosine
polysaccharide
fibromyalgia
resonance
decibel
The reason why I have not been posting a lot lately, because I have been very busy working on homework, but mostly my science fair project. I did my project on wood soundboard resonance. I had to find out which wood made the most resonant soundboard using what I had. I used a music box, a sound meter, and different types of wood. The category this went into was Physics (not my favorite, but very challenging). It seems as if I have gone from the Spelling Bee to the Science Fair.
I will try to post more often from now on!
Good luck spellers!
phthisis
electromagnetic
apparatus
anthropometry
lumbago
clavicle
photosynthesis
adenosine
polysaccharide
fibromyalgia
resonance
decibel
The reason why I have not been posting a lot lately, because I have been very busy working on homework, but mostly my science fair project. I did my project on wood soundboard resonance. I had to find out which wood made the most resonant soundboard using what I had. I used a music box, a sound meter, and different types of wood. The category this went into was Physics (not my favorite, but very challenging). It seems as if I have gone from the Spelling Bee to the Science Fair.
I will try to post more often from now on!
Good luck spellers!
Deadline for Late Enrollment Coming Up!/Classroom and School Bees
Make sure your school is enrolled by December 16, because that is when the late enrollment closes. To see if your school is enrolled click on the link and type in your school's zipcode: https://secure.spellingbee.com/enrollment/check%20If If your school is not enrolled yet talk to your principal or one of your teachers (most likely your English teacher).
Many classroom and school bees have been conducted already. My friend just had her classroom bee yesterday, and she made it to the school level (in fourth and fifth grade she placed very high at the school level). This year she is determined to make it to regionals then perhaps nationals. She has 2012-2014 to try to win the Bee.
My sister's class bee will be in early January, then the 4th, 5th, and 6th graders will compete about a week later. My sister wants to make it to nationals and advance to the championship finals. She has 2012-2015 to try to win.
As for my other friends from other schools, their classroom and school Bees are not going to be conducted until January, but I still wish them the best of luck!
Many classroom and school bees have been conducted already. My friend just had her classroom bee yesterday, and she made it to the school level (in fourth and fifth grade she placed very high at the school level). This year she is determined to make it to regionals then perhaps nationals. She has 2012-2014 to try to win the Bee.
My sister's class bee will be in early January, then the 4th, 5th, and 6th graders will compete about a week later. My sister wants to make it to nationals and advance to the championship finals. She has 2012-2015 to try to win.
As for my other friends from other schools, their classroom and school Bees are not going to be conducted until January, but I still wish them the best of luck!
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