See also: Enrollment, Dates, Materials Overview and Tips for a Great Bee.
Stage 1: School Enrollment (deadline extended to Novermber 16, 2012)
Stage 2: School Spelling Bees (Fall 2012)
Stage 3: Regional/District Spelling Bees (February 2013)
Stage 4: HoustonPBS Spelling Bee (March 23, 2013)
Stage 5: Scripps National Spelling Bee (May 2013)
Stage 1: Enrollment
1. Enroll your school by November 16, 2012 using the Scripps National Spelling Bee website, www.spellingbee.com.
Write down your password of your Scripps National Spelling Bee account and put it where you can find it :)
The enrollment fee gives you online access to spelling bee materials including student materials, spelling bee pronouncer guide for classroom and school bees, certificates, prizes for the school champion, and fundraising materials.
For DISTRICT Coordinators Needing To Batch Enroll Multiple Schools in a Single Transaction:
1) Go to spellingbee.com and click Enroll Now in the upper right corner of the home page.
2) Click the words “Click here” in the sentence “Click here to enroll multiple schools from multiple zip codes”
3) Enter the zip code(s) of the schools you wish to enroll and click the Submit School Zip Codes button.
4) Place check marks in the boxes to the left of the schools you want to enroll and click the Submit School(s) button.
5) Follow the on screen prompts. During Step 5 you will be able to select your payment method: credit card or check.
2. Download and print your materials using the Scripps National Spelling Bee website, www.spellingbee.com.
Keep the pronouncer guides in a safe place. They are not for distribution. Consider the guides to be your 'secret playbooks'.
Stage 2: School Bees
1. BEFORE you distribute anything, read the pronouncer guides and student materials carefully - especially the Pronouncer Guides, including the Table of Contents, Tips and Rules.
Official Rules
Classroom Pronouncer Guide (for your use only - not for the students)
School Pronouncer Guide (for your use only - not for the students)
The pronouncer guides begin with words from the SNSB study lists and finish with words that are not on the SNSB study list.
Student Study Word Lists (To succeed in the school bee, a student will need to learn the study words from all grade levels.)
There are two formats of the study word lists.
Two-Page Version: a cumulative list of all the words, grades 1-8
Eight-Page Version: one page for each grade level difficulty, grades 1-8
sad stories...Many teachers distribute the student study sheets without ever examining the spelling bee pronouncer guide. Later, when they start planning the school bee, they realize they should have planned the bee before distributing materials...don't let your story be sad.
2. PLAN THE DATE, ORGANIZATION, AND WORD SELECTION FOR YOUR BEE
Each school organizes its own bee and sets its own bee date. Please schedule your school bee to occur before the Winter Break.
Make sure that the level of Study Words you give to your students matches the level of words that you will use in your bee.
You have permission to adapt the student study materials for your specific school bee.
Customize your bee to fit school needs.
(example: classroom bees + grade bees + school bee)
(example: school bee only)
(example: classroom tests + school bee)
(example: If your school has class bees and/or grade level bees + a final school bee, you would use the Classroom Pronouncer Guide and the School Pronouncer Guide. If your school has just one school-wide bee, you would use the just School Pronouncer Guide.)
3. Distribute Bee Information and Study Materials
Inform teachers, students, and parents about the procedure, study materials, rules, deadlines and dates for your school spelling bee.
4. Student Preparation
Students prepare for the bee using the study materials you distribute. (Many students ask what words will be used in the bee. It is important that students understand that a bee is different than a 'spelling test'. Only the spelling bee officials know exactly which words will be used in the bee.) The early rounds of the bee are from the study word lists; and the later rounds are selected from the dictionary that are not on any study list.
5. The School Spelling Bee
Recruit judges, pronouncer and back-up pronouncer.
Send a copy of the rules to your judges.
Send a copy of the pronouncer guide to the pronouncer and back-up pronouncer.
Reserve the room, arrange for microphones, chairs, etc.
Create, order, or solicit certificates, ribbons, trophies, prizes etc for participants, top spellers and champion.
Print speller number placards, participant certificates, and program.
Keep the pronouncer guide secure so that only bee officials have access to it.
Word List advice:
Begin with easy words and progress to difficult words. Do not mix the levels of difficulty.
During the bee, wait until a round is completed before advancing to a more difficult level.
Once you progress to the more difficult words, do not backtrack.
It is good to have a back-up word list in case you run out of words.
During the bee, students may ask for the following: repeat the word; definition; sentence; part of speech; language of origin; alternate pronunciation
For more 'how-to' information, go to Tips for a Great Bee.
6. After the School Spelling Bee
Log-in to your Scripps National Spelling Bee account, using the Scripps National Spelling Bee website, www.spellingbee.com, and report your school champion information. Report your champion as soon as your bee is complete, but no later than January 18, 2012.
Download and give a copy of "Spell-It!" to your school champion and alternate to prepare for the regional/district bee. (The runner-up is provided "Spell-It!" in case the champion cannot attend the regional/district bee.)
There are two formats of "Spell-It!: one version is with graphics and one version is without graphics.
Each contains the same words, but presentation is very different. Please give both versions to your school spelling champion.
Inform your school champion and her/his family about the procedure, date, time, place for the February School District Bee -or- Regional Bee.
(You will receive details about the Regional/School District Bee in January.)
Stage 3: Regional/School District Bees
Download and give your school champion the study materials for the next level of competition: 7th/8th grade school word lists and Spell-It.
Regional/School District Bees are held during the month of February. You will be given the details regarding your Regional/School District Bee.
Stage 4: HoustonPBS Bee
The top speller(s) from Regional/School District Bees advance to the HoustonPBS Spelling Bee which will be held March 23, 2013.
Stage 5: Scripps National Bee
The top TWO spellers from the HoustonPBS Spelling Bee advance to the 2013 Scripps National Spelling Bee.
All expenses are paid during Bee Week in Washington DC.
HoustonPBS Spelling Bee contact is Connie Hill, chill@houstonpbs.org
Scripps National Spelling Bee, www.spellingbee.com
The major sponsors for the 2013 HoustonPBS Spelling Bee are Fiesta, Wells Fargo Bank, and KUHF News 88.7, Houston Public Radio.
HoustonPBS is the first public broadcaster and the third largest local sponsor of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Spellers advance from a challenging series of school, district, and regional spelling bees: 1000+ schools, 100,000+ spellers, 42 Texas counties. Spelling Bee participation enriches the language skills of students across the nation with a focus on better spelling, richer vocabulary and correct English usage. Bee participation also provides confidence-building experience in public-speaking skills.
