Sara R Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 I've got a 4th grader who has wanted to do a spelling bee since he watched Spellbound a few years ago. He's talented and will do well if he studies. Does anyone have any tips? We are ordering Vocabulary from Classical Roots: is this a good place to begin roots study? He will be homeschooled on mornings only starting in November. He'll go school for a few hours in the afternoon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BakersDozen Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 Starting in August we have a weekly bee in our house when the dc have to stand and spell their words out loud. This gives them good practice at being up in front of others. If possible we include friends' dc as well. During that time I really focus on basic spelling rules (for example I did not focus on the "ei" says long a in certain words and all 3 of my dc missed words with that rule). Once one of them has won the homeschool Bee (our group isn't large and we're a family that really focuses on spelling so one of my dc has won it the last 3 years). At that point I work daily with the County Bee contestant on the Spell It book. We use Words on the Vine for vocabulary and I've noticed it has helped with their spelling so VCR should do the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imprimis Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 A good place to start is www.myspellit.com . The words are grouped by language of origin and it makes it easier to become familiar with spelling patterns common to words of German, Latin, Greek, Arabic, Italian, etc., origin. Root study, especially Latin and Greek, is very helpful, especially if your child progresses to the regional or national level. Merriam Webster online has a "word of the day" as well as word games and a spelling quiz each day. My best tip? Lots of reading. Good literature----classics and historical fiction, in particular. Science magazines, cookbooks, catalogs, and even restaurant menus are other good sources of word study. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 I have a collection of spelling books, although not as big as my phonics book collection. The ones that are best spelling bee wise are also both pretty cheap: Spelling made simple by Stephen V. Ross and M.K. Henry's Words Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 If the bees your ds will compete in uses the Spell It words, I highly recommend Valerie's Spelling Bee Supplement from Hexco Academic. It's the Spell It words listed by (roughly) difficulty, including pronunciation and definition. When he spells a word correctly for you, put a tiny check mark by the word, and put a dash by the ones he misses. That will let you track which words he's done and which he missed. The Valerie's also includes words not on the spell it list but they are separated so your ds can work on the spell it words first. The others are so right...reading and language study can be so helpful! Dd worked for three years to make it to DC and since then, two of her friends have each gone twice using this method as a starting point. It's an awesome experience- something the kids never forget! And they learn so much- more than just spelling! Good luck to your ds! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imprimis Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 If the bees your ds will compete in uses the Spell It words, I highly recommend Valerie's Spelling Bee Supplement from Hexco Academic. Yep, Hexco products are great, and are used by many of the kids who excel in Washington. You can download free spelling lists from Hexco that include not only the Spell It! words, but the classroom study words arranged by grade level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara R Posted December 18, 2009 Author Share Posted December 18, 2009 He worked hard, and won his classroom bee today! Okay, it wasn't that difficult (his winning word was mildew), but still. He's on his way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 Yay!! What's the route he'd need to take to get to DC? In our area, the class bee winners go to the school bee. The top two school winners go to a district bee, and the top twelve from that bee move on to our area's final bee. The winner of the final bee goes to DC. The county next to us eliminates that middle bee...what is ds's next step? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara R Posted December 19, 2009 Author Share Posted December 19, 2009 The top 4 winners from his class go to the school bee. I think just one winner from the school bee goes to the regional bee (4 county area) in March. The winner from that one goes to DC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cougarmom4 Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 I've gotten some great resources from www.spellingbee.com before... Good luck on the next phase! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 Don't forget to ask the school whether there's a word list for the school bee. Our local schools distribute the study list only to kids who ask for it. Might make a big difference as he preps for school bee! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imprimis Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 He worked hard, and won his classroom bee today! Okay, it wasn't that difficult (his winning word was mildew), but still. He's on his way. Congratulations to your son! A great resource for him , in addition to lots of reading, is the 2010 Spelling Bee words you can download for free at Hexco.com. Best of luck for the next level! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sremer Posted March 14, 2010 Share Posted March 14, 2010 http://www.spellingbeebook.com My name is Scott Remer, and I placed 4th in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in 2008 and subsequently spent the next 14 months writing the definitive guide to preparing for the National Spelling Bee, entitled Words of Wisdom: Keys to Success in the Scripps National Spelling Bee (published 2/23/10). If you wish to purchase the book, please use the discount code XPKUW5A9 for $3.00 off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest maddy0082 Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 Check out the official website of Mirle Shivashankar, a.k.a. Kavya’s Dad.... URL - http://www.shivashankars.com/spellingbeeblog All the best to all the budding spelling bees :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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