How the Spelling Bee Will Be Run

The Homeschool Spelling Bee and Geography Bee are coming up this month!

Is your speller ready? Register HERE to participate on the January 27 Bee! (1:30 to 3:30pm, at Village Home Education Resource Center, 5150 SW Watson, Beaverton.

There will be TWO Bees. The first one is the Junior Bee, for learners in grades 3 and younger. The words are easier, and the format is very simple. This is a great opportunity for younger spellers to practice their spelling skills!

The Championship Bee will be for spellers grade 4 through 8. The winner of this Bee will participate in the Regional Spelling Bee sponsored by the Portland Tribune, on March 14, and compete for a chance to go to the National Spelling Bee in Washington DC.

Both Bees will have one practice round, so spellers can get used to the procedure.

The rules for the Bee are as follows:

1. Each speller will have a chance to spell one word per round. The pronouncer will read the word out loud. The speller should repeat the word to make sure they have heard it correctly. The speller then spells the word, and repeats it again to show that they've finished spelling.

2. The speller can start over again, but should tell the judges "I'm starting over" - then they have to use the same letters they used the first time. In other words, they can't change the spelling once they've started.

3. Before spelling the word, the speller can ask the pronouncer certain questions:

• What is the definition?
• Can you use it in a sentence?
• What is the part of speech?
• Are there any alternate pronunciations?
• What is the language of origin?
• Can you repeat the word?

4. If the word is spelled correctly, the speller continues to the next round. If the word is spelled incorrectly, a bell will ring and the speller can return to the audience.

5. If every speller in one round spells incorrectly, they all return for the next round.

If you have any questions, or would like a copy of the study word list. please email bees@villagehome.org - or comment on this post.

You can download the Word Club app for more practice, at Google Play or the Apple Store!

You can also register for the GeoBee HERE by January 24 to participate on January 31. More on this in the next BeeHive post!