home

You can practice []


 * Test yourself to determine what to study. Get lists of likely spelling contest words, try to spell them all and then study what you missed. That way, you learn what you do not know and can fill in the knowledge gaps. \ According to the National Spelling Bee official website, teachers can get lists of National Spelling Bee words for your grade level online, so ask for a list. Constantly create new lists of words with which you are not comfortable. The National Spelling Bee official website also suggests researching word sources to add to your lists by accessing online sources or publications.

Training Tricks
> > Study with multiple senses. Do not just look at new words, instead learn their pronunciations and say them aloud. Since spelling bees are verbal, you need to prepare for a spoken competition. If you have never heard the word or spoken it, it will be difficult to do so in competition. Record, or have someone else record the word lists from which to practice. Sometimes, it helps to close your eyes and visualize the word on paper. Organize the words. It is difficult to memorize a random list of words. Harris and Graham suggest grouping words together in practical way creates logical patterns and aids memory. Whatever organization works for you is best, but here are a few possibilities: organize by suffix, by first letter, by length or by topic.
 * Repetition is important, but space repetitions apart: If you repeat a word too often consecutively, it stays in your short-term memory and never moves to your long-term memory. This means that you may not be able to recall it when competition time comes. You may need to repeat a word six to seven times before it becomes part of your vocabulary. According to Word Buff, do not look at misspellings. Just as reading and repeating the correct spelling fixes it in your mind, reading the wrong spelling can undo all your hard work by fixing the misspelling in your mind. Make sure that all words on your spelling lists are correct, and avoid looking at or thinking about common misspellings.

Competition Strategy

 * Stay calm. The most important thing at a competition is to relax. Gail Small, co-author of "The Spelling Bee and Me: A Real-Life Adventure in Learning," says to take a deep breaths at the microphone and take your time. Do not worry about the audience---think of them as looking like heads of cabbage, sitting in their underwear or whatever works for you. If you have questions, ask the pronouncer to use the word in a sentence or give you the definition to help clarify that word you are spelling. Most of all, remain composed and focused: listen and hear the word clearly.

[|Spelling Bee Tips and Tricks | eHow.com] [] 

Tic-Tac-Toe Spelling
[|Ads by Google]
 * 1) Obtain a list of important spelling words. Divide the students into two teams, Team X and Team O, and draw a Tic-Tac-Toe grid on the board. Choose one student from Team X and ask that student to spell a spelling word. If the student spells the word correctly, that student goes to the board and places an "X" anywhere on the grid. If the student spells it incorrectly, a student from the next team is chosen to spell the word. Play continues until one team wins Tic-Tac-Toe.

Read more: [|Ideas for a Spelling Bee | eHow.com] [] Here are some lists: