FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ) ABOUT SPELLING BEE MOROCCOTM

Is this a test? No, it's a competition, a game. Luck is involved, and success depends on other qualities as well as knowledge of English. And there are prizes! What other skills are needed? The team bee requires good communication, consensus building, and decision-making, while the solo bee requires poise under pressure and public speaking. Both require critical thinking. All are good school and life skills. Why are there two competitions – team and solo – in Spelling Bee Morocco? The team competition is a little less intimidating and, because it allows three mistakes before elimination, a little more forgiving. That makes it ideal for ESL and shyer students. The solo bee, on the other hand, allows the individual to shine. How many students go from the School Championship to the District Championship? Three. The top three solo finishers go to the districts and compete twice, first as the team representing their school, second as individuals in the solo bee. Why have a Team Bee at the School level if they don't move on to Districts? Because it's fun, and it's good practice for later competition for those who do go on. Are the teams from the Districts made up of the top three solo spellers at the District Championship? No, the team from the school stays together. If the team keeps winning, the three spellers will go all the way to the nationals. How many spellers advance from the District and Regional levels to the next level? Anywhere from three to six. The three members of winning team, plus the three top solo finishers. It's possible that one or more of the top solo finishers might also be on the winning team, so the actual number of total spellers might be four or five. It could even be just three if the three members of the winning team also finished 1-2-3 in the solo bee. Is there a separate competition for each grade level? No. This is what is called an “open” competition, with people at all levels competing together. But in recognition of the greater challenge for beginning students, there is a Novice Team Championship at the District Level. That doesn't seem fair. Why not have a separate competition for each grade level? An open competition allows the disciplined and talented student an opportunity for success. In the first year of Spelling Bee Morocco, one 9th grader made it to the finals, while the remaining 26 finalists were evenly split among 10th, 11th, and 12th graders. The winner of the solo bee was a 12th grader, but the winning team was made up of three 11th graders.

How long do the competitions last? Each bee can last anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour or more, depending on how closely matched the competitors are. The District Championships take a day, including travel to and from the event. The Regional Championships take two days with travel. And the National Championship will cover four days including travel.

Are expenses paid? Yes. Travel is reimbursed for the District Championships. For the Regional and National Championships, travel, food, and accommodations are provided for the spellers and their coaches. See the Spelling Bee Morocco website for details. Is there an entry fee? No, there is no entry fee, but schools and dar chebabs must register in advance in order to send spellers to the District Championships. Are university students eligible? No, the competition is open only to students who have not yet completed the baccalaureate and who will not have reached the age of 20 before May 1, 2013. Can adults enter? No. Is there a lower age limit? No. Can an individual register for the Spelling Bee Morocco competition? No. Only schools (public and private) and dar chebabs can register. Spellers enter the competition by competing in a registered school or dar chebab's championship. What if my school is not registered? Encourage your teacher(s) or headmaster to register. It's easy and it's free. Here's the link:

http://www.spellingbeemorocco.org/registration1.html. If that still doesn't work, perhaps a nearby dar chebab will register and conduct a championship. Can I compete in more than one spelling bee? At the school level, yes. Theoretically, students could compete in three different championships at the school level – public school, dar chebab, and private school. But if they placed in the top three at more than one of them, they would have to choose ahead of time which one to represent at the District Championship. They would not be allowed to compete for more than one school/dar chebab at the District Championship. Is there a word list to study? A large percentage of the words in the competition will come from the Moroccan English textbooks, lists of which can be found on the Spelling Bee Morocco website. About 50% of the words will be the same as those used in last year's competition, which can also be found on the website. Studying those lists will familiarize you with many, but not all, of the words used in the competition. Where do the words come from? All of the words used in the competition can be found in the Macmillan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners, the dictionary of record for Spelling Bee Morocco 2013. Why isn't there a list of all the words to be used? A spelling bee at its best challenges a speller's skill at spelling not his or her skill at memorization. Therefore, at the highest level, there will be words the spellers may never have heard or seen before. They will need to apply their feeling for the language, their knowledge of roots and patterns, etc., to figure the spelling out.