Registration

Registration is open until Friday, April 14th, and is $20 per child. Please fill out one form per child if you are registering multiple children. There is assistance available for those that are unable to pay for registration: please contact spellingbee@stocklmeirpta.org.

Theme

In line with the Panda Promise and our focus on kindness and community, this year’s Spelling Bee theme is: 

SOCIAL EMOTIONAL AWARENESS. 

We will be emphasizing words that give children awareness and access to a variety of feeling words, both from the Scripps Spelling Bee Word of Champions 2020, and the Feelings Inventory from the Center for Nonviolent Communication.

Word List and Preparation

We will be selecting grade-specific words for the Spelling Bee from two word lists: 

1. Scripps Spelling Bee Words of Champions from 2020. We are leveraging curated, grade-appropriate lists created by the Scripps organization for use in their National Spelling Bee competition.  Participants in TK - Grade 2 should refer to the One Bee level words, while Grades 3 - 5 should reference the Two Bee level words.

2. The Feelings Inventory from the Center for Nonviolent Communication.  In alignment with our theme, we will be leveraging feelings words from the Center for Nonviolent Communication to help build our children’s social and emotional vocabulary.

While the Scripps list is exhaustive, we will be mostly selecting words from the following subset of grade specific word lists we prepared based on the above two lists. 

Grade specific word study lists

Grades TK and K (250 words)

Grade 1 (300 words)

Grade 2 (350 words)

Grade 3 (400 words)

Grade 4 (450 words)

Grade 5 (500 words)

You will notice the lists have three sections. Within each section, the word complexity roughly increases from left to right.

1. Words selected from the feelings inventory. We want to prioritize these words in alignment with the theme.

2. Words selected from the school spelling bee study list. The first two rounds will utilize words from this list.

3. Words selected from the words of the champions. These are more complex and will be utilized for later rounds.

IMPORTANT: Please note that in later rounds, depending on the skill of the participants, we may select words outside of the grade specific lists provided. The words outside the lists will still come from Scripps Spelling Bee Words of Champions from 2020.

Spelling Bee Rules

Students will be organized into groups by grade, TK - 5, with participants engaging in the spelling bee alongside students in their own grade (there will be no competition across grades).

Following a traditional spelling bee format, the Stocklmeir Spelling Bee will be conducted in rounds by grade. Only students that are able to spell the word they are given correctly will move on to the next round.

The first 2 rounds for each grade will utilize words from the School Spelling Bee Study List. Subsequent rounds will utilize the Words of Champions and the Feelings Inventory from the Center for Nonviolent Communication (see: Word Lists and Preparation section above).  We anticipate that there will be 3 - 5 rounds for the younger grades and 8 - 10 rounds for the older grades (subject to change, based on number and skill of participants!).  If there are still multiple participants at the end of the 10th round, the spelling bee will be deemed a tie and all of the remaining participants will be named winners.

At the beginning of each turn, a Pronouncer will read a word, its definition, and its part of speech to the participant, and ask them to spell the word. The participant will have up to 60 seconds to spell the word correctly in order to move on to the next round. The participant can ask the Pronouncer to say the word again, and/or define it up to 2 more times during their 60 second turn. If they run out of time or spell the word incorrectly, the participant will not move on to the next round.

At the end of the spelling bee, we will award a trophy to the first prize winner by grade. Every participant will get a participation certificate. The first-place winners will get personalized trophies 2-3 weeks following the Bee.

NOTE: Updated time limit from 90 seconds to 60 seconds given the # of participants and limited time for contest.

FAQ

Q. What prizes are given to kids on the day?

A. Every participant will get a participation certificate. The first place winners will get personalized trophies 2-3 weeks following the Bee. 

Q. Are there any books kids can read to learn the words in context?

A. Please see the book recommendations from the 2020 Great Words, Great Works list. These will cover the words from the Scripps list. Read the One Bee list for Grades TK-2 and the Two Bee list for Grades 3 -5.

Q. Which dictionary can we use to learn definitions and pronunciations of words?

A. You can use the online Merriam Webster dictionary. https://www.merriam-webster.com/

Q. My child is not able to participate anymore. Can I get a refund?

A. The registration fee is a donation towards Stocklmeir PTA. Unless, you really want to, we hope you can let the payment be a donation which supports everything PTA is able to do towards our school including the Spelling Bee. Please reach out to spellingbee@stocklmeirpta.org for further questions. 

Q. What advice is available to prepare?

A. We've asked ChatGPT and the answer we got was pretty comprehensive

Preparing for a spelling bee can be a challenging task, but with dedication and the right strategies, you can improve your spelling skills and increase your chances of success. Here are some tips that can help you prepare for a spelling bee:

• Start by studying the rules: Make sure you understand the rules of the spelling bee, including how words will be presented, what language they will be in, and what happens in case of a tiebreaker.

• Build your vocabulary: Spend time learning new words and their definitions. Use online resources, word lists, and a dictionary to help you with this.

• Practice spelling: Regularly practice spelling words, and ask someone to test you. Start with easy words and gradually work your way up to more difficult ones.

• Use mnemonics: Create mnemonic devices to help you remember the spelling of difficult words. For example, you can remember the spelling of "accommodate" by saying "Two Cs and two Ms."

• Focus on spelling patterns: Many English words follow certain spelling patterns. Learn these patterns and how to apply them to different words.

• Get familiar with the origins of words: Many words in English come from other languages. Understanding the origins of words can help you with spelling and pronunciation.

• Stay calm: During the spelling bee, try to stay calm and focused. Take deep breaths, visualize yourself succeeding, and take your time when spelling each word.

By following these tips and staying consistent in your practice, you can improve your spelling skills and increase your chances of success in a spelling bee. Good luck!