Tag: spelling

Prepare for the spelling bee!

- Beth Leave a comment

The Scripps National Spelling Bee takes place from May 28-30, 2024, near Washington, D.C. Our region’s representative at the competition this year is Partha Katreddy, of Bettendorf, a seventh-grader at Pleasant Valley Junior High School. Details about watching the spelling bee broadcast can be found at https://spellingbee.com/watch.

Brush up on your own spelling skills and the history of spelling bees with these items from Davenport Public Library’s collection.

Beeline : what spelling bees reveal about generation Z’s new path to success by Shalini Shankar (2019) – Generation Z — youth born after 1997 — seems to be made up of anxious overachievers, hounded by Tiger Moms and constantly tracked on social media. One would think that competitors in the National Spelling Bee would be the worst off. Shankar argues that, far from being simply overstressed and overscheduled, Gen Z spelling bee competitors are learning crucial twenty-first-century skills from their high-powered lives, displaying a sophisticated understanding of self-promotion, self-direction, and social mobility. She examines the outsize impact of immigrant parents and explains why Gen Z kids are on a path to success. — adapted from jacket

A Champion’s Guide to Success in Spelling Bees : fundamentals of spelling bee competition and preparation by Ned G. Andrews (2011) – Comprehensive yet concise, A Champion’s Guide to Success in Spelling Bees is essential for any spelling bee contestant, whether serious or casual, as well as for study assistants such as parents, teachers, and tutors. By following this guidebook’s tactics and strategies, you will use every available resource – including but not limited to your time on stage, your existing knowledge, other study materials, and the effort that you will invest throughout your preparation – as effectively and efficiently as possible. — provided by the publisher

Painless Spelling by Mary Elizabeth Podhaizer (2011) – Analyzes sound and letter patterns, diphthongs, silent letters, homophones and homographs, compound and abbreviated words, contractions, prefixes, suffixes, and base words to teach spelling skills. — provided by the publisher

Spellbound (2002) – The documentary Spellbound chronicles the 1999 spelling bee season. Eight teens and pre-teens, along with their teachers and parents, are followed through daily practice, regionals and finally the televised spelling bee. This is the documentary that made me fall in love with documentaries. While it’s an oldie, it’s a goody! It is available for streaming through Kanopy or on DVD in RiverShare.

Books to help you Write Your Story

- Beth Leave a comment

March 14 is National Write Your Story Day. At the Davenport Public we have a variety of books to help you polish a piece of writing. Whether working toward a better grade in school or preparing for publication, here are a few items from our Literacy & Learning Collection to get you started in your journey to Write Your Story. (Descriptions provided by publisher.)

The student’s guide to writing : spelling, punctuation and grammar by John Peck. Aimed at college and university students wishing to improve their writing skills, this guide deals with the key basics of grammar, punctuation and spelling. Any writer can benefit from a solid review of how to construct a sentence, how to build a paragraph and how to structure an essay.

 

Understanding show, don’t tell (and really getting it) by Janice Hardy – The common writing advice “Show, don’t tell” is explored in-depth. This book will help you understand what “show, don’t tell” means. You’ll learn how to find the right balance in your writing between description, narrative, and internalization for the strongest impact. It gives examples of before and after text and demonstrates how telling words change the prose of your story. There is also advice on the best practices for adding backstory to your characters.

501 writing prompts – Writers will gain the necessary writing skills they need to ace college placement exams and civil service exams. This book gives sample writing prompts that simulate actual test questions. The categories target: persuasive, narrative, response to literature, and expository writing skills. In each section, sample essays give a clear picture of what it takes to compose the kind of writing needed to get a top score.