Battle of the Books Prepartion

Tips for Coaches

1. Read, read, read! There’s no substitute for knowing each book thoroughly.

2. Plan a team reading strategy
Basic – make sure every book has been read by at least 1 student
Better – have every book read by 2 students
Even better – have every book read by all students
Outstanding – after all books have been read by all students, assign 4-5 books to each student to re-read and review.

3. Play games like “Concentration” with the titles and authors. The complete
answer requires correct pronunciation of both of these.

4. Continue having your weekly meeting times.

5. Build team spirit. Choose a team name. Create a banner or team logo.

6. Build teamwork attitudes and skills
Good sportsmanship and best efforts count for everything!

7. Practice saying the titles and authors correctly.

8. Practice answering the sample questions. Questions often are about very small story or illustration details.

9. Practice the competition format.

10. Choose a spokesperson for each Battle. Only the spokesperson may answer
questions during the actual BOB.




COMPETITION SCHEDULE
There will be two rounds of competition:
Round 1 – University school-wide Battle
Round 2 – Battle with other schools.

All teams will participate in Round 1. The two teams with the highest scores in their grade levels will compete in Round 2.

The schedule for each round is as follows:
ROUND 1
April 5th: 6th Grade
April 7th: 5th Grade
April 12th: 4th Grade
April 14th: 3rd Grade

ROUND 2
April 21st: 6th Grade District Battle @ University
April 26th: 3rd/4th Grade District Battle @ McAuliffe
April 28th: 5th Grade District Battle @ McAuliffe

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 incidence on the part of any team member will excuse the entire team from further competition.

Competition Guidelines
• Each round will consist of at least 2 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 Round 2.
• 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 consists of 4 members.
• 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 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!

Posters and Team Names

Posters and Team Names can be creative and fun. However, titles and authors of current Battle of the Books books may not be used as team names or on posters.

Accelerated Reader Quizzes

Please remind your battle team members to take an Accelerated Reader (AR) Quiz on each book completed. Also, be sure to log which books each team member has read.

T-Shirts

We will place T-shirt orders in mid-January. Look for a T-shirt order form the first week of January. Also, encourage team members to submit a T-shirt design (for all our 3rd-6th grade teams) to Mrs. Budzynski in the library.

Fifth and Sixth Grade Team Reading Update

I have just received official word that the J.K. Rowling book has been removed from the Battle of the Books list. The title has gone out of print and it was decided that the book was too difficult to obtain.

Team Member Permission Form

Battle of the Books
Parent Permission form

Battle of the Books is a motivational reading program that consists of reading books, practicing as a team and having a friendly “battle” of teams in the spring. To become a Battle of the Books participant, a student must have parent permission, and make a commitment to read at least 10 of the 12 books by April. Goals of the program are to encourage and recognize students who enjoy reading, to broaden reading interests, increase reading comprehension, and promote academic excellence.

Teams will start by reading books. Students may check out books from the library or may purchase books. Teams will form in November and practices start in December. Each team has 4-5 members and all must be in the same grade level. Each team will need a parent coach. Please consider volunteering to be a team coach! If we don’t have coaches, our teams can’t compete. Teams will then set up their own time once a week to work on practice questions, build team spirit and help each other become great readers.
Battles with other University teams will take place early in April and with other schools the last week in April.

Coaches are NOT responsible for reading the books, as practice questions will be distributed to teams. Teams will plan reading strategies to ensure that all books have been read within their teams (i.e. 3 students read each book.) When permission slips are returned and books are ready in the library, we will start checking books out to students.

If your child is interested in this program and has your consent, please fill out the form below and return to your classroom teacher by October 29th. If you have questions, please call Mrs. Budzynski at 506-7022 or email rbudzynski@universityschools.com.


My child _____________________________________ would like to make a commitment and has my permission to be a Battle of the Books participant during the 2010-2011 school year.

________________________ ________________________ _______________ ________
Student Signature Parent Signature Teacher Grade

Yes, I _________________________ would like to volunteer as a team coach for the Battle of the Books teams. (We will contact you again in November/December)

2010-2011 Battle Titles

5th/6th Grade Book List

Because of Winn Dixie By Kate DiCamillo
Dark Hills Divide By Patrick Carman
Gregor the Overlander By Suzanne Collins
Homework Machine By Dan Gutman
Lemonade War By Jacqueline Davies
Matilda By Roald Dahl
Monsters of Morley Manor By Bruce Coville
Puzzling World of Winston Breen By Eric Berlin
Running Out of Time By Margaret Haddix
Shakespeare Stealer By Gary Blackwood
Utterly Me, Clarice Bean By Lauren Child

3rd and 4th Grade Book List
Balto and the Great Race by Elizabeth Kimmel
Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary
Magic Pretzel by Daniel Pinkwater
Marco Polo by Jon Scieszka
Marvin Redpost: Kidnapped at Birth by Louis Sachar
Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan
Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little by Peggy Gifford
Rickshaw Girl by Mitali Perkins
Shipwreck on the Pirate Islands by Geronimo Stilton
Uncle Pirate School Will Never be the Same by Douglas Rees
Who Was Walt Disney? by Whitney Stewart
Word Eater by Mary Amato