National Spelling Bee

The 2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee Contest - Spoiler 1

Interesting article related to National Spelling Bee:

Preparing for a Spelling Bee
By Celia Webb

Spelling bees and sports have much in common. They both involve competition and require that you ready yourself to meet the challenges you will face. It is important to understand the rules and fundamentals of the game. The better you understand these, the greater your chances are of doing well. So with that in mind, here are the steps you need to take to become the best speller you can be.

Get a coach. A coach is someone who trains and instructs you. A spelling bee coach will help you study word lists, practice spelling aloud, and help you stay motivated. Your coach could be your mom, dad, brother, sister, a teacher, or anyone who has at least half an hour to devote to your daily practice sessions.

Know the rules of the game. In order to succeed, you need to know spelling bee rules. Ask your teacher for a copy of the rules for local contests. To get a listing of the rules used in the national contest, go to the National Spelling Bee's website. The rules contain information such as the questions you can ask about a word, how much time you have to spell a given word, the reference dictionary that is used, the spelling bee procedures and so on. Read the rules carefully and make sure you understand each one. If you have trouble understanding a rule, seek clarification from your teacher.

Get the right gear. You will want to keep a notebook or computer file of words to study. You can get lists of study words from a number of different sources. I suggest starting with the most commonly misspelled words. You can find lists of commonly misspelled words in spelling practice books at the library (ask your reference librarian to help you locate these books) or by searching the internet with the phrase "commonly misspelled words". Go to the "Study Zone" section of the Scripps National Spelling Bee website for a free list of words which have been asked in over 100 spelling bees. Also of interest in the "Study Zone" are the 36-week course of study and a concentrated course of study of about 700 words. This site also links each word to an audio file so you can hear the word correctly pronounced. Remember - the way a word is pronounced often gives you excellent clues as to how the word is spelled.

Practice, practice, practice. World-class Olympic athletes practice for hours everyday, just like spellers who end up going to the National Spelling Bee. Skills take time to develop so allow yourself the time to develop your spelling skills. You do not have to make the level of commitment of a national champion in order to improve, but you do have to practice each day consistently. Practice each word by first carefully reading the word. Note each letter and its position in the word. Doing this makes your brain form an image of the word. Copy the word into your notebook. After you have completed 10 words, study them carefully again, and then ask your coach to say the word. Spell the word aloud. Say the word first, spell the word, and then say the word again. Make flashcards by hand so you get more practice writing the word. Take the flashcards with you and, any time you have a free minute, pull them out to study your words. Bear in mind spelling bee competition season runs from January to May. Local competitions run from January to February, with regional competitions from March to April. The final competition is held in May. You want to be ready.

Do a dress rehearsal with your coach. Have your coach talk you through how the contest will be run. Where do you sit? Do you have to move to a microphone to spell your word? What happens if you misspell a word? Ask any questions you have about how the spelling bee will be conducted. You will feel more comfortable if you know what to do, when to do it, and what to expect.

Final preparations. The day of the spelling bee, make sure you set your alarm and give yourself enough time to get ready. You do not want to increase your stress level by being late. Eat a breakfast that includes protein (an egg, meat, tofu, or nuts) because this will help your brain function and you need it working at its very best. Right before the bee starts go to the restroom so that will be one less thing to worry about. Last minute cramming usually does not work. Instead, be confident because you have studied diligently prior to the contest.

By following these tips you will definitely become a better speller. Now go get your coach and start studying those word lists!

Celia Webb is an author, illustrator, and company executive. She and her husband, Mack H. Webb, Jr., founded Pilinut Press, Inc., publishing advanced readers for children and ESL students. Their website http://www.pilinutpress.com offers more free articles on developing reading-related skills, word games and puzzles, and activity sheets for their entertaining and educational books.

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Deal or No Deal Online Game

Me Playing Deal or No Deal Online 1



Interesting article related to Deal Or No Deal Game:
Title: Deal or No Deal - Who's Your Banker?

You may have seen or heard of the hugely successful worldwide show, Deal or No Deal. If you haven’t, the premise is quite simple. In the UK version there are 22 sealed boxes each containing a cash value of between 1 penny and £250,000. No one knows what each one contains. The contestant chooses one of the 22 sealed boxes to hold and then opens all the other boxes one-by-one, revealing the amounts inside. As each box is opened it gives the contestant a better idea as to what prize may be contained in their own sealed box.

Throughout this process the player receives telephone calls from an anonymous person called The Banker, offering deals. The deal will be an amount of money offered to the contestant that they can accept instead of holding onto their box. As the odds of the contestant’s box being a larger prize increase these deals usually increase too. The Banker uses lots of analysis, tools and assistants to help him make his decision, whereas the contestant has to rely on their own guesswork and the advice of their friends and family.

The Banker, who doesn’t know how much is in the sealed box, constantly observes the contestant, analyzing their psychology and their behaviour. The goal of The Banker is to try and make sure the contestant leaves the game with the smallest amount of money possible. The Banker makes cash offers based on the amounts of money the player has eliminated and their knowledge and perception of the contestant. Whenever The Banker makes an offer, the contestant has to choose whether to accept the offer and deal or say “No Deal”. The risk is that the contestant could end up with nothing if they don’t accept the offer. So it’s a choice between a known amount of cash now or an unknown amount in the future.

Of course this is all just a gameshow and doesn’t bear any relation to real life. Or does it?

How many times a day are you being offered things by a mysterious Banker who tells you that you if you don’t take this offer now then it will be gone? How much are you being analysed by unseen eyes that identify what your hot buttons are and what you’ll respond to?

Huge amounts of research is done into demographics to identify the key triggers that will cause people to make decisions. Seemingly generous offers of loans and credit cards are set at tempting levels so that the amount to be borrowed draws you in and the repayments are just about within your reach. How many times do you choose to deal and take what’s on offer?

Unfortunately, the deals that most people take in real life are deals that don’t really give them anything except more debt. What seems like a good offer is really coming from someone whose goal is to see you walk away with as little money as possible.

Equally people are walking past good offers of cash today as they hold out for an unknown “prize” somewhere in the future. How much money is spent each week on lottery tickets instead of putting it into a decent savings account that gives a guaranteed return. And how often does that hoped for lottery prize turn out to be a low value amount or nothing?

There are Bankers all around you who are trying to figure out how to make sure you walk away with the smallest amount of money. And every time you’re faced with a decision you need to ask yourself what the real deal is. And you need to make sure you're as informed as possible.

Are you putting yourself in the position of the contestant, with nothing but the advice of your friends and family to rely on? And let’s face it, they’re probably no more informed than you. Or can you turn it around and become as informed as the Banker? Can you get the information that allows you to set the deals? The better you understand the rules and the game the better you can play it. And no–one understands it better than the Banker.

So become your own Banker today and put yourself in charge of the game.

You can discover what you need to know about your finances at http://www.yourmoneymindset.com where you can request a Free Report.

Andy Warren is a qualified chartered accountant, entrepreneur and coach with business experience at director levels in blue chip companies, SMEs and start-ups.

He is also a Master Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and is trained in behavioural sciences and life skills. He has extensive knowledge, skills and experience in the field of coaching and developing human behaviour.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andy_Warren

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