spell-it-right challenge_ magical spells _ new straits times

8/10/2019 Spell-it-right Challenge_ Magical Spells _ New Straits Times

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SPELL-IT-RIGHT CHALLENGE:Magical spells(http://www.nst.com.my/node/26095)BY HAZLINA AZIZ (HTTP://WWW.NST.COM.MY/TAXONOMY/TERM/4089) - 24 AUGUST 2014 @

8:00 AM

ANOTHER ASPECT: Spelling contests are a way to savour a formal layer of

the English language

KENNETH Wu Min Jin, 17, is at it again spelling away in an attempt at

clinching the RHB-NST Spell-It -Right (SIR) Challenge national champion

title for the sixth consecutive year.

The fifth former from SMK King George V, Seremban is once again headed

for the national challenge after he won the Negeri Sembilan state

championship last week.

This year will be his last stab at winning the contest which is open to those

aged below 18.

Some say that knowing how to spell anthropopsychism or festschrift

two of Wus winning words, among many more that he could spell last year

is a useless talent that has no real-life application outside of contests.

The importance of spelling has been questioned in recent years because of

the use of spellcheck in word processing programs.

Some teachers and academic researchers say that a focus on spelling holds

back the creative writing process and students will naturally develop

spelling skills through reading.

(http://www.nst.com.my/node/28382)

Man United reach agreement to sign Blind


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9/23/2014 SPELL-IT-RIGHT CHALLENGE: Mag ical spells | New Straits Times

file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/PRE-LOADED/Desktop/SS_KKBI_2014/SPELL-IT-RIGHT%20CHALLENGE%20%20Magical%20spells%20_%20Ne

In many classrooms, teachers are doing away with spelling tests. Setting a

spelling test on Friday, based on a list of words given to pupils on Monday,

does not constitute teaching nor does writing the words,10 times each.

If knowing how to spell is part of literacy skills, how should it be taught?

Wan Mohamed Faris Wan Yusoff, an English language teacher at SK

Setiawangsa, Kuala Lumpur integrates the teaching of spelling while

imparting the four main skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing).

He said: I introduce my 9- and 10-year-old pupils to phonics so that theycan associate the sounds and corresponding letters to help them to spell.

I teach them to spell in untraditional ways I engage them in games and

form words using un cooked spaghetti.

He conducts spelling tests before he starts teaching a n ew class to assess

pupils language proficiency.

I do not compile a list but they have to spell at least 10 English words that

they know instead. Sometimes I conduct spelling tests as part of exam

revision.

Dr Zaira Abu Hassan Shaari, a Teaching English as a Second Language

lecturer at Institut Pendidikan Guru, said the importance of spelling is

stipulated in the Kurikulum Standard Sekolah Rendah to build a strong

foundation of competencies in basic literacy skills.

I do not feel that teachers are testing spelling more than the other literacy

skills.Spelling is often corrected in written work or in classroom tasks.

Tests are administered for the purpose o f assessing learning but they are

not the only way of doing it. Current trends (in assessment) include

alternative ways like peer feedback and observation checklist.

Zaira added that learning to spell is not always cognitively demanding. To

be able to spell, students need to familiarise themselves with spelling

patterns and, most importantly, practise writing. Many students often find

English spelling confusing because it is not a direct spelling-sound

correspondence like Bahasa Malaysia.

Exposure to the language and reading extensively will help in this process.

KEEPING IT IN PERSPECTIVE

There are no spelling competitions for languages such as Bahasa Malaysia

where the written word corresponds with its pronunciation. Spelling

contests are typically held only in languages like English and French, which

have awkward and random spelling systems.

Many tend to see spelling competitions as a throwback to the dreary days of

rote learning instead of celebrating academic achievement and promoting

awareness of spelling correctly. The argument is that those who memorise

lists of words will not make use of them in a sentence even if they can spell

them.

But as th e trend focuses on the informal texting and tweeting encourage

creative use of informal language spelling competitions do help to develop

vocabulary and an understanding of the English language.

A spelling contest should then translate into getting a winner who knows

the words instead of the one with the b est memory.

For the SIR contests, success will not depend solely on whether participants

were lucky enough to have memorised a particular word. The process of

getting a winner is no t quite so straightforward. Many skills are involved

before a speller is declared a winner.

The early rounds of the SIR contest incorporate a spelling test that requires

each contestant to spell the same list of 30 words on paper, with the top 100

scorers advancing to the state challenge.

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At the state challenge, spellers are given clues the definition and usage in

a sentence on the word to spell.

So the speller must retain the word in his short-term memory to perform

well at the state challenge. While remembering the word and its parts, he

must attach letters that represent each of the sounds and syllables. He must

also say each letter of the word in the correct order and do this while all eyes

are on him.

MORE THAN JUST LETTERSNSTP brand activation head Zahid Johan Lani said: The top scorer in the

early written test for SIR in each state does not necessarily end up as

champion of the state challenge. He will perform well but his confidence and

the ability to focus on spelling on stage will determine his performance at

the end of the day.

Super spelling skills may not come in all that handy in the real world but it

may instil discipline and self-confidence. Contestants develop poise on

stage.

Nurul Nadiah Nordin, who has participated in the SIR Challenges since she

was 14, said: Spelling on stage forces you to think on your feet. You need to

be knowledgeable and confident at the same time.

Nurul Nadiah won the Pahang secondary title in 2008. After two years of

disappointment, she returned as state champion in 2011 and later clinched

third place at the National Challenge.

Now 20 years old and in her third year of studying chemical engineering at

Vanderbilt University in the United States, she said the experience boosted

her confidence and has served her well in life so far.

I kept a journal of words and their meanings to prepare for the 2011

contest. The journal also included the pronunciation and usage example.

The list of words did not only help me in the competition but I also found

the need to use them in writing or in conversations.

She believes writing things down cements information more firmly as it

makes one use the senses to stimulate memory.

As they say, there are good writers who are bad spellers, but behind thosewriters there are also good editors who know the difference between lose

and loose, its and its or theyre and their.

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Nurul Nadiah Nordin was the state champion for Pahang in 2011.

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