More than 200 fifth graders gathered in the Wantagh High School auditorium on March 28 to showcase their knowledge of the English language. The inaugural Vocabulary Bee featured students from Forest Lake, Mandalay and Wantagh elementary schools.

Alison Hazut, director of elementary curriculum and instruction, worked cooperatively with building administrators to develop a new vocabulary initiative this year. At each grade level, students focus on three words per month that are connected to classroom units of study.

“The fifth grade Vocabulary Bee was the culminating celebration of learning,” Ms. Hazut said. “Creating this event for fifth graders is a preview of them coming together in September as middle school students, and also something our younger students can look forward to in the future.”

The fifth graders were split into two teams – black and gold. Each team consisted of students from all three elementary schools. On stage, there were two teams of five. Collectively, they represented the 10 fifth grade classes in the district. They were chosen because they were the highest-scoring students during in-class vocabulary competitions. 

Each teacher also selected runners-up who played a role in the audience participation rounds. 

The Vocabulary Bee had several types of question formats. Students had to guess the correct word to complete a sentence, or identify a synonym, antonym or proper suffix in multiple-choice questions. There were also partial-credit questions in which teams had to give the definition of a word. During audience participation, students came up with creative and original sentences that included a specific word.

Ms. Hazut said the questions were aligned to the district’s instruction and all focused on meaning-making. One student’s writing from each school was also highlighted as written expression is an important aspect of vocabulary development.

“The overall goal is for students to learn new vocabulary that they will integrate into their spoken and written language, she said, “and to have fun while learning new vocabulary.”

The winner of the competition was the black team. 

Director of Humanities Julie Rosslee and Director of STEM Christopher Kozak were judges. In addition to Ms. Hazut, question readers included Forest Lake Principal Thomas Burke, Mandalay Principal Marie Pisicchio, Wantagh Elementary Assistant Principal Rachel Iannuzzi and instructional coach Ilyse Gitman. Ms. Gitman also served as scorekeeper.