Have you ever wondered why a Spelling Bee is called a Spelling Bee?
According to the Scripps National Spelling Bee Website, the first use of the word bee is not clearly known. It appears that the first use of the word bee was found in printed materials in 1769 and it was used in association with a spinning bee rather than a spelling bee. One explanation given for the use of the word bee is bees are social insects that gather together in communities to do work and people gather together to quilt or sew or engage in other communal activities so there is a possibility that the term bee was used to describe the common traits shared by both humans and insects. There are others, though, who believe that this explanation is not the case and have suggested the derivation of a "bee" is from the Middle English word, "bene" or "boon" and may be translated from the more common word been or bean which means "voluntary help given by neighbors toward the accomplishment of a particular task." (Webster's Third New International Dictionary).
In any event, Spelling Bees are exciting and fun. Practicing spelling either as a participant or for enjoyment helps develop good study habits, increases vocabulary, develops correct usage of grammar, and builds a life-long appreciation of the English language.
If you have the opportunity to participate in a Spelling Bee or just want to learn new words and become a better speller, here are some helpful strategies, suggestions, and resources to help you prepare.
Practice a little bit everyday
According to the Scripps National Spelling Bee Website, the first use of the word bee is not clearly known. It appears that the first use of the word bee was found in printed materials in 1769 and it was used in association with a spinning bee rather than a spelling bee. One explanation given for the use of the word bee is bees are social insects that gather together in communities to do work and people gather together to quilt or sew or engage in other communal activities so there is a possibility that the term bee was used to describe the common traits shared by both humans and insects. There are others, though, who believe that this explanation is not the case and have suggested the derivation of a "bee" is from the Middle English word, "bene" or "boon" and may be translated from the more common word been or bean which means "voluntary help given by neighbors toward the accomplishment of a particular task." (Webster's Third New International Dictionary).
In any event, Spelling Bees are exciting and fun. Practicing spelling either as a participant or for enjoyment helps develop good study habits, increases vocabulary, develops correct usage of grammar, and builds a life-long appreciation of the English language.
If you have the opportunity to participate in a Spelling Bee or just want to learn new words and become a better speller, here are some helpful strategies, suggestions, and resources to help you prepare.
Practice a little bit everyday
- Use a quality dictionary such as the Merriam-Webster's. You may purchase a print copy or use the online version.
- Use a Thesaurus Online or purchase a print copy of Roget's Thesaurus
- Study Dolch Sight Words and High Frequency words that do no follow phonetic patterns
- Study the Most Frequently Misspelled Words
- Learn Affixes: prefixes, suffixes and their meanings
- Understanding a Root or Base Word and its derivation is important - many English Language Words are derived from Greek and Latin
Study grade level word lists
Learn the Rules of a Spelling Bee
As a participant you need to listen carefully to the word you are being asked to spell. If you can not understand or hear what word you are being asked to spell, you are allowed to have the word repeated as many times as you need so that you may have the best chance of spelling the word correctly.- You make ask for the definition of a word.
- You may ask for the derivation or language of origin of a word.
- You may ask for alternate pronunciations of the word.
- You should say the word before you begin spelling it.
- You may ask for the word to be used in a sentence.
- Make sure you say "capital" if a word begins with a capital letter (For example: Say Alabama, then Spell it and say, Capital A - l-a-b-a-m-a and then say the word again; Alabama) (You will not be penalized if you say capital for a word that does not begin with a capital letter but my advice is try to avoid confusion.)
- If you begin spelling a word and you are not sure of the letter that comes next, you may pause and begin again. You may continue spelling the word until you have completed it.
- After you spell the word, you should say the word again.
- If you have misspelled the word you will not move on to the next round. It is important to listen to and be respectful of the other competitors and encourage them to do their best.
- Here is a suggestion that has helped other students I have coached in the past. Before you spell a word, you may want to use the pointer finger of your dominant hand (the hand you normally write with) to write the word on the palm of you other hand. Sometimes this helps you to be able to visualize the word before you begin spelling. If you have ever watched the Scripp's National Spelling Bee on television, you might have seen some competitors doing this.
- Relax and enjoy the challenge. You should feel proud and honored to represent your grade or school in whatever Spelling Bee you participate in.
- Here are some additional resources available online
- Scripp's National Spelling Bee@ Spelling Bee.com
- Spell it
- Fun Brain Spell Check