Battle of the Books season 2013-2014

Books have been ordered for grades 3, 4 & 5!

Book lists have been posted!

Permission forms will be available after November 4 (pick one up in the library at the elementary/high library)!

A parent/coach meeting is set for Wednesday, December 4 at 3:30 pm.

Start talking to your friends and form teams of 4-5 team members. 

Check back here for more information!

Email Mrs. Budzynski at rbudzynski@universityschools.com with any questions you have.  

2014 Battle of the Books Competition Protocol

COMPETITION PROTOCOL
• It is very important that you emphasize to your team members that the goal of this event is to read books, and to challenge themselves in the competitions to work together to do their best.

• It is also very important that all interactions between teams be positive and encouraging. We do not want anyone to feel defeated by their final score. We may designate the teams with the highest scores as winners, but there will be no losers. The challenge is to do their best, not to “beat” each other. Please make sure your team is ready to participate with this attitude.

• Any negative or unsportsmanlike behavior will be given one warning per team. A second incident on the part of any team member or coach will excuse the entire team from further competition.

Competition Guidelines
• Each round will consist of at least 3 battles for each team. There may be 2 or 3 teams competing in a battle. Total scores will be used to determine rankings or advancement to district battle.

• Each battle will consist of 10 questions for each team. Each question is unique. Questions that are missed by one team are not repeated for the opposing team(s).

• The answer for each question consists of the title and the author of the correct book. The title and author must be stated completely and pronounced correctly to earn points.

• A total of 8 points are possible for each question. The correct title statement earns 5 points. The correct author statement earns 3 points. Otherwise, no partial points are given. For each question, a team may earn 8 points, 5 points, 3 points, or 0 points.

• For each battle, a team may have only 4 members competing.

• No help is allowed during the competition from coaches or anyone else.

• For each battle, each team designates one member as their spokesperson for that battle.

The spokesperson is the only team member who states the team’s answers to the judge. The designated spokesperson can change from battle to battle.

• In the event that a battle finishes with both teams having the same score, there will be a play-off.

Questions & Answers
• The judge asks each team 8 or 10 questions in turn. While one team is answering a question, the other team(s) must wait silently.

• Each team has 30 seconds after the question has been asked, to discuss the question with each other and determine their answer. They will be told when 10 seconds remain in their time.

• A team’s spokesperson may ask for a question to be repeated once, but doing so does not stop the 30-second clock.

• No books, lists, paper, or writing tools are allowed during competition.

• A bell will be sounded at 30 seconds. After the bell, no more discussion is allowed. The designated spokesperson states the team’s answer, including the title and author.

• The judge will state the correct answer.

• If a team disagrees with the judge, they immediately call for a challenge. The team will be given a copy of the book to which their answer referred and 2 minutes to find the exact page and passage in the book that proves their answer. The spokesperson will briefly explain to the judge the basis and proof for their challenge. The judge’s decision is final.

• Unnecessary challenges are discouraged, and a series of unfounded challenges will penalize a team.

Good luck and have fun!