Spelling is the gateway to reading and writing. Knowing how to spell increases one’s verbal skills and ability to articulate one’s thoughts in writing. The goal of the spelling bee is to increase our learners’ word knowledge, which will help them to be able to competently read and write. It is not to promote learning to spell by rote, but to foster a learners ability to break down a word into syllables and use logic to spell.

Spelling bee is fun and has long term benefits. Taking part in a spelling bee requires learners to spell words in front of an audience and from this experience they also develop self-confidence, communication, public speaking skills and their ability to thrive under pressure.

In 2015, Touch Africa in partnership with the AVBOB Foundation and Camp I Am developed a “Spelling Bee Resource Pack”. This resource pack would provide schools with a comprehensive understanding of how to conduct their own school level bee.

The resource pack consists of a manual, pronunciation CD and a “How-to” video.

The core objectives behind this project is to get schools excited about spelling bee and hopefully encourage them to participate in the National Spelling Bee hosted by the Department of Basic Education.

Test your spelling abilities by listening to the “pronunciation lessons” below: