At the Bee, there are several music terms. If you play an instrument, you may recognize a lot of the terms. Playing the flute, violin, piano, and singing, I have learned a lot of new words.
In Suzuki Flute School Volume 5, the 2005 National Spelling Bee winning word is in that book. Appoggiatura is the word, but it was unfortunately misspelled as appogiatura (it's spelled correctly in Volume 6). I have also learned siciliano, forzato, scherzo, gavotte, concerto, ecossaise, passacaglia, and a lot more terms.
Words are all around us, not just music. Maybe your next spelling bee word will be the name of a street you went through, or a song that you learned in music lessons. It might be one of the words from your language class. Who knows what it will be? Be prepared no matter what!
Do you have any interesting words to share from books, music, or anywhere else? Comment below!
Good luck and continue spelling!
Friday, June 24, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Who is Studying For the 2012 National Spelling Bee?
Since the 2011 National Spelling Bee is over, is there anyone who has started studying for next year? Even if I am not competing, I am continuing my streak of not missing a day of studying, which began in 2005. I say that even if you are coaching someone else, you are still studying. I probably am going to keep that streak, until the end of eleventh grade, or maybe even twelfth grade.
Have any of you spellers never miss a day of studying since you started competing? I know there are several who have, and even started studying before they started competing!
If you are too old to compete now, and you competed before, think about all the memories you had about the Bee. I hope that the Bee will be extended throughout high school. So many spellers miss it so much, but I hope my sister makes it next year! For all the spellers who aspire to make it to nationals, and/or really want to go back, I hope you all make it!
Next year, we hope to see two five-peats: Nicholas Rushlow and Rahul Malayappan. They were both four-peats this year. I was upset that Rahul and another four-peat, Julianna Canabal-Rodriguez, did not advance to semifinals this year. Last year, Rahul tied for 33rd, while Julianna tied for ninth.
Besides Nicholas and Rahul, there are a lot of other spellers going for the championship next year, such as Arvind Mahankali, Sriram Hathwar, Dhivya Murugan, Veronica Penny, Nabeel Rahman, and Samuel Estep. If Arvind returns next year, he will be the highest returning finisher as a seventh grader! That hasn't happened since 2005-2006 (Samir Patel).
Did you know that Kerry Close (2006) is the only five-peat to win nationals? Samir Patel would have been second, he was eliminated in Round 5 in 2007. In 2008, Matthew Evans and Tia Thomas were the five-peats. Tia placed third, and Matthew tied for 17th. If Nicholas Rushlow or Rahul Malayappan win next year, one of those will be the second five-peat to win.
Good luck, and continue studying!
Have any of you spellers never miss a day of studying since you started competing? I know there are several who have, and even started studying before they started competing!
If you are too old to compete now, and you competed before, think about all the memories you had about the Bee. I hope that the Bee will be extended throughout high school. So many spellers miss it so much, but I hope my sister makes it next year! For all the spellers who aspire to make it to nationals, and/or really want to go back, I hope you all make it!
Next year, we hope to see two five-peats: Nicholas Rushlow and Rahul Malayappan. They were both four-peats this year. I was upset that Rahul and another four-peat, Julianna Canabal-Rodriguez, did not advance to semifinals this year. Last year, Rahul tied for 33rd, while Julianna tied for ninth.
Besides Nicholas and Rahul, there are a lot of other spellers going for the championship next year, such as Arvind Mahankali, Sriram Hathwar, Dhivya Murugan, Veronica Penny, Nabeel Rahman, and Samuel Estep. If Arvind returns next year, he will be the highest returning finisher as a seventh grader! That hasn't happened since 2005-2006 (Samir Patel).
Did you know that Kerry Close (2006) is the only five-peat to win nationals? Samir Patel would have been second, he was eliminated in Round 5 in 2007. In 2008, Matthew Evans and Tia Thomas were the five-peats. Tia placed third, and Matthew tied for 17th. If Nicholas Rushlow or Rahul Malayappan win next year, one of those will be the second five-peat to win.
Good luck, and continue studying!
Happy Father's Day! (Spellers whose Dads are Their Coaches, say Thank You to Them!)
Since today is Father's Day, here are some words for today!
pa
papa
pappy
begetter
forebearer
love
Those words may seem very simple, but they mean a lot!
My dad is my spelling bee coach, and I thank him for helping me!
pa
papa
pappy
begetter
forebearer
love
Those words may seem very simple, but they mean a lot!
My dad is my spelling bee coach, and I thank him for helping me!
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Knowing Languages Pays Off
Many spellers at the National Spelling Bee speak other languages besides English. They speak French, German, Tagalog, Spanish, Romanian, Russian, Italian, and a lot other languages. I know French, German, Spanish, although I am only conversational in all of them. I only know how to say eat and light in Tagalog. Perhaps in a few years, I will be fluent in at least one of them.
I will admit that I used to highly dislike French. The rules were annoying to me. The long "A" sound can be spelled with é, ée, et, ez, er, and probably many other ways. At least that one did not annoy me as much as the long "O" sound. Those words can be spelled with ot, eau, eaux, maybe just o, and a lot of different ways as well. When it comes to the long "O" words, and the word is a singular noun, ot and eau are in my mind. Take the word rougeot for example. The word is a singular noun, but it can be misspelled as rougeau.
At least French is not really confusing to me anymore.
I have mentioned this several times, but a speller named Anna-Marie Sprenger knows so many languages. She only studied the Spell It! booklet one night before the Bee. Since she knows languages so well, she used roots she knew from each origin. This was her first year in the Bee, too, and I was very impressed. She is fluent in French and Romanian, and if she was given a Romanian word, she most likely would have spelled it correctly. Romanian is a rare language used in the Bee.
If there are language classes at your school, take at least one of them. It may pay off!
I will admit that I used to highly dislike French. The rules were annoying to me. The long "A" sound can be spelled with é, ée, et, ez, er, and probably many other ways. At least that one did not annoy me as much as the long "O" sound. Those words can be spelled with ot, eau, eaux, maybe just o, and a lot of different ways as well. When it comes to the long "O" words, and the word is a singular noun, ot and eau are in my mind. Take the word rougeot for example. The word is a singular noun, but it can be misspelled as rougeau.
At least French is not really confusing to me anymore.
I have mentioned this several times, but a speller named Anna-Marie Sprenger knows so many languages. She only studied the Spell It! booklet one night before the Bee. Since she knows languages so well, she used roots she knew from each origin. This was her first year in the Bee, too, and I was very impressed. She is fluent in French and Romanian, and if she was given a Romanian word, she most likely would have spelled it correctly. Romanian is a rare language used in the Bee.
If there are language classes at your school, take at least one of them. It may pay off!
Friday, June 17, 2011
Spelling Bee Champ Competed in National History Day
Someone, named Alison Armentrout, does digital public affairs at Edelman, a communications firm in Washington D.C., where one of her clients is with National History Day (NHD), told me to share a video about former speller, Tony Incorvati of Ohio. NHD is a year-long academic program focused on grades 6-12 that works with both students and teachers to improve the teaching and learning of history. Tony competed in the 2008, 2009, and 2011 National Spelling Bees.
Tony said the national competitions, such as the National History Day competition, have widened his horizons. "These have gotten me accustomed to a wider level of competition and helped me make friends outside my school," Tony said.
To learn more about this contest, click on the link:
http://nationalhistoryday.org/
To view the video interview with Tony Incorvati, please click on the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IN1bEEivMwI
Tony is also one of the spellers who encouraged me to continue on in the Bee. Thank you so much to you and Nicholas Rushlow!
http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wunderkind/2151/
Tony said the national competitions, such as the National History Day competition, have widened his horizons. "These have gotten me accustomed to a wider level of competition and helped me make friends outside my school," Tony said.
To learn more about this contest, click on the link:
http://nationalhistoryday.org/
To view the video interview with Tony Incorvati, please click on the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IN1bEEivMwI
Tony is also one of the spellers who encouraged me to continue on in the Bee. Thank you so much to you and Nicholas Rushlow!
http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wunderkind/2151/
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Utah at the National Spelling Bee
There were four Utahns who made it to the National Spelling Bee. They all did well, and this is the best Utah has done, ever. I do not count 2001, because there was no written test then. Anna-Marie Sprenger of Provo, Utah, advanced to semifinals, but was unfortunately eliminated in Round 5 after misspelling privatim as privatum. All the Utahns impressed me this year, even if Matthew Perry misspelled keest as kiest. Even if I knew the word, I thought Matthew took a pretty good guess.
I was upset that Vismaya Kharkar did not make it to semifinals. This year, she did amazing at the Salt Lake Valley Spelling Bee, but it was hard to make it to semifinals this year. Spellers had to get a minimum of 29 points, unlike last year when spellers could have a minimum of 27 or 28 points. Nine more could have made it to semifinals if the minimum was lowered. In 2007, spellers needed to spell at least 18 words, correctly on the written test.
I though Jared Ward did amazing, too. He would take his time to think about the word, while he was up at the microphone. I had a feeling that he knew Ulyssean and echolalia, but he wanted to make sure that he had the right letters. When he was at the microphone, he reminded me of Veronica Penny. Veronica really takes all the time she needs at the microphone.
Back to Vismaya. When I heard maillot, I knew she had it! That word is in How to Spell Like a Champ, and she told me that she has the book.
Anna-Marie was one of the spellers who was impressive to watch. When she heard persillade and zucchini, she knew the etymologies right away. She did not hesitate on any word at all. During semifinals, she would ask for all the information, then say, "I think I got this!". She was a quick thinker, and never had the clock run low on her. If she was thrown a lot French, German, Romanian, and Spanish words, she would have probably won. Anna-Marie, you really showed what Utah can do at the National Spelling Bee! I wish you had a few more years of eligibility!
I was not just proud of Utah this year, but all the spellers. They were really focused this year, unlike last year, when a lot of words from Spell It! were misspelled. To me, the words seem to get easier every year. This year, no speller seemed nervous. Perhaps there were some, but it did not show.
I am proud of all the millions of spellers every year, who try to aim for the Scripps National Spelling Bee title. This is the longest-running educational program! I hope the Bee is extended throughout high school, because I want more students to compete. It hurts that the Bee is only until eighth grade. Good to every speller to every speller who will be competing in the future. Treasure every moment of the Bee!
I was upset that Vismaya Kharkar did not make it to semifinals. This year, she did amazing at the Salt Lake Valley Spelling Bee, but it was hard to make it to semifinals this year. Spellers had to get a minimum of 29 points, unlike last year when spellers could have a minimum of 27 or 28 points. Nine more could have made it to semifinals if the minimum was lowered. In 2007, spellers needed to spell at least 18 words, correctly on the written test.
I though Jared Ward did amazing, too. He would take his time to think about the word, while he was up at the microphone. I had a feeling that he knew Ulyssean and echolalia, but he wanted to make sure that he had the right letters. When he was at the microphone, he reminded me of Veronica Penny. Veronica really takes all the time she needs at the microphone.
Back to Vismaya. When I heard maillot, I knew she had it! That word is in How to Spell Like a Champ, and she told me that she has the book.
Anna-Marie was one of the spellers who was impressive to watch. When she heard persillade and zucchini, she knew the etymologies right away. She did not hesitate on any word at all. During semifinals, she would ask for all the information, then say, "I think I got this!". She was a quick thinker, and never had the clock run low on her. If she was thrown a lot French, German, Romanian, and Spanish words, she would have probably won. Anna-Marie, you really showed what Utah can do at the National Spelling Bee! I wish you had a few more years of eligibility!
I was not just proud of Utah this year, but all the spellers. They were really focused this year, unlike last year, when a lot of words from Spell It! were misspelled. To me, the words seem to get easier every year. This year, no speller seemed nervous. Perhaps there were some, but it did not show.
I am proud of all the millions of spellers every year, who try to aim for the Scripps National Spelling Bee title. This is the longest-running educational program! I hope the Bee is extended throughout high school, because I want more students to compete. It hurts that the Bee is only until eighth grade. Good to every speller to every speller who will be competing in the future. Treasure every moment of the Bee!
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Spelling Bee Studies
Spelling Bee studies are going great! I am still studying no matter what, because I love words and they will stay with me my whole life. I do not know how life would be like if I had never become interested in the spelling bee. My sister has been studying, too, and whenever she studies the Scripps Bee DS Game, she is hooked for hours. She said that by the end of the summer she hopes to be on the Ultimate level, which is the level with words at nationals. Right now she is on the Champion level.
If you win the National Spelling Bee, all the time you used to study was worth it all. It does not matter how long you have studied, even if you studied for six straight years. If you do not win ever, think of everything you did every year at the Bee. When I misspelled my final word at the spelling bee, I saw memories of the Bee and all my friends who would be disappointed. If the spelling bee gets extended throughout high school, I will continue studying. If I had made it to nationals from 2007-2011, leaving friends would probably be the hardest part of the Bee.
I am grateful that the Bee is open to the public now. So much has changed this year, that I thought it was magical. I badly want my sister to make it to nationals next year! I have seen so many photos of the Gaylord National Hotel, and they are all gorgeous.
Good luck to all the spellers, in advance! I will really miss the Bee, even if I have said this over a hundred times. I spent so many years of my life preparing for the spelling bee.
If you win the National Spelling Bee, all the time you used to study was worth it all. It does not matter how long you have studied, even if you studied for six straight years. If you do not win ever, think of everything you did every year at the Bee. When I misspelled my final word at the spelling bee, I saw memories of the Bee and all my friends who would be disappointed. If the spelling bee gets extended throughout high school, I will continue studying. If I had made it to nationals from 2007-2011, leaving friends would probably be the hardest part of the Bee.
I am grateful that the Bee is open to the public now. So much has changed this year, that I thought it was magical. I badly want my sister to make it to nationals next year! I have seen so many photos of the Gaylord National Hotel, and they are all gorgeous.
Good luck to all the spellers, in advance! I will really miss the Bee, even if I have said this over a hundred times. I spent so many years of my life preparing for the spelling bee.
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