Spelling Bee!

This week, the Fluency Class talked about Spelling Bees. We began with these questions:

What is a Spelling Bee? 

• It's a contest where contestants, children aged 11-16, are asked to spell words. In the National Spelling Bee, the winner can take home up to $40,000 in cash and prizes. Read about the past winners and their winning words.

Why is is called Spelling Bee?

• The word "bee" has long been used to describe a busy gathering of people who come together for a special purpose, such as quilting, spinning, logging, or raising a barn. "Spelling bee" in particular is an American term that came into use around the 1870s.

 Sierra Shoemaker

Then we read the story of 12 year old Sierra Shoemaker (shown above), the savvy speller, who out-spelled the judges! What was the word she spelled correctly? How did the judges' master have it spelled on his sheet? Why did Sierra appeal the judges' decision?

You may be interested in watching a movie about this topic, called Akeelah and the Bee. It's about an 11 year-old girl who works hard to make it to the National Spelling Bee. See the winning moment below:

Before beginning our own Spelling Bee, we tried our hand at a bit of spelling with this Spelling Bee game. These are challenging words, so be careful!

We ended the lesson by having our own Spelling Bee. Everyone did an excellent job, and prizes were given out to all! Below is the Spelling Bee list for ages 12-13. Which words are easy for you? Which are the most difficult? Why not get a few friends together and hold your own Spelling Bee just for fun!

abandon	abbreviation	absence	absolutely
absorb	abundant	accessible	accompanied
accomplishment	accurate	achievement	acres
adequate	adjustable	admit	admittance
advice	advise	afghan	alternate
alternative	amusement	analysis	analyze
ancestor	anniversary	appreciate	artificial
assistance	association	athlete	atmosphere
attendance	authority	bacteria	bagel
baggage	benefited	benefiting	bicycle
biscuit	bizarre	boulevard	boundary
bouquet	brilliant	brochure	bulletin
bureau	campaign	cancellation	candidate
capable	capital	capitol	category
celery	cemetery	changeable	chaperone
character	cinnamon	civilize	commercial
committed	committee	commotion	companion
competent	competition	complement	complex
compliment	compressor	concentrate	concentration
conductor	confetti	congratulations	consequently
controlling	cringe	culminate	culprit
deceive	delayed	democracy	deodorant
descendent	description	diameter	diamond
discourage	disgraceful	dismissal	distinguished
dreadful	economics	economy	elementary
embarrass	emotion	emphasize	encircle
enclosing	encounter	endurance	engineer
environment	episode	erosion	eruption
evident	exchange	executive	exhibit
expensive	extinct	extinguish	extraordinary
extremely	fabricate	failure	fascinating
fatigue	flagrant	foreign	forfeit
frequently	fundamental	genuine	ghetto
gossiping	gradual	graffiti	grammar
grievance	guarantee	harass	havoc
heroic	hesitate	horrify	hospital
humid	humility	hygiene	identical
idle	idol	illegal	illustration
imaginary	immediately	immobilize	impossibility
inconvenient	incredible	individual	infamous
influence	informant	inhabit	inherit
innocence	innocent	instructor	intelligent
interruption	introduction	involvement	irate
irresistible	jealousy	judgment	juvenile
kettle	knitting	laboratory	language
legibly	liquidation	management	maneuver
media	mileage	miniature	misbehaved
morale	mortgage	movement	murmur
musician	mysterious	negotiate	nervous
nuisance	nurture	oases	oasis
obedient	obstacle	obviously	occasion
ordinarily	ordinary	organization	pamphlet
panic	panicked	panicky	parallel
paralysis	paralyze	penicillin	pedestrian
phantom	pheasant	phrase	politely
popular	precipitation	principal	principle
privilege	procedure	pronunciation	psychology
puny	qualified	qualifying	quotation
raspberry	reasonable	receipt	receiving
recipe	recognition	recommend	recruit
reddest	reprimand	resigned	restaurant
rotten	sandwich	scarcity	scenery
secretary	securing	significance	simile
sincerely	sincerity	situation	skeptical
slumber	smudge	solemn	souvenir
spacious	specific	stationary	stationery
statistics	subscription	substitute	superintendent
supervisor	supposedly	threatening	tolerate
tongue	tournament	tragedy	traitor
transferred	transferring	transmitted	traveled
traveling	unfortunately	uniform	university
unnecessary	valuable	various	vehicle
version	vertical	victim	vigorously
violation	visualize	volcano	voyage
wealthy	weapon	wheeze	wilderness