First Eleven Spring Issue

EDUCATION SCHOOLS: FUTURE
Molly (right) with team
mates Serena Shah and
Richard Taylor.
Top right: the team
(with reserve Jack
Ireson) proudly don
their medals
Creating a buzz
Last year saw the UK’s ﬁ rst ever national Spelling
from, for example noun, verb etc. You can also ask for
Bee competition. Molly Williams of Oundle School
a defi nition or for the word to be repeated. You must
start to spell the word within thirty seconds, otherwise
describes what it was like taking part in the ﬁ nal
it will not count towards your score, even if you spell
the word correctly. When you spell, you must say the
word, spell it, and then say it again, for example “spell,
L
ast year, Oundle School put forward a team s-p-e-l-l, spell”.
for T_h e Times National Spelling Bee. I was To prepare, we were given long lists of words
in the team with three other pupils from my to learn and we had sessions where we would all
form, Richard Taylor, Serena Shah and the meet up and test each other. T_h ere were some very
reserve was Jack Ireson. In order to get into the team, diffi cult ones. We tried to think of diff erent ways
we had a giant spelling test throughout the whole of of remembering how to spell them; for instance,
Year Two and the top four won places. rhythm: Rhythm Helps Your Two Hips Move.
T_h e fi nal was held in the West End Odeon in
The whole of
Another good one is diarrhoea: Dash In A Real
Leicester Square. We all took a coach up to London,
my set from
Rush, Hurry Or Else Accident!
and we were instructed by our English teacher to bring
an overnight bag in case we won. T_h e cinema was
school came
On the morning of the spelling bee, I was asked
to appear on a local radio show, to talk about it. I was
packed with contestants, their schoolmates and friends
to London
asked to spell rhythm and diarrhoea, so it was just as
and family. I was nervous, as I was for all the rounds,
though more so – because it was the fi nal! T_h e whole of
to support,
well that we learnt how to spell them. We were also
encouraged to do lots of reading to learn more words,
my set from school came to London to support, armed
armed with
but as I like reading, knowing that I had to focus on
with big banners and a huge paper bumble bee.
In the Spelling Bee there are two rounds. Each
big banners
the words and their spellings was slightly off -putting.
Sadly, we didn’t win, but we came fourth, which
player is labelled A, B and C. T_h e ‘Spellmaster’ goes and a huge makes us the fourth best spellers in the UK. T_h ough
around each group, fi rst the A players, then the Bs, and
paper
nerve-wracking, I really enjoyed taking part and if
then the Cs, asking each of them in turn how to spell given the opportunity to enter it again I defi nitely
a word. You are allowed to get the fi rst word wrong bumble bee! would. It is great fun participating as well as being a
but after that if you get a word wrong you are out for great way to improve your spelling. %
that round. T_h e only help you are allowed is to ask
the Spellmaster the part of the speech the word comes Please visit www.timesspellingbee.co.uk for details
26 FIRST ELEVEN SPRING 2010 WWW.FIRSTELEVENMAGAZINE.CO.UK
pp26FE_SPR10 Schools_MollyOundleSMsub2.indd 26 28/1/10 17:37:24
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