Last Sunday, the famous Champs-Elysees street in Paris was turned into a giant outdoor classroom for a special spelling event called "The Big Dictation". The event was a chance for people who love words to show off their listening and spelling skills in an unusual setting.
The Big Dictation of Champs-Elysees was organized by a writer named Rachid Santaki. He came up with the idea of large groups of people taking part in dictations back in 2013. Over 50,000 people asked to join the special spelling event on the Champs-Elysees, which turned one of Paris's busiest streets into a classroom, with cars replaced by desks. In the end, around 5,000 people, aged 10 to 90, were chosen to take part.
Just like in school, a large "blackboard" was set up for the event near a famous building, the Arc de Triomphe. Several famous people were there to play the part of the teacher, and read the dictation texts out loud. After the dictation is read, the text on the screen lets people check their work.
Not everyone found it easy. Ten-year-old Samson thought the dictation was too quick and he couldn't finish. Another young student agreed. "It was impossible!" he said. "The dictation was for adults."
Even adults found it challenging, reporting that it caused stress and worry. One retired woman was pleased that she had only made two mistakes.
Marc-Antoine Jamet is in charge of the Champs-Elysees Committee, who brought the event to the famous street. He said the event wasn't just about getting all the words right but also about bringing people together.
Another goal of The Big Dictation was to break the record for the largest dictation event ever. The previous record was set in 2018 at France's national stadium, Stade de France, with 1,473 people taking part. That event was also run by Mr. Santaki.
