Spelling Bee Competition Guidelines

We are very excited to present our First Edition of this year’s Spelling Bee Contest Guidelines.

I. PURPOSE
The purpose is to help students to improve their spelling, to increase their vocabulary, to learn concepts, and to
develop correct English usage for a lifetime.

II. CLASS PROCEDURE

• Hand out to your students the Official Spelling Bee Word List according to their grade. Have them write their
name on it and cover it in a plastic binder so it will be protected during the training fase. This is considered
homework and should be brought the next day. Please make sure everyone does it, otherwise send a report
requesting it.
• Your students will practice their spelling FOUR weeks (20 days).
• PRIMARY will practice 10 words everyday from their 200 total.
• SECONDARY will practice 15 words everyday from their 300 total.
• You can alternate everyday’s practice with the following options, this means that you can choose a different way
every time in the same week to practice.

PRIMARY
1. Write each word 5 times.
2. Make a picture of each word.
3. Write 5 times each word by alternating each word in two or three different colors. They can practice a word in
blue and the second word in green and then change to blue on the third one and so on.
4. Write one sentence with each word and underline it or write it in a different color.
5. Have them practice in pairs and tally their scores.

SECONDARY
1. Write 5 times each word.
2. Write one sentences with each word in any tense you choose, it can be Present tense, Past tense or Future.
Underline the word used.
3. Make a word search and exchange it with a classmate to answer.
4. Write one question with each word. Underline the word used.
5. Have them practice in pairs and tally their scores.

II. PRACTICE ACTIVITIES WITH THE WHOLE CLASSROOM

You may also choose a day from the week to work with your class in a fun way.

SPELLING CARDS

1. Ask them to bring cards that contain the whole alphabet, a letter on each card, not paper.
2. It can be made from recycled materials like cardboard from a cereal box, a poster they don’t use any more, or
even the ones sold in stores cut in half. Each student should bring one alphabet.
3. Gather teams of 3 to 5.
4. Ask them to pick a team member on each round to represent them.
5. Place three representatives with their team cards in front of the class.
6. Say the word don’t spell it out, only repeat only once.
7. They can ask for a sentence with the word.
8. Set the time for one minute.
9. First team member to spell the word correctly by lying the cards on the floor wins.
10. Tally their scores on the board.

SPELLING B DRILL

1. By rows ask each student to spell a word.

2. As you go around the class restart from the row only with the ones that spelled the word correctly.
3. When you have a finalist from each row do elimination rounds to get the first three winners.

ON MY BACK

1. Ask a student to pass to the front and face the board.

2. Show the class the word but not to the student in front.
3. Trace the word letter by letter on his/her back.
4. They student will have to guess the word.
5. If he/she does, give a point to that student’s row and tally their scores on the board.

II. CHOOSING THE CONTESTANTS

• On week 5 you will choose:

- 5 contestants per grade of Primary. (15 total)
- 3 contestants per grade of Secondary. (15 total)

• Please read the Rules and Regulations to your students before you begin the choosing process.
• Ask students to be respectful and to be quiet during the word spelling.
• You will need to ask each student to spell out a word until you have the final 5 for primary and the final 3 for
secondary by an elimination process.
• Teachers, it’s very important to respect the elimination process, have them understand that there will not be any
second chances to be fair, no matter if the student eliminated was good at spelling and made one mistake, they
don’t make the decision, you do, if a student is out there is no way of getting back in.
• Don’t make this a long process, tell them that you will be asking the most difficult words so that you may finish in
one class. If you ran out of difficult words, choose some more from your the student’s books, you can find some in
the readings.
• Explain that all of them will have the opportunity to participate and that they had an equal amount of time to
practice.
• After you have them, give the list of your contestants to your English Coordinator that same day.
• The competition will begin on week 6.