My Kid's a Genius File

Icy Mountain

Icy Mountain

Sachem
My son, a 5th grader, participated in his school district’s spelling bee last night. This was a district wide competition for 5th through 8th graders. They have a ranking system that includes written spelling tests, a spelling bee at each school (9 elementary, 3 middle), etc. There are about 3,000 kids in grades 5-8. The top four 5th graders from each elementary and the top two 6th, 7th and 8th graders from each middle school are ranked via this system and all the kids are then stacked in order. There were 61 kids (there were several ties in the middle schools) total in the spelling bee with #61 being the highest ranking.

My son started as #43. After several rounds of spelling tricky-but-short words like “fancily,” “commando” and “bethel” he was the last 5th grader standing. His 4 companions were a 6th grader, a 7th grader and two 8th graders.

He correctly spelled “bromeliad”, “napalm” and “manganese”. After outlasting the 6th grader, he was shot down by “disaforest”, which is correctly spelled “disafforest”. M$ spell checker doesn’t recognize either one and I can’t find it in my trusty American Heritage Dictionary. The winner correctly spelled “bureaucracy” and “kaiserdom” after the runner-up left the second “r” out of “bureaucracy”.

Anyway, he landed in 4th place (!!!) behind the two 8th graders and the 7th grader.

Mr. Icy "I love my kids" Mountain
 
Al Rosen

Al Rosen

Leader
Super Moderator
Icy Mountain said:
My son, a 5th grader, participated in his school district’s spelling bee last night. This was a district wide competition for 5th through 8th graders. They have a ranking system that includes written spelling tests, a spelling bee at each school (9 elementary, 3 middle), etc. There are about 3,000 kids in grades 5-8. The top four 5th graders from each elementary and the top two 6th, 7th and 8th graders from each middle school are ranked via this system and all the kids are then stacked in order. There were 61 kids (there were several ties in the middle schools) total in the spelling bee with #61 being the highest ranking.

My son started as #43. After several rounds of spelling tricky-but-short words like “fancily,” “commando” and “bethel” he was the last 5th grader standing. His 4 companions were a 6th grader, a 7th grader and two 8th graders.

He correctly spelled “bromeliad”, “napalm” and “manganese”. After outlasting the 6th grader, he was shot down by “disaforest”, which is correctly spelled “disafforest”. M$ spell checker doesn’t recognize either one and I can’t find it in my trusty American Heritage Dictionary. The winner correctly spelled “bureaucracy” and “kaiserdom” after the runner-up left the second “r” out of “bureaucracy”.

Anyway, he landed in 4th place (!!!) behind the two 8th graders and the 7th grader.

Mr. Icy "I love my kids" Mountain
Click to expand...
Congratulations. The usage of the word is as follows. You have to step outta disafforest in order to see the trees.:D Sorry, I couldn't resist.
 
Jim Wynne

Jim Wynne

Leader
Admin
Al Rosen said:
Congratulations. The usage of the word is as follows. You have to step outta disafforest in order to see the trees.:D Sorry, I couldn't resist.
Click to expand...

And my congratulations as well. BTW to Al--you misspelled "datrees.":read:
 
D

D.Scott

Congratulations to Icy's kid.

By the way, disafforest means to clear away trees.

Dave
 
C

Craig H.

D.Scott said:
Congratulations to Icy's kid.

By the way, disafforest means to clear away trees.

Dave
Click to expand...


So, if you disafforest you can't see any trees?

:confused:
 
Icy Mountain

Icy Mountain

Sachem
The contest is sponsored by the Scripps-Howard people. It may be just me but I noticed an environmentally sympathic word usage in the context sentences. Another of the words was "ecocide" (i.e. The large logging company was accused of ecocide when they decided to disafforest the entire county.) Thanks for the congratulations. I'll pass them along.
 
Icy Mountain

Icy Mountain

Sachem
Scott_Catron said:
My 4-year-old read her first book this week.
Click to expand...
Scott,
That's excellent. Alex learned to read before he was in kindergarten. We were using The Junior Phonics Game with his older brother and he played right along. He was tested at a 4th grade, 6th month level about 3 days into 1st grade. Both of my boys test out 4 grade levels above their age in reading. I have used this game and the more advanced Phonics Game to tutor disadvantaged middle school kids from reading 4 or 5 grades below level to a grade above, in less than a school year.
 
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