Vocabulary Bowl Tests Students’ Knowledge
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JACKSON, Tenn.–Students at I.B. Tigrett Middle School in Jackson tested their vocabulary skills this week. The school hosted its first ever Vocabulary Bowl on Wednesday. “It was very nerve wracking because everyone‘s staring at you the whole time,” said LeAnna Salem, a student. Salem took second place among 7th graders. “I felt really proud of myself,” she said. “I just did not want to get out in round one.” The principal gives students the synonym or antonym for a word and its definition. The students have to come up with the word he is talking about. “Our big thing is not just memorization with this whole effort,” said Principal Dexter Williams. “It‘s getting our students to actually use these words and apply these words in everyday life.” 6th, 7th, and 8th graders use vocabulary they may eventually see on the SAT or ACT. “I think the biggest one was probably idiosyncrasy, which meant strange behavior,” said Salem. The school posts vocabulary words all over campus. Students are rewarded when they use the words in every day sentences. “Students see them as they go to and fro down the hallways,” said Williams. “They hear them in the classrooms.” Students started preparing for the competition several months ago. “I studied for a long time every day just trying to make myself get somewhere high in the rankings,” said Salem. First, second, and third place winners all took home gift cards. Between 20 and 30 students from each grade participated in Wednesday‘s Vocabulary Bowl.
