Spelling Bee on Friday, May 10

A few weeks ago, I sent an email to the Comm Central group about a Spelling Bee for my competitive 3rd grade son (who otherwise wouldn't be interested in studying lists of words.)  I thought I would post specifics here, in the event someone didn't respond to my initial email but were interested.

After giving it more thought...here's how the spelling bee will shake out (I'm open to suggestions).

When:

We'll just do ONE FRIDAY and see how it goes on May 10 at 12:30. If afterwards we think it was profitable time then we can talk about subsequent Fridays..

Where:

My house (so that my baby can nap.)  Our neighborhood park is only 2 blocks away so if you'd like to take your littles there while we spell, that's fine.  Or, we have a trampoline in the back yard...and a flat driveway & cul-de-sac for ride on toys...Or we can do both.  I live near Whole Foods (email me for exact location.) 

What list?

That's a good question and I'm open for suggestions.  I had planned on using this site for words.

Format:

I'll say the word.  Then ask the child to say the word and let them spell it out loud.  I will allow a piece/pad of paper and pencil for them to write it down and look at it.  Depending on how fast/slow the process is, I could put a time limit on their turn - I will play that by ear.  We will start with easy words and work our way harder until the last man is left standing.  When a person misspells a word, I will spell it correctly for them then ask them to sit down.  The next person will get a new word.  I want the spelling bee to last at least 20 minutes.  If we have a clear winner within 5 minutes, we'll have a second and maybe 3rd round.  I specify these time-constraints because my 3rd grade extrovert will be ready to get the "work" out of the way so he can play. 

I'm not sure of the age span of the children who are participating.  If you could reply and let me know who and what age is participating it will help me plan (or spelling level - like "my child is in kindergarten but he can spell 4th grade words."

Let me know what I've missed.  Feel free to invite non-Comm Central families.  And mark your calendar for May 10 at 12:30.

Julie

luvmyhub AT gmail DOT com

Book:: Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China

Several years ago, when my husband and I were thinking of adopting a daughter from China, a friend recommended that we read this well written book to help us understand the culture.

Below is the product description from Amazon.  I have bolded the sentence that summarizes the book.    -Julie


Blending the intimacy of memoir and the panoramic sweep of eyewitness history, Wild Swans has become a bestselling classic in thirty languages, with more than ten million copies sold. The story of three generations in twentieth-century China, it is an engrossing record of Mao's impact on China, an unusual window on the female experience in the modern world, and an inspiring tale of courage and love.

Jung Chang describes the life of her grandmother, a warlord's concubine; her mother's struggles as a young idealistic Communist; and her parents' experience as members of the Communist elite and their ordeal during the Cultural Revolution. Chang was a Red Guard briefly at the age of fourteen, then worked as a peasant, a "barefoot doctor," a steelworker, and an electrician. As the story of each generation unfolds, Chang captures in gripping, moving -- and ultimately uplifting -- detail the cycles of violent drama visited on her own family and millions of others caught in the whirlwind of history.