Story Preview: Ace Spelling becomes a super speller
overnight and discovers that this blessing also is a curse!
Roles: Narrator, Mom, Ace Spelling, Bus Driver, Mr.
Spellman, Principal, Judge, Emmy
Additional Resources
Continue the spelling fun of this Reader's Theater script with the online game Fake Out! from Education Place. Players try to determine the correct definition for unusual words. They also can enter false definitions for upcoming words and check in later to see how many players have selected their phony definitions.
In Random House's Beat the Dictionary, players guess letters that appear in a hidden word. When their guesses are correct, pieces of a cover of a dictionary are revealed. The goal is to find all the letters in the hidden word before the entire cover appears.
FunBrain's Spell Check asks players to identify the incorrectly spelled word among four choices, andt to spell the word correctly.
For in-class fun, see Spelling
and Vocabulary Plans from the Teacher's Desk. With games
like "Mirage" and "Sparkle," your students won't complain about
spelling review!
Setting: present day, home and school
Theme: There's more to life than winning.
Vocabulary:
adversary: opponent
astrophysics: a type of astronomy that deals with objects in space
bagel: a hard roll shaped like a donut
culmination: high point
distinction: special honor
genius: a person having exceptional intellect
marsupial: a type of mammal in which the female has a pouch, such
as a kangaroo or opossum
navigate: to direct or steer
omelet: beaten eggs often cooked with other ingredients
victorious: having won a struggle or competition
Props: something, or someone, to make the sound of
a horn beeping from a bus and a dictionary
Follow-Up Questions:
What unusual event marked the start of Ace's strange spelling condition?
When did Ace realize that he was only able to spell and not able to
speak in his normal way?
What word brought an end to the spelling competition?
Why does Ace seem relieved when he is not able to spell the final
word?
Why do you think Ace asks for pizza for supper instead of soup?
Follow-Up Activity:
Arrange students into small groups and have each group write a script that continues the spelling bee saga of Ace Spelling. Will Ace eat pizza and go on to spelling glory? Will his adversary Emmy (the enemy) claim the prize? Will the spelling spell return? Each group will need a dictionary, so students can include at least five new words and their definitions in the dialogue. Encourage each group to read its script to the entire class.
