Sports+Time

I give my students 20 spelling words each week, plus one bonus word (usually something they need to know, like the name of the city we live in, a day of the week, something we are learning ie. synonym) After 5 weeks, I choose 50 spelling words they have had and give them a unit test. I also choose one of the previous bonus words and include that as a bonus for the unit. I have a spelling bee every week for the students to practice their weekly words, and I thought it would take forever to have a spelling bee with 50 words, so I invented "Spelling Baseball."
 * Vocabulary for All Content Areas - shared by Debbie Gaffney, Phoenixville, PA **

1. Increase the font of the 50 words spelling list and cut into individual strips.  2. Staple the strips closed (at the end of the strip.) 3. Assign a value of Grand Slam to the bonus word. 4. Randomly choose 12 words and write S on them (Single) 5. Randomly choose 12 words and write D on them (Double)  6. Randomly choose 12 words and write T on them (Triple) 7. Write HR (Home Run) on the remaining 14 strips. 8. Put all of the strips into a container (not a clear container) I use a basket.  9. Divide the students evenly into teams. 10. Set up chairs in an L shape...one side of the L is the "dugout" and the other side of the L is the "out field"

Set up 4 chairs in a diamond shape in the middle of the L to represent "the bases"

11. Allow students to choose team names and teacher keeps score on the board.  12. First student in the dugout stands, pulls a slip from the basket, and hands it to the teacher. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">13. The teacher reads the value of the word and the word to the student. "For a triple, the word is beautiful." <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">14. If student spells correctly they take the base. If there are "runners" on the bases they move as they should. If the student spells the word incorrectly they are out, the students from the "dugout" move to the "outfield," and vice versa. The word gets re-stapled, and placed back into the container. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">15. I implement a 5 run rule...after 5 runs, teams switch sides. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">16. One out per team....1 misspelled word is an out. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">17. Players may not help each other. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">18. I leave a mini whiteboard and dry erase marker at "home plate" for those that need to see what they are spelling.