PM Albanese spells fun at annual Spelling Bee

W-e-l-c-o-m-e was the word of the day when Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stopped by for an impromptu* spelling quiz with excited kids at Nundah State School. The Brisbane students were armed with brightly coloured letters of the alphabet to help the PM launch the fourth annual Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee.

Mr Albanese said he was “so pleased” the free, online competition run by classroom news site Kids News was available to students across Australia, adding that the need for solid spelling skills was “timeless*.”

“We live in an age when technology is constantly changing the way we communicate with each other, yet the importance of spelling is timeless,” he said.

“As you work to improve your spelling, you’re doing more than putting the right letters in the right order. You are building your literacy*, strengthening your memory and improving your communication and comprehension* skills. All of this will hold you in good stead, right through your life.”

Mr Albanese said the national spelling bee was “a fun way to test yourself against the clock, against your classmates and against students your age all over our nation” – not to mention against the man himself.

National champions annually have a great deal of fun testing the PM’s spelling during their grand prize private meeting at Parliament House. Reigning Years 3-4 winner Samuel Wright swiftly brought Mr Albanese undone last year with “Caesar”.

Fresh from his warm up with Nundah’s super spellers, Mr Albanese was up for the challenge.

“I look forward to meeting the winners later in the year,” he said. “Good luck!”

Principal Rachel Korst said Nundah State School has been part of the previous three Bees “and will be again in 2024.”

“Students at Nundah are supported to read, write and spell at the levels they need to succeed through explicit* (teaching)”, Ms Korst said.

“Our aim is for all students to be reading and writing at the levels they need to succeed, and to reach their potential. Many of our students look forward to this opportunity to challenge themselves”

Ms Korst said the Bee was another opportunity for the kids to share their “knowing gift” – one of ten gifts that the school weaves through learning and playing every day.

“We were honoured to have the Prime Minister visit our school, and to be part of the launch of the Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee for 2024,” Ms Korst said.

News Corp Australia’s community ambassador, Penny Fowler, said the PM’s Spelling Bee was an annual highlight for Kids News and that it was “fantastic to welcome it back for a fourth year”.

“We are passionate about educating future generations and we have now hosted 140,000 children across the nation keen to see how far they can stretch their vocabulary*,” Mrs Fowler said.

“It is our only national spelling bee and one with a proven track record of getting kids excited by spelling and language, which are so important to their future success.”

Kids News editor Diana Jenkins acknowledged the importance of investing in children’s literacy within their increasingly digitally-dependent world.

“With the skyrocketing use of social media platforms by young people, we are providing kids with a digital way of engaging with traditional literacy pathways,” Ms Jenkins said.

“Spelling and literacy are foundational skills* for everyday life. The Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee offers a fun and friendly platform to encourage kids to develop these skills for a prosperous future.”

Registrations and the national school round open Monday 22 July at spelling-bee.com.au

ABOUT THE BEE

● The Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee is a free, online competition for students in Years 3-8.

● Teachers can register students from Monday 22 July, when the national school round begins.

● The school round ends on Friday 23 August. State and territory finals will be held September 2 to September 6 and the national finals on September 11-12.

● Students compete at their school in three levels: Green level for Years 3-4, Orange level for Years 5-6 and Red level for Years 7-8.

● They get 30 randomly selected words from their competition level and have 25 seconds to type each answer. The students with the most correct words in the fastest time progress to finals.

● The national champion in each age group wins a trip to Canberra to meet the Prime Minister, an iPad, HarperCollins book pack and a $1000 voucher for their school.

Details: spelling-bee.com.au

WATCH THE VIDEO

GLOSSARY

• impromptu: done without being planned, organised, or rehearsed
• literacy: the ability to read and write
• timeless: not affected by the passage of time or changes in fashion; everlasting
• vocabulary: the set of words known and used by a person in a particular language
• comprehension: the ability to understand and grasp the meaning of something, such as spoken or written language
• explicit (teaching): a method of teaching that is direct, clear, and specific, often involving step-by-step instructions
• foundational skills: basic, essential skills that are necessary for further learning and development, such as reading, writing, and arithmetic

EXTRA READING

Bee winners spell trouble for the PM

Top first round Spelling Bee results nationwide

PM’s bold a-m-b-i-t-i-o-n-s for Bee

QUICK QUIZ

1. What event was Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attending at Nundah State School?
2. How did Prime Minister Anthony Albanese describe the importance of spelling in the digital age?
3. Who was the reigning Years 3-4 winner that challenged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese with the word “Caesar”?
4. What are some benefits of improving spelling skills mentioned by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese?
5. How many children have participated in the Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee since its inception, according to Penny Fowler?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Teacher spelling test
Get into the Spelling Bee mood by testing how good your teacher is at spelling!

Browse through a dictionary to help you make a list of 10 words that you think are tricky to spell. Test your teacher on these words – how many times can you trick them?

Perhaps you can convince your teacher to offer a reward such as a class game – if they spell the word incorrectly but you can spell it without looking – you win!

Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English

2. Extension
Write a paragraph to summarise the news article about the Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee. Include 10 spelling mistakes in your paragraph. Swap with a friend, find the spelling mistakes and correctly spell those words.

Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English

VCOP ACTIVITY
Vocabulary recycle
There is some vivid vocabulary being used in the article, and I am not just talking about the glossary words. Go through the article and highlight the high-level language that you are impressed by in yellow.

See if you can borrow two of these wow words to reuse in your own way.

Remember vocabulary is a great way to connect with the audience, but you need to think about who your audience is so you make great word choices.

Who will the audience be in your recycled sentences?