We are thrilled to announce that Ben Rush Elementary is participating in the official Scripps National Spelling Bee this year for all students in Grades 1 through 5!
🗓️ Competition Timeline & How It Works
•At-Home Preparation (Now – November): Students can prepare at home using the 225-word study list and the official, free Word Club app. (See study list access instructions below).
•Classroom Preliminary Round (November): All 1st–5th grade students will participate in a short, written spelling test conducted during regular class time—no prior registration or signup forms are required! Teachers will select challenging words from the 225-word list to identify 1 classroom winner per class (totaling 21 classroom champions across grades 1–5).
•Note: Any ties resulting from the written test will be resolved through a brief oral tie-breaker conducted by PTA volunteers during school hours.
•School Finals (January): The 21 classroom champions will receive expanded study materials to study throughout December. In January, they will compete live on stage in our Oral School Championship to determine our overall Ben Rush School Champion.
•Regional Advancement (February/March): Our School Champion will receive dedicated study time before advancing to represent Ben Rush Elementary at the Regional Spelling Bee.
📚 Study Lists & Preparation Tools
1. The 225-Word Study List
Per official Scripps National Spelling Bee rules, study word lists cannot be uploaded directly or published on a downloadable webpage.
•How to Access: The 225-word study list has been provided directly in Mrs. Davies’ ParentSquare post. (Direct link to the ParentSquare post will be updated here soon!)
2. The Official Word Club App
Practice anywhere with the official Scripps practice app!
•App Name: Word Club (Official App of the Scripps National Spelling Bee)
•Cost & Availability: Free to download on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
•Features:
•Interactive spelling and vocabulary games covering official study words.
•Audio pronunciations recorded by official Scripps pronouncers.
•Game modes including flashcards, fill-in-the-blank, and multiple choice.
⚖️ General Competition Rules & Guidelines
To help spellers prepare for stage competition:
1.Standard Bee Format: Spellers are encouraged to follow the standard sequence during oral rounds: Say the word $\rightarrow$ Spell the word $\rightarrow$ Say the word again.
2.Asking Questions: During an oral round, spellers may ask the Pronouncer to repeat the word, provide the definition, give the part of speech, use the word in a sentence, or state the language of origin.
3.Restarting a Word: A speller may stop and restart spelling a word, but they cannot change or reorder any letters already spoken during their first attempt.
4.Capitalization & Punctuation: Spellers are not required to indicate capital letters, hyphens, spaces in compound words, or diacritical marks. Judges evaluate letter order only.
❓ Questions & Support
Have questions about the Spelling Bee, study materials, or volunteering?
•Email: Send your questions directly to spellingbee@benrushpta.org.
•WhatsApp: Ask your questions in the PTA General WhatsApp Group.
