Thank you to HEB and the Harris County Department of Education for their financial support of the 2016
Houston Public Media Spelling Bee.
Important Dates and Process
School Spelling Bees
Fall Semester
Regional/District
Spelling Bees
February 2016
1. Schools Enroll
School Representatives enroll
schools by October 15, 2015.
(Late enrollment continues
through December 11.)
4. School Champion
Prepares for Region/District
Spelling Bee
School Bee Coordinators give
study materials to the school
champion to prepare for the
Region/District Spelling Bee.
Houston Public Media
Spelling Bee
April 2, 2016
2. Study Materials to
Students
Scripps National
Spelling Bee
May 2016
3. School Spelling Bee
School Bee Coordinators give
study materials to students in
the Fall Semester.
Each school holds a spelling bee
during the Fall Semester or the
first two weeks of January. Each
school champion will advance to
a Region/District Spelling Bee.
5. School District Spelling Bee
-or- Regional Spelling Bee
6. Houston Public Media
Spelling Bee
School Champions participate
in a school district or regional
spelling bee in February 2016.
Region and School District
Champions participate in the
Houston Public Media Spelling
Bee. Broadcast on Houston
Public Media, TV 8, April 2, 2016.
Houston Public Media Spelling Bee 2016 Information for Spellers
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About the Houston Public Media Spelling Bee
Houston Public Media is a partnering sponsor with the Scripps
National Spelling Bee.
The Houston Public Media Spelling Bee is
the second largest local spelling bee in the
country with 1000+ schools participating
from 42 Texas counties. Through a series of
school bees, school district/regional bees, and
the final Houston Public Media Bee, the top
two spellers advance to the Scripps National
Spelling Bee in Washington, DC.
geographical area
Angelina, Austin, Bastrop, Brazoria,
Brazos, Burleson, Caldwell, Chambers,
Colorado, Fayette, Fort Bend, Galveston,
Grimes, Hardin, Harris, Hays,
Houston, Jasper, Jefferson, Lee, Leon,
Liberty, Madison, Matagorda, Milam,
Montgomery, Nacogdoches, Newton,
Orange, Polk, Robertson, Sabine, San
Augustine, San Jacinto, Travis, Trinity,
Tyler, Walker, Waller, Washington,
Wharton, and Williamson counties
Enrollment
Spelling Bee participation is through schools that are officially enrolled with Scripps. All schools are
eligible: public, private, charter, virtual, and homeschools. Each school organizes its own bee.
To check if your school is enrolled, https://secure.spellingbee.com/enrollment/check.
If your school is not enrolled, ask someone in your school office if your school is planning to enroll. The
school enrollment deadline is October 15, 2015 (late enrollment until December 11, 2015), www.spellingbee.
com. If your school needs help enrolling, school representatives should contact Connie Hill at chill@
houstonpublicmedia.org
Home School Enrollment
Look for the Home School Document on the Spelling Bee web page, www.houstonpublicmedia.org/spellingbee.
Eligibility
The program is open to students who have neither turned 16 nor passed beyond the eighth grade, and
who attend schools that are officially enrolled with Scripps National Spelling Bee. Complete listing of
eligibility requirements, www.spellingbee.com/eligibility.
Minimum Grade Requirement?
There is no minimum grade for participation in the Houston Public Media Spelling Bee or in the Scripps National
Spelling Bee. However, schools or school districts may set a minimum grade for their own spelling bees.
Houston Public Media Spelling Bee 2016 Information for Spellers
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School Bees (Fall Semester – January 16, 2016)
Each school organizes its own bee and sets its own bee date.
Spelling Bee Information and Study Word Lists are available from your School Spelling Bee Coordinator. If you
do not receive study materials, ask your School Spelling Bee Coordinator for them.
Many students ask what words will be used in the school bee. A ‘spelling bee’ is different than a typical
‘spelling test’. In a spelling bee, the spellers do not know which word(s) will be called. The early rounds of the
bee are selected from the Study Words Lists. Later rounds are selected from the dictionary and are not on the
Study Words List.
Your school spelling bee will begin with words selected from the Study Words you received from the School
Spelling Bee Coordinator and then progress to words that are not from the Study Words.
During the bee, spellers may ask for the following: repeat the word; definition; sentence; part of speech;
language of origin; and alternate pronunciation.
Region/School District Spelling Bees (February)
School Champions participate in a school district or a region spelling bee in February.
School Champions will receive details about the date and location, as well as study materials, from their School
Spelling Bee Coordinators. If you do not receive study materials, ask your School Spelling Bee Coordinator for them.
Study materials include the seventh and eighth grade word lists from the School Study Words and ‘Spell It’, a booklet
containing about 1150 words divided by language of origin.
The Region/School District Spelling Bee will begin with words selected from the Scripps National Spelling Bee 7th
and 8th grade School Study Words, and then progress to words selected from ‘Spell It’, and then to words that
are not from Scripps National Spelling Bee Materials. The bee progresses through each of these sections until a
champion speller remains.
Houston Public Media Spelling Bee 2016 Information for Spellers
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Region/School District Spelling Bees (February), continued
School District Spelling Bees
School champions from Public Schools within these school districts compete in a School District Spelling Bee.
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•
•
•
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Aldine ISD
Fort Bend ISD
La Porte ISD
Alief ISD
Galena Park ISD
Pasadena ISD
Alvin ISD
Goose Creek CISD
•
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Pearland ISD
Channelview ISD
Houston ISD
Sheldon ISD
Clear Creek ISD
Huffman ISD
Spring ISD
Crosby ISD
•
•
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Humble ISD
Spring Branch ISD
Cypress Fairbanks ISD
Katy ISD
Tomball ISD
Deer Park ISD
Klein ISD
Region Spelling Bees
School Champions from all other schools not mentioned in the section above compete in a Region Spelling Bee.
• Zone 1 – Brazoria County
• Zone 2 – Fort Bend County
• Zone 3 – Galveston & Chambers
Counties
• Zone 4 – Jefferson & Liberty
Counties
• Zone 5 –Matagorda, Wharton,
Colorado, Austin and Waller
Counties
• Zone 6 –Orange, Newton, Tyler,
Jasper and Hardin Counties
• Zone 7 –Angelina, Nacogdoches,
Houston, San Augustine and
Sabine Counties
• Zone 8 –Montgomery, Walker,
San Jacinto, Trinity and Polk
Counties
• Zone 9 – Brazos, Grimes,
Leon, Robertson, Madison and
Washington Counties
• Zone 10 –Travis, Fayette,
Caldwell and Hays Counties
• Zone 11 –Williamson, Milam, Lee,
Bastrop and Burleson Counties
[all Round Rock ISD and Leander
ISD schools regardless of county]
• Charter Schools in Harris County
• Home Schools in Greater
Houston Area
• Parochial (Catholic Diocese)
Schools in Harris County
• Private Schools in Harris County
Houston Public Media Spelling Bee (April 2, 2016)
The top spellers from Region/School District Bees participate in the Houston Public Media Spelling Bee.
The 2016 Houston Public Media Spelling Bee will not use the 2016 School Study Words or ‘Spell It’. There are no
official study materials for the Houston Public Media Spelling Bee. All words will be selected from Webster’s
Third New International Dictionary and its addenda section, ©2002 Merriam-Webster.
This spelling bee will be shown in a LIVE broadcast, in the Houston television market, on Saturday, April 2, 2016.
Houston Public Media Spelling Bee 2016 Information for Spellers
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Scripps National Bee (May 2016)
The top two spellers from the Houston Public Media Spelling Bee participate in the Scripps National
Spelling Bee in Washington, DC. All expenses are paid.
Additional Study Materials
As a courtesy, study links from Spell Success, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization,
http://spellsuccess2u.blogspot.com/, are listed. (Houston Public Media does not endorse any of the blog
postings below nor advocate using them or not using them.)
Consolidated Word List
http://spellsuccess2u.blogspot.com/p/cwl.html
http://spellsuccess2u.blogspot.com/2011/05/how-to-approach-consolidated-word-list.html
Roots, Suffixes, Prefixes and Spelling Rules
http://spellsuccess2u.blogspot.com/2011/02/latin-words-in-spell-it-roots.html
http://spellsuccess2u.blogspot.com/2011/04/rule-breakers-ei-or-ie-rule.html
http://www.mrjonathan.com/mxrm9files/GrammarPages/prefixes%20&%20Sufixes%20Dictionary.pdf
https://www.learnthat.org/pages/view/roots.html
https://www.learnthat.org/pages/view/suffix.html
Merriam-Webster Resources
http://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/
http://www.merriam-webster.com/spell-it/index.htm
http://www.merriam-webster.com/namethatthing/index.htm
http://www.merriam-webster.com/quiz/index.htm
http://learnersdictionary.com/3000-words
Official Dictionary, Webster’s Third New International Dictionary and its addenda section, ©2002 MerriamWebster, http://unabridged.m-w.com/
Spelling Workshop by Syamantak Payra, Friendswood Public Library
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rlyd-_TsrIs
Notes
The Houston Public Media Spelling Bee is the first public broadcaster and the second largest local sponsor of
the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Spellers advance from a challenging series of school, district, and regional
spelling bees: 1000+ schools, 100,000+ spellers, 42 Texas counties. Spelling Bee participation enriches the
language skills of students across the nation with a focus on better spelling, richer vocabulary and correct
English usage. Bee participation also provides confidence-building experience in public-speaking skills.
Houston Public Media Spelling Bee Spelling Bee contact is Connie Hill, [email protected]
Houston Public Media Spelling Bee 2016 Information for Spellers
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