Photo Album from 2011 4th-5th Battle of the Books Competition in Bakersfield
Photo Album from 2011 6th-8th Battle of the Books Competition in Bakersfield
What is Battle of the Books? America's Battle of the Books is a voluntary reading incentive program for students in grades 3-8. The purpose is simply to encourage students to read good books and have fun while reading books. Students read books and come together to demonstrate their abilities and test their knowledge of the books they have read.
The competitions are similar in style to the TV series Family Feud, but the structure and format of the competitions may vary depending on the needs, resources and personal preferences of the organizers of the county competition.
How Does A Student Participate?
A student participates by reading from the book list provided for this year's Battle of the Books. Students may count "books" they have read before. However, they cannot count books that they have only seen on a video or a movie. They must read the book. Students must also pass a short test for comprehension for each book. They should keep a summary or log so they can review this information before their "Battle” competition. A minimum of 15 of the 30 books must be read before final competition, but reading more is always better.
Where Do The Students Get The Books? In classroom E at our school in Tehachapi we will have 2 copies of each book on the lists.
When Do The Students Read The Books?
The main “Battle” competition will not be held until March or April of next year. Therefore, students will have plenty of time to read the books during the school year. Reading through the summer is completely optional, but available to students. During the school year we will be having "Battle" meetings about once a month and practice “Battles”.
What Is The "Battle"?
A typical "Battle" is a full day tournament or game, like the College Bowl, in which students' teams earn points by answering questions about the books on the book list. The day begins with a meeting, a morning snack and directions for the day. Then students are assigned to a team, given a mascot, and sent to their first round of the "Battle". They play several rounds, each against a different team. At the end of the morning, points are totaled and the two teams with the most points are invited to a "Grand Battle" after lunch, with the other teams as their audience.
How Does It Benefit The Child?
The students gain knowledge and enjoyment from reading good books, sharing them with friends, parents and teachers, plus a fun day of playing in the "Battle".
