How would you rate the spelling instruction given at your school?
	We emphasize spelling instruction; most students are very good spellers.
	I give our school's spelling instruction just average grades.
	Our spelling instruction spells t-r-o-u-b-l-e for students.

IN THE NEWS

National Spelling Bee Shines Spotlight on Adults' Poor Spelling
When Scripps National Spelling Bee competitors gather in Washington, D.C., on May 29 for the 81st national championships, young people from all over the U.S. will sweat over arcane words ranging from accretionary to zeugma. Yet, according to a recent survey, many adults can't spell the ordinary words we use every day. In a survey performed by WhiteSmoke.com, adults were asked to pick out the correct spelling of 20 words. Calendar was misspelled by 19 percent of people, 20 percent were clueless when it came to spelling embarrass, and 38 percent had no idea how to spell definitely. Despite misspelling many basic words, a large majority of adults regard their spelling skills as excellent or good, said a WhiteSmoke official. So how would you have done on this survey? Give it a try. Circle the correctly spelled word in each row below. Scroll to the bottom of the page for the correct responses.

1.   embarrass     embaress     embarass

2.   accomodate     accommodate     acommodate

3.   occured     occurred     occurred

4.   definitely     difinately     definitly

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

National Honor Society for Elementary Students
Were you a National Honor Society member when you were in school? The NHS was formed in 1921 by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). A handful of years later, NASSP introduced the National Junior Honor Society to recognize junior high and middle school students who excel. More than just an honor roll, NHS and NJHS honor students who demonstrate excellence in the areas of scholarship, leadership, service, and character. It's been a long time coming, but last month NASSP and the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) joined forces to create the National Elementary Honor Society (NEHS) to recognize elementary students for their outstanding academic achievement and demonstrated personal responsibility. Thirteen schools across the U.S. make up the charter membership of NEHS. To learn more about how your school can start an NEHS chapter, see the NEHS Web site.

CAUGHT ON THE NET

Combine the popular Hangman game and geography and you get Geography Hangman from FactMonster.com. Here students can play four different versions of Hangman: State Names Hangman, State Capitals Hangman, Country Names Hangman, and World Capitals Hangman. Choose one letter at a time. If the letter appears in the geography name, students see it in position. If the letter does not fit in the place name, one part of the hangman will appear. Will Hangman end up smiling or frowning? Plus: Find more fun geography games and crossword puzzles on this site.

EducationWorld has reviewed thousands of sites of interest to educators. Be sure to visit our Site Review Archive. You might also visit our Sites to See themed listings.

FROM THE LIBRARY SHELF

Team-Building Activities for Every Group
In the pages of this easy-to-use book, find 107 interactive games and activities. Each game is fun, experiential, easy to lead, unique, and requires minimal resources. With 65 team challenges and 42 activities that help any team get to know one another, become comfortable with each other, and open up, there is something for every group. If you work with youth, corporate groups, therapy groups, church groups, advisories, scouts, families, school groups, sports teams, at camp, or with any other group who must work together you will find helpful games and activities in this fun, energetic, and purposeful book. Learn more or buy the book.

UPCOMING CONFERENCES

Maybe Monday will be a good day to approach your school or district leaders about attending one of these upcoming conferences put on by well-known national associations.

NABSE Conference
The annual conference of the National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE) will be in Atlanta, Georgia, from November 18 - 23, 2008.

Because Shift Happens: Teaching in the Twenty-First Century
The annual conference of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) will be in San Antonio, Texas, from November 20 - 23, 2008.

National Media Education Conference
The bi-annual conference of the Alliance for a Media Literate American (AMLA) will be held in Detroit, Michigan, from August 1 - 4, 2009.

Nutrition Connections
This conference of the Food Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture will be in Arlington, Virginia, from August 3 - 5, 2009.

For a more complete list of upcoming conferences, see Education World's Conventions and Conferences Center.

If your national non-profit organization's conference should be listed here, send an email to [email protected]. We will be happy to include it in our rotation so long as it is open to all educators and/or administrators (not only members).

LEAVE 'EM LAUGHING

Cafeteria Cuisine

When the power went off at the elementary school, the cook couldn't serve a hot meal in the cafeteria. She had to feed the children something, so at the last minute she whipped up great stacks of peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches.

As one little boy filled his plate, he said, "It's about time. At last -- a home cooked meal!"

Kindergarten Teachers

A kindergarten teacher is one who knows how to make the most of the little things in life.

Now go and enjoy your weekend!

Spelling Test Answers
The answers to the spelling test above are: 1. embarrass (first choice); 2. accommodate (second choice); 3. occurred (second choice); 4. definitely (first choice)