Hexco's Spelling Coaching Programs

Hexco's Spelling Coaching Programs

Published by Beth Mader on 18th May 2021

Hexco specializes in personal coaching and is now enrolling until our coaches' schedules are maximized. Online group courses are also available on a seasonal, rotating basis, and these courses provide a way to engage, teach, and test students simultaneously through the instruction of an online coach.

Spelling Coaching and Courses

Bee-ginners Circle starts Sunday, June 13, 2021, at 2:00 PM EST.

For the spellers just starting to show interest in spelling, the Bee-Ginners Circle is a six-week class for those who have minimal or no bee preparation or experience or who have possibly studied Scripps' Class/School list for school bees. Candidates for this class may have studied some of the "Words of the Champions" list but have not spent serious time studying for spelling bees. Quizzing/coaching sessions are conducted via Skype with Hexco’s head coach, Michelle Horton, who has guided many spellers to the highest reaches of competition in her 15+ years of coaching.

Fast Track to Spelling starts Sunday, June 13, 2021, at 4:00 PM EST.

This group course provides young spellers a strong foundation of fundamentals to build upon. Organized as a small "class," study lists are assigned on a weekly basis. Ideal candidates for Fast Track may have studied the Class/School list and much of the "Words of the Champions" list, attended district or regional bees, spelled at the National Bee, or are ready to expand their word bank to advance to a higher level. Coaching sessions are also conducted via Skype by Michelle Horton.

The Personal Spelling Coaching (PSC) is a one-on-one program with one coach and one speller. This also has regular assignments and follows-up with coaching/teaching sessions via Skype on a weekly or every-other-week schedule. Assignments are made via email, and the study lists are made available in our eMentor online application for all lists that are specific to coached spellers, depending on the level of your speller. As a speller is approaching a particular level of bee, emphasis will be on words typical of such upcoming bee, and time will be spent teaching techniques for fielding unfamiliar words.

The Crash Course is a five-week course only for spellers who are going to the National Spelling Bee. Learn how to optimize study time, develop spelling skills, and learn techniques for fielding those unknown words! The class is currently underway but will take place again next summer in the months before the National Bee.

And finally, Hexco's hourly Spelling Quizzing quizzes spellers on words they have already learned and test their retention. An experienced coach or speller will quiz from Verbomania, New Nat's Notes, or Blitz List during your hourly session.

  • Verbomania – 13,398 words total - random sequence with index or alpha sequence - primarily vocabulary enriching words
  • New Nat's Notes – 18,067 words total - random sequence with index or alpha sequence - difficult words used at National and Regional Bee from most of the last 40 years plus similar words
  • Blitz List – 12,000 words total - random sequence (New! Blitz 4!) - difficult words not used at prior bees or in published lists, at least until these were published - some have been used in last 5 years

For the past 20 years, one or more National Spelling Bee winners have used Hexco products for a total of 29 National Champions, counting the ties along the way and 7 of the 8 octo-champs in 2019.

For more information about Hexco's coaching programs, click HERE. You can also fill out the Spelling Coach Interest Form for more information.

Good luck and good studying!