Online Spelling Bee Portal | Goals and Benefits

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Spelling Bee

Best way to improve your vocabulary

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Goals

The goal of Spelling Bee competition is to develop a profound understanding of English language and to improve the vocabulary. It is a misunderstanding that the Spelling Bee is only about rote-learning or memorizing the maximum numbers of words. It is more about smart work and planning and preparation. It is not a memory testing competition, but involves a lot of analytical and reasoning skills.

It is important to relate to the following aspects in understanding a word fully, without focusing on the spelling alone.

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Origin of the word.

Knowing the origin of a word provides valuable insight into its etymology and can help spellers understand its spelling patterns. Many words in English have roots from other languages, and understanding these roots can provide clues about the word's structure and potential spelling pitfalls.

Root words

A root word is the core part of a word that carries its fundamental meaning. Recognizing root words can aid spellers in deducing the correct spelling and meaning of more complex words derived from the same root. It also helps with tackling unfamiliar words by breaking them down into recognizable components.

Deﬁnition

Understanding the meaning of a word is crucial for spelling it correctly. Often, words with similar spellings but different meanings (homonyms) are presented in spelling bees. Knowing the definitions helps contestants choose the correct spelling based on the context in which the word is used.

Part of speech

The part of speech of a word (e.g., noun, verb, adjective) can provide clues about its spelling and usage. Different parts of speech may have different spelling patterns or suffixes, so identifying the correct part of speech for the word can guide the speller in selecting the right letters.

Usage

Familiarity with how a word is used in sentences and contexts helps spellers understand its spelling rules, including any changes in spelling due to tense, plurality, or grammatical structure. Proper usage knowledge can also help participants avoid common mistakes.

Alternate pronunciation (if any)

English words can often have multiple acceptable pronunciations, particularly if they are derived from different languages or dialects. Knowing these variations is crucial because the way a word is pronounced can affect its spelling.

Benefits

Encouraging your child to participate in Spelling Bytes modules can result in several life long beneﬁts because the Spelling Bee modules not only provides a valuable learning experience for children, but also allow them to involve in healthy competition. Alongside the fun, they will discover the priceless beneﬁts.

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Improves Vocabulary

The most valuable learning outcome of Spelling Bee competitions is gaining competency in vocabulary building, allowing them to improve signiﬁcantly at reading, writing and speaking. The ability to understand more and more words will allow children to articulate thought effectively and enjoy reading a wide range of communicative text.

Improves Cognitive Skills

SpellBytes will allow your child to develop a range of cognitive skills, including the ability to memorise and handle pressure. The learning process, activated through our modules, is likely to enhance your child's memory-retention powers and build more acute learning skills; competencies proven to be highly beneﬁcial in higher education.

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Greater Knowledge

Learning words is not merely spelling, but helps students discover the origin of a word and its etymology. This information will greatly broaden the knowledge-base of a children, even at a very young age and motivate them to develop a keen appetite for new words.

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Self Conﬁdence

The child's conﬁdence level is generally boosted after entering Spelling Bee competitions. The child not only gains the conﬁdence to be on stage and speak in public, but also acquires the equanimity to be able to accept mistakes and handle earned applause, at the same time.

Even if your child does not win, a Spelling Bee competition brings its rewards in a wide range of beneﬁts, ranging from elevated confidence levels, to enhanced vocabulary.

Spelling Bee Tips

Set target and create word list : Spellbytes provides these features with a few clicks and makes your learning easy and efﬁcient.
Learn, not just the spelling : It is important to learn the meaning, usage and part of speech categorization of the words rather than to focus only on spelling. SpellBytes provides all the co-related details, which you must know, to understand the word in-depth.
Study Etymology : Explore the history of words, their origin, including Greek and Latin word roots. It may sound extreme, but details like this make the real difference between a champion speller and an average one. SpellBytes provides the origin of all words, giving you valuable clues to modern day spelling.
Closer look at patterns : Familiarity with afﬁxes, phonics and spelling rules helps a lot in identifying the correct spelling. Even if you are challenged by a word which you’ve never seen before, you’ll at least be able to make an informed guess considering the patterns.
Mark the words with exceptions : Some words don't play by the spelling rules. SpellBytes allows you to categorise those words into separate tags (customised folders) and you can review them closely, anytime.
Learn while you play : It is important to make the learner interested in learning all through the spelling journey. Spelling words doesn’t have to be based on boring list of memorisation. SpellBytes provides game like interfaces which keeps the fun side well protected while learning.
Track your progress : It is important to track the progress while learning. Evaluate the milestones, mistakes and the timeline during the journey helps to understand where you actually stands.
Write on paper : An old technique

Origin of words

The purpose of being acquainted with the language of origin of words is to help you remember several important rules, tips and guidelines for getting the correct spelling. This study is commonly known as ‘Etymology’ and has signiﬁcant role in understanding English language more deeply. This study includes earliest known use of words, its transmission from one language to another, and its transformation in form and meaning while they are migrated. Learning the etymological story is quiet interesting and gives us a ‘wow’ feeling while decoding many popular words. Let’s take an example with a very common word ‘disaster’ and see how it is actually derived.

In the olden times, many people believed that the inﬂuence of stars was responsible for all calamities. Evidently, the word can be related back to the Old Italian word ‘disastro’, which meants ‘unfavourable to one’s stars’. Hence the word disaster was derived to English. The word was ﬁrst seen in the late 16th century by Shakespeare used on his tragic play King Lear. Linguistic researchers have recorded that English has borrowed words from more than 300 different languages all around the world but most of the vocabulary of the English language can be attributed to either Latin or Greek.

Popular competitions

students talking through the mic, standing on the stage and expressing their joy and gratitude at spelling bee competition.

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