Free Spelling Bee Games
Free spelling bee games use web tools and interactivity to bring the growing popularity of competitive spelling into the classroom. The games have large word databases and can be customized to a student's skill level.
Spell Bee
Spell Bee is recommended for students in grades 2-6 and has a data base of about 3,000 words. The game simulates a real spell-down situation in which students play in head-to-head competition. Points are earned in two ways--by spelling a word correctly and by giving the other player appropriate challenges. (Each player selects words for the other player.) The game includes a timer for each round to keep the action moving. The word presentation is both auditory and visual. Teachers are able to create accounts to track student progress. The process is very simple to complete. The teacher can limit competitions to within the class, within the school or allow students to play the game on the Internet. Safety precautions have been built in for the open Internet competitions. Names and email addresses are not collected. Children use nicknames. There is no chat function. Spell Bee was developed at Brandeis University with funding from the National Science Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
BigIQBee
BigIQBee is recommended for students in kindergarten through grade seven. Its data base includes 35,000 spelling words that are organized in grade level bands. Vivid animations allow players to go onto a spelling bee stage complete with bright lights and a huge audience. The avatar moderator presents the spelling words. Players hear the word and then hear it used in a sentence. The contestants have 90 seconds to type in the correct spelling. Misspelled words result in elimination; correct answers give the player an opportunity to continue.
Visual Thesaurus Spelling Bee
The Visual Thesaurus Spelling Bee program includes both individual and group competitions. Tournament Spelling is for one player and can be used with any grade level because of its adaptive nature. Tournament Spelling has an unlimited word bank. The program adapts to the speller's individual skill level. In the Tournament Spelling Bee, individuals play against themselves. Correct answers generate more difficult words. Incorrect answers generate easier words. Words that have been misspelled come back later in the round, so the player is encouraged to learn the correct spelling. The score is calculated on a scale from 200 to 800. The individual's score is updated after each round of five words and is compared to all tournament spellers. In the Community Spelling Bee, players try to spell words from an established list. The score is generated from the percentage of correctly spelled words ranging from 0 percent to 100 percent. The Tournament Spelling Bee includes a lesson plan for teachers. In the Community Spelling Bee version, teachers can design a custom word list for students to use.
Tags: Tournament Spelling, answers generate, Community Spelling, correct spelling, data base