Coaches' INFORMATION

Competition Overview

The contest consists of two separate parts, the Online Qualifying Round and the Grand Battle.  All registered teams take the Online Qualifying Round from their own school, supervised by their coach.  The results of the Online Qualifying Test determine which 16 teams will be invited to Marshalltown for the Grand Battle on Wednesday, April 26, 2023.

Please see our individual pages about the Online Qualifying Round and the Grand Battle for more specific information.

Registration

Dates:

• Opens: Thursday, January 2, at 8:00 a.m.

• Closes: Friday, March 7, 2023, at 11:59 p.m.

Cost:  $40.00/team due at time of registration

Registration Link: Coming Soon!

Confirmation: You will receive an email confirmation that your registration has been received (please allow 24 hours), and you can verify your registration on the spreadsheet of Registered Teams below.  This will be updated at least once a month, so use the confirmation e-mail as your "official" acceptance into the competition.

Payment: We accept debit/credit card and check payments. We know some people need an invoice for a purchase order in order to make those types of payments. Please read through the options below to find out how to pay by your preferred method.

• Teams paying with a debit/credit card will need to use this link from Square, our credit card site: Coming Soon!

• Teams who want to pay using a PO should request an invoice by emailing Kirstey Ewald at kewald@centralriversaea.org. Write IHSBOB PO as the subject so it’s easy to flag. 

• Coaches who want to pay via check should mail their payment to this address: 

    Melanie Wirtz, ICTE Treasurer

    Peet Junior High

    525 East Seerley

    Cedar Falls, IA 50613

    Make the check payable to Iowa Council of Teachers of English

    with the memo Iowa High School Battle of the Books.  Please

    DO NOT FORGET THE MEMO so Melanie knows why she’s

    receiving the check. : )

FYI

• Registration Fee: The $40.00 fee per team allows all students access to the virtual author visit on April 24, 2024. Thus, regardless if your team makes it to the Grand Battle, they have the opportunity to see and hear the author speak at the final competition. It also helps defray the cost of the author's honorarium and allows us to invite authors who are highly in demand.

• Team Members:  You will enter the names of your team members at the time of registration.  If any team members change, you'll need to send that information to the co-chairs by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, March 8.  Please be as accurate as possible the first time so that it's less work for everyone involved to have the correct competitors listed for your team.

• Team Coaches: Each team needs a registered coach, and you're welcome to coach multiple teams if you have the time and flexibility to meet with each one equitably.  Please know, however, if a team advances to the Grand Battle, an adult from each team serves as reader/judge/timer/helper.  Each team needs to bring an adult, so if you coach more than one team, be sure to find a parent or co-teacher to attend with you! 

Announcements

Registered Teams

This spreadsheet updates automatically as teams register.  If you believe you have submitted your registration and do not see your team's name here, please refresh your page, and if you still don't see your team's name, please contact us to be sure your registration was completed.

Coaching Tips

1. The most important role of the team coach is to encourage reading for enjoyment. Your good example and support are essential for the smooth operation of the BOB program.

2. Encourage parental support and interest by sending home a letter of introduction explaining the coach's role and plans for future meetings.

3. This competition is open to ALL readers, not just ELP students.  Teams should include any student who loves reading and wants to compete.

4. Teams should consist of at least two but no more than six readers.

5. Select a creative name for your team; pick something that will distinguish your team among others and reflect the personality of your school and students. Many teams create t-shirts to wear to the competition, but this isn't necessary or required.

6. Please allow students to choose the books from the list they want to read.  Not every student has to read every book; that's why they're a part of a team.  We support the American Library Association (ALA) Freedom to Read Statement. Students should have the right to read, or NOT to read, titles they wish.

7. If a student, parent, or coach thinks a book on the list is inappropriate, then we encourage you to invite them to NOT read that book.  Each book counts for 1/28th of the competition.  Omitting one book only removes 3.6% of the possible points.

The books on the list are there because they are diverse, award-winning books.  Concerned parties are welcome to contact the appropriate award committee with their concerns.  Please remember we do not choose the awards for these titles. However, we trust the committees of expert and knowledgeable literacy professionals at the state and national levels to determine that the titles have merit based on the award's particular criteria.

8. Coaches are responsible for monitoring the progress of their team and for encouraging each member to read as many of the books as possible.  You might want to meet over your students' lunch hour. Be creative and make it fun!

9. Communicate with your students! Emails from IHSBOB should be shared with your students when appropriate. You might want to collect your students' email addresses into a distribution group for easy forwarding.

10. At team meetings, let each student share important information (setting, plot, characters, theme) about their book with their teammates.  Search online for coaching strategies for battle of the books competitions. 

11. Stage mock battles and ask questions from the books. We will send out a practice test to teams so they can familiarize themselves with the kinds of questions they'll encounter in the actual competitions.

12. Pay attention to DEADLINES! There are only a few, but they are hard and fast. With so many teams competing and a tight timeline, we have to enforce these deadlines.  Failure to meet any of the deadlines takes your team out of the competition.  WE DON'T WANT THAT! Please make sure you are aware and meet all deadlines so your readers can enjoy the competition.

13. Explore the website fully. Please contact IHSBOB at the email address below if you still have questions that you didn't find the answers to on the website.