Research has found that spelling, reading, writing and comprehension skills are all closely linked. A study conducted by L.C. Ehri for the Scientific Study of Reading found that spelling instruction improves reading ability, as it builds a learner's knowledge of the alphabetic system in the way it is used in reading. Spellings help to cement the connection between the letters and their sounds. Learning High Frequency Words helps in both reading and writing. Good spellings in a way facilitate comprehension and understanding.
Learning to spell correctly has always been a crucial stepping stone for our learners in St. Columba’s to achieve English language proficiency. It was a great opportunity for our boys to have participated in the ‘Spelling Bee Contest’ organised by the India Spelling Bee.
A total of 189 students of Class 1 and 323 students of Classes 2 and 3, pulled up their socks and engaged in rigorous sessions of learning spellings. They practiced each day from the booklets provided.
This not only contributed to strengthening their ability to spell correctly but also aided in vocabulary building as the students learnt new words. Time bound ‘Spelling Bee’ sample tests kept them on their toes and honed their skills of MCQs. This was good practice for the boys to beat the clock and helped improve their performance.
The first round of the contest was conducted on the 22nd of January 2020. The results were encouraging as we had a tie in class 1 and in
classes 2 and 3.
The tie breaker was conducted on the 4th of March, to get the school
winner. The Winners-
Class 1: Dhiman Mehandiratta 1C.
Class 3: Ayan Grover 3 B.
will be awarded Certificates of Merit and Gold Medals.
Besides the winners we also had a group of young Columbans who qualified to participate in the ‘Regional Level Spell Bee’. As a token of encouragement, all participants from our school will be awarded Certificates of Participation.
Participation in such contests not only helps our students in honing their spelling skills but also provides them a platform to build their vocabulary and attempt MCQs in a time bound slot. This was surely a promising start and marked yet another step towards learning beyond books.
